I kind of wanted to delve further into the world of Chronicle, but unfortunately the DVD isn’t exactly chock-full of extras. Beyond the film, it just provides some animatics from a few of the more sfx heavy scenes of the film and some early test footage (with different actors) of how the telekinetic powers would potentially appear in the final film. Other than that, we get a trailer and not much else. The Blu-Ray apparently has a Director’s Cut of the film (the screener Fox sent me just had the film and the extras listed here), so I’m thinking that and/or the Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack might be the better option if you want more goodies when Chronicle hits stores on May 15th.

Amazing Spider-Man swings into theaters July 3rd!

Is it me or does that costume make it look like he’s wearing a basketball on his face?

As for this Dark Knight Rises trailer, it looks absolutely delicious. We get more Catwoman (Anne Hathaway), a bit more Bane (Tom Hardy), and glimpses of Batman’s supporting cast, played by Morgan Freeman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, and Michael Caine. And we actually get a bit more Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) than we do the Dark Knight, but that’s okay. However, I hope that Batman doesn’t disappear into his own movie as much as he did in the last one with Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker soaking up all the attention. It’s that along with the way the film is written and shot that makes me think of this less than a superhero film and more a crime drama that happens to have a guy wearing a bat costume in it.

Of course, regardless of how it it’s thrown together and projected onto a screen, I’m there opening night at midnight to see it. Will you?
And do you think this film has a chance of living up to its predecessor?

And in case you haven’t caught it yet, check out this clip from a TED conference in the year 2023 (not that far off), featuring Guy Pearce as Peter Weyland, the man behind the corporation that backed all of those ill-fated missions in Aliens and Prometheus. There’s no denying the Aliens connection now. But whether we’ll see an actual classic Ridley Scott alien in the new film is another matter altogether…

Prometheus arrives in theaters June 8th.

To say I’ve been anticipating this movie is a bit of an understatement. With that anticipation comes some pretty big expectations. I know I’m not alone in this regard. With that in mind, Marvel, Disney, and Paramount don’t have to worry about making their money back on this little film. That was never a concern. Of course, when you have a film this big, a studio can’t afford to simply get their money back. They have to knock it out of the park. They have to break records. They have to pull people out of their homes and into the multiplexes and get them to don 3D glasses and not wait until it comes out on DVD. To do that, they have to make a great movie and have the confidence to show it to the movie’s most ardent fans well before the official launch date on May 4th, just to get a reaction that they could put on film and show the rest of the world the enthusiasm surrounding this epic piece of cinematic history.

But therein lies the huge risk they took. A movie this big is almost guaranteed to fail from a “living up to expectations” standpoint, especially when it comes to an audience like this. The primary audience for the Avengers is the comic book geeks who have been following their beloved heroes for almost 50 years. And geeks are anything but quiet about sharing their opinions. If the Avengers didn’t live up to the expectations of these nitpicky nerds, the world was going to hear about it. Even worse, if the film just generated a collective “meh”, it could be the death-knell for the future of superhero movies, good or bad. Nobody likes a “meh” movie. “Meh” is death. But as we learned last Saturday morning after less than a hour’s sleep the night before, the Avengers is anything but a “meh” movie.

I’ve been to a lot of advance screenings. There’s always a bit of a tweaked rah-rah attitude to the proceedings, considering that such an audience is thrilled to get the first look of something they’ve waited years to see, but I have never experienced the degree of unadulterated enthusiasm as I witnessed during this Avengers screening. There were moments when the entire room exploded in reaction to what was happening on screen. I was among the people lurching forward in their seats, shouting profanity into my hands covering my mouth, almost jumping to my feet, followed by shouts, screams, and raucus applause. And there are more than a few moments when the audience gets to applaud and cheer on our heroes and not hold back. It felt like a sporting event. The Avengers smacked us around (in a good way) from beginning to end with its action, its humor, and the characters we love. And we wouldn’t have it any other way!

Here’s some footage from the screening events held in Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, and Houston last weekend. We in LA were lucky enough to have director/writer Joss Whedon, producer Kevin Feige, Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Cobie Smulders (Agent Maria Hill), and Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson) in attendance at our screening, which made that Saturday 9:30am screening all the more special, or as Clark Gregg put it “an astonishing tsunami of fanboy energy”…

Here’s a few nuggets of what I enjoyed most about the film:

That Bastard Loki – He really is a mean S.O.B. in this movie. Hiddleston is scarily sly and menacing while at times simply a guy who is in way over his head, but too proud to admit it.

It Has Joss’ Voice – Love it or hate it, director/writer Joss Whedon is the invisible character in this film. Fans of his previous work know of his love of off-kilter, grandiose speechifying and how he loves to make little moments into something surpisingly huge and turn big moments into unexpected character explorations with just the turn of a phrase or two. He often does it with humor, but there are lines in this film that will shock you, even when it’s coming from the mouth of a villain.

You Won’t See the Best Moments Coming – More than once, Whedon takes a scene you think is going one direction and suddenly turns it on its head without the slightest warning. His fans know that he’s good at that. But you won’t mind at all. You will learn to use the term “blindside” more often when talking about this film.

It’s More Complex Than it Looks (but not too much) – It’s not just about Loki invading the Earth. It’s not just about Nick Fury assembling heroes to do his bidding. There were some surprising twists that were important to the motivation of the characters to come together despite everything they were experiencing that would make them not want to work together at all. Let’s just say it’s not as simple as Nick saying, “hey, guys, let’s team up!”

Black Widow and Hawkeye BFFs – They aren’t just filling in spots in the roster. They have important roles at the beginning all the way through the end, even if they are completely outclassed when it comes to an alien invasion. They serve a purpose and they steal pretty much all of the scenes they’re in, especially in the final battle.

Everyone Gets to Fight (Each Other) – There are more great match ups in this movie and they don’t come off as screentime diversions. More than once, I had to say aloud “I can’t believe I’m seeing this!” As we’ve seen in the trailers, the heroes fight each other, but thankfully those moments barely scratch the surface of what the film gives us. You want a Hulk vs Thor fight? Oh boy, you’ve got one! Of course, put the Hulk in a fight against anyone, and it’s going to be fun.

Who is the Alien Army? – Their name is revealed in the first 5 seconds of the film. And Marvel fans have heard the name before, though it bares no consequence to the story. It’s the Chitauri from the Ultimates comic series, but don’t expect these alternate reality versions of the Skrulls to do any shapeshifting. They are simply warriors allied with Loki to overtake the Earth (or are they?). Also, their enormous power makes it easy for our heroes to justify completely cutting loose on their asses.

Joss Loves a Longshot – If you’ve seen Joss’s previous works, you know how much he loves long, continuous, flowing shots. You get one in possibly the greatest action sequence in the film. In fact, you almost don’t even know it’s happening until you’re part of the way through it because your breathing and heartbeat come to a complete stop until its over. It’s a thing of beauty. It’s one of the things I can’t wait to see again.

Unlikely Heroes Step Up – Unfortunately, Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill doesn’t get to do much more than act as an expository dialogue foil in any scenes she shares with Nick Fury, shouting commands or providing sitreps (of course, looking great while doing it), but if she wasn’t there, Nick would look strange speaking much of his dialogue aloud to himself. But when it comes to the normally unflappable Agent Coulson, whom we’ve seen in both Iron Man films and Thor, we get to see another side of him that most won’t expect, but will thoroughly enjoy when they see it. Believe it or not, he’s got one of the best scenes and lines in the movie.

The Helicarrier – It’s almost a character unto itself. It’s huge and cool as hell and acts as the centerpiece for one of the movie’s biggest conflicts. Thank god they didn’t introduce it just to make it a fancy background. It’s actually integral to the action in more ways than one.

The Brothers Squabble – The big 3 heroes in the Avengers have always been Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor (head, heart, and hand, respectively). Their interaction gives the movie its spark. Tony is always ready with a snarky quip even when it’s not appropriate, because he’s too smart for his own good, even though he’s rarely, if ever, wrong. Steve wants to just follow orders and play soldier as a way of dealing with the fact that 2012 is a mostly alien world to him. And Thor feels he alone is qualified to deal with the threat his half-brother poses. Not only do they come to blows physically, as seen in the trailers, but also verbally and philosophically, adding a few layers of tension to the film that make you wonder whether they’re going to get over themselves soon enough to fight the real battle (okay, sure, you know they will, but still…).

The Hulk – I never thought I’d say this, but we need another Hulk movie – NOW! If they can capture what they brought to the screen in the Avengers and distill it into another solo film, they could take the least popular Marvel movie franchise and turn it into the best. Like the shark in Jaws, they take their time putting him in front of the camera until they absolutely have to, but when they do, the effect is explosive and at times terrifying. And once the Hulk is getting into the groove of smashing, he’s at once breathtaking to watch and hilarious in other moments when you least expect it.

The Credits – Be sure you stick around DURING the credits. Even though your average moviegoer will wonder what just happened, longtime Marvel fans will walk away with a very big grin on their faces. Also, since there is word that they shot at least one more scene last week after the red carpet premiere in Hollywood, there’s a good chance we’ll get another scene tacked onto the end after the credits (there wasn’t one at the screening I saw) just in time for the May 4th premiere.

Expectations SMASHED! – I thought there was no way this movie could have lived up to the expectations put upon it by the fans (most importantly, by me), but somehow it did that and more. It went far, far beyond what I wanted it to do. All props go to Joss Whedon, the cast, and the crew who somehow figured out how to do it right and not just make a two hour and twenty minute Hasbro toy and Slurpee commercial. When the lights came up after the movie, fans were still sitting in their seats stunned, laughing and recounting their favorite scenes and marveling at the fact that they were absolutely blown away by it all! That didn’t happen after the Star Wars prequels, not after the Lord of the Rings movies, or any other recent super hero movie that I can recall, even the Marvel ones. This movie literally fired on every cylinder until the ride was over. I know the roller coaster metaphor is overused, but let me toss it out there like this: It wasn’t a roller coaster in the way of describing the ups and downs of the film, but rather the fact that it had the crowd shouting and screaming and gasping at every hill, every drop, every turn the movie made. Sure, maybe that’s the case with the whole-heartedly invested geeks that filled the 400+ seats, but tell me you won’t experience the same thing when you see it in theaters on May 4th!

Again, GO SEE THE AVENGERS ONLY IN THEATERS MAY 4th! Don’t be the one who waits for DVD (unless you have a noisy baby that you can’t leave at home with the babysitter).

Okay, with that out of the way, I need to urge you to see this movie in theaters ASAP! There are many that will see this movie and will not be able to shut up about it. They will ruin any number of the absolutely beautiful surprises that are peppered throughout this film, simply because they can’t contain themselves. These people are bad and you should stay away from them. Also, other than this site, you need to avoid the internet. No Facebook or Twitter until you’ve seen this movie. Your idiot friends are going to ruin it for you. I’m not kidding. You know how they are.

Although, as much as I am urging you to see this film, crammed full of humor, horror, and gore galore, I also want to avoid over-hyping it to you (too late), as that tends to set people up for disappointment when it doesn’t become the next step in sliced bread evolution. The film is not perfect, but you’ll be enjoying the ride too much to care. Depending on how far into the premise you’re willing to immerse yourself, you might wallow happily or you might find yourself thinking how cute they are getting off on their oh-so-clever idea (which it really is). Either way, you’re entertained.

Being that this is a film co-written by Joss Whedon (Avengers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly) and Drew Goddard (Cloverfield, and writer on nearly all of Whedon’s tv projects), you can expect as much laughs as fountains of blood. And, despite the fact that this comparison might turn people off as much as it might turn them on, this movie comes across as an exceptional Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode if said episode had a bigger effects budget and none of the characters from the show. Don’t even try to match up the main 5 characters in Cabin with the Scoobies. There just aren’t any exact parallels. Oh, and speaking of the Whedonverse, you’ll find more than a few familiar faces from any number of Joss’s shows, but I won’t ruin those surprises either. But for those of you who want to get an early look at what the God of Thunder would sound like reading words by Joss Whedon, this is your chance, because Chris Hemsworth, aka the Mighty Thor from the Avengers, has a significant role in the film, which was shot a little before he picked up his Uru hammer the first time. One more thing… Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins almost steal the movie (no, I can’t tell you their roles in the film, but they are the first people we see).

All I can say is that if you’re expecting your standard horror film, you’re on the wrong path. If you’re expecting a goofy comedy splatterfest, you’re not going to get that either. This movie has bigger things on its mind, but not in a pretentious, high-minded, “here’s a lesson you should learn” kind of way. But it does answer more than a few questions you didn’t realize you wondered about until you come face to face with them in this film. Surprises like that made me really enjoy the film on a level far beyond cool kill shots.

This is normally where I would put the trailer, but I can’t do it this time. Don’t go looking for it either. If you’ve already seen it somewhere else, forget what you saw. My only big disappointment was the fact that the trailer gives up a considerably big plot twist (or two) that removed some of the surprise for me. But it didn’t ruin the movie for me by a long shot. You need to go into this movie cold. If you enjoy horror films and comedies, that’s all you need to know going into this to enjoy it. The true joy in seeing the Cabin in the Woods is discovering the twists and turns in this film as they unfold in front of you. Even if you can barely handle rated R blood and gore, slosh through it to get to some of the coolest moments in horror film. There is one kill shot that we’ve been waiting for our entire lives, but never knew how much we’ve wanted it until the Cabin in the Woods.

Don’t read any other reviews and don’t make plans to see any other movie this weekend. Just go see the Cabin in the Woods ASAP, before the masses on Facebook and Twitter and the general media ruin it for you. And for the love of god, DO NOT WAIT FOR DVD!!! By then all of the nonsensical troll backlash will have taken hold, every sweet surprise will be spoiled, and it just wouldn’t be as fun as discovering it in a theater full of people reacting to the madness all around you. It’s half the fun of the film.

So GO! Find 2 hours before you head back to work Monday and make this movie #1 at the box office this weekend. You won’t regret taking a one-way trip to the Cabin in the Woods!

Okay, maybe not, but I’m betting you’re thinking it now. While her fate is still in question, what this version does have is Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Bryan Cranston, Jessica Biel, John Cho, and a host of other familiar faces (could a former Governator show up?). And while I understand there is no trip to Mars, this new version of a messed up futuristic Earth looks pretty amazing. You can never really be sure what you’re going to get with most remakes, but from everything I’ve seen so far, I’m definitely going to this thing opening weekend. Hey, throw Bryan Cranston into ANY movie doing ANYTHING and I’m in. Plus, a knock-down, drag-out fight between Beckinsale and Biel is just icing on the cake. If you don’t believe me, check out the brand new full trailer below…

Did you notice the URL at the end of the trailer? Go to welcometorecall.com and you’ll find yourself at the official Sony pictures site for the movie. Go to the variant of that address that briefly flickers on the screen (welcometorekall.com) and you’ll be at the Rekall company site as it exists in the film. They give the option to receive a phone call from one of their representatives about an “experience package” when it becomes available to you. Does that mean some viral promo swag or possibly an advance screening of the film? Who knows? All I know is that I’m expecting a call sooner or later…

• They are flying in giant spaceships that shoot beam weapons (as seen in the footage with Iron Man).
• It’s possible that whatever is chasing Iron Man in the last full trailer could be a massive creature of some sort, rather than a ship. I honestly can’t be sure.
• They are bipedal, having two legs, two arms, two eyes, and a mouth.
• They appear to be mostly naked or covered in armor close to their skin type. They appear to be savage warrior-types, but they are obviously also civilized to some degree, because they wear gold headbands and fly technologically advanced “spaceships”.
• Considering that Loki was sent spinning through a dimensional vortex at the end of Thor, is it possible that he brought these guys back from the Negative Zone? Or is that something that falls under the eventual Fantastic Four movie reboot jurisdiction?

Oh, and how badass is that last shot with the Hulk? He could end up stealing the show. And he might even get a good movie franchise out of the deal if they can just figure out what to do with him on his own. Hey, there are 3 failed Punisher movies, why can’t they give the Hulk a third shot at stardom? I guess only the Avengers box office can decide that…

Here’s a sneak peek at some behind the scenes video. The film arrives in select theaters April 5th, 2012. If it’s playing anywhere near you, go see it!

ABOUT THE FILM
Have you ever imagined a place where Vulcans and vampires get along? Where wizards and wookies can be themselves? Welcome to Comic-Con San Diego. What started as a fringe comic book convention for 500 fans has grown into the pop culture event of the year that influences every form of entertainment, now attended by over 140,000 strong.

COMIC-CON EPISODE IV: A FAN’S HOPE- a film by Morgan Spurlock explores this amazing cultural phenomenon by following the lives of five attendees as they descend upon the ultimate geek mecca at San Diego Comic-Con 2010:

• Eric, an aspiring illustrator, is hoping to impress publishers and land a job;
• Holly, costume and creature designer, hopes her creations will win the big prize;
• Chuck, a long-time comic book dealer, is looking for a big sale to pay off his debts;
• Skip, longtime amateur illustrator wants to be discovered at this year’s event;
• James, a young fan, hopes his girlfriend will accept a dramatic proposal.

One on one interviews with Comic-Con veterans who have turned their passions into professions include Stan Lee, Joss Whedon, Frank Miller, Kevin Smith, Matt Groening, Seth Rogen, Eli Roth and others are shared throughout the film along with up close and up front coverage of all the panels, parades, photos, costumes, crowds and camaraderie that make up one of the largest fan gatherings in the U.S.

Presented by Stan Lee and Joss Whedon, COMIC-CON EPISODE IV: A FAN’S HOPE is directed by Morgan Spurlock; produced by Spurlock, Jeremy Chilnick, Matthew Galkin, Harry Knowles and Thomas Tull, and written by Spurlock and Chilnick.