PHASE TWO HAS BEGUN…  SORT OF.

I stood in the concession line with my wife and two of our friends.  Iron Man 3 was set to begin in 25 minutes.  I felt anxious.  It’s not everyday you get to see a massive blockbuster movie on opening day.  I felt like I had to rush into a giant line wondering if we would score good seats.  Times are different now.  We bought our tickets online the day they went on sale and reserved our seats directly in the middle of the theater.  When I saw The Dark Knight we had to line up 2 hours before the movie began and we weren’t even close to the front of the line.  A Bigger screen, better sound, assigned seating and an eager crowd…  The perfect setting to kick off a new slate of Marvel movies.

We got our popcorn and made our way into the theater.  My anxiety quickly became excitement.  Another round of Marvel blockbusters was set to begin…

IS IRON MAN 3 THE BEST IRON MAN EVER?

The short answer is yes.  I think this might be the best movie Marvel has produced to date with the exception of The Avengers.  Honestly, there’s no way they could best the finale of Phase One.  Iron Man 3 is certainly ambitious but not on a world scale.  This is a simpler story.  This is Tony Stark’s story.

Tony is a beaten man when the movie begins and slowly things keep getting worse.  Thanks to a terrorist called The Mandarin, he finds himself alone without both his physical and emotional armor.  Half way through the movie, I began thinking about how little of Iron Man we actually see in the first two acts.  It’s a testament to the larger than life performance of Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark.  Iron Man 3 is just as funny as it is serious.  His amusing banter with a child is especially entertaining.  This series has always contained comedy but here you can tell they had a blast on set.

As Tony rebuilds himself we get reminders of what he went through in The Avengers.  Aliens invaded our planet and he fought side by side with Gods and genetically enhanced soldiers.  That’s a pretty good reason to have an anxiety attack or two.

“Gods, aliens, other dimensions?  I’m just a man in a can.”

The story’s villain was…  Surprising to say the least.  A while back, I wrote an article about the 10 things I’m looking forward to most in Marvel’s Phase Two.  #9 Iron Man vs The Mandarin.  Here’s what I said:

“The final battles in Iron Man and Iron Man 2 weren’t the greatest in my opinion.  I doubt Iron Man will fight The Mandarin in a fist fight but there’s no way the finale won’t be massive.  Just look at all the Iron Man suits in the second trailer.”

Without spoiling anything, The Mandarin is certainly not what you would expect.  (Good for you Ben Kingsley by the way) As a result, this film lacks a truly iconic comic book villain but it works here.  There is still a phenomenal final act.  Dozens of remote controlled Iron Man suites more than made up for the lack of Iron Man in the first half.  This is by far the best finale of the series.

IRON MAN 3 IS NOT A SEQUEL TO THE AVENGERS

If you go into Iron Man 3 expecting a ton of fallout from The Avengers and a setup for The Avengers 2 you’ll be disappointed.  They tried to incorporate too much into Iron Man 2 and it was a disaster so I’m glad they kept things restrained.  Still, I didn’t think we would get a Thanos appearance but I thought they would at least plant seeds for what’s to come.   We aren’t any closer to finding out where Marvel’s Cinematic Universe is heading but it’s still early.  We still have Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy to look forward to.

XTRA | I’m glad I don’t know anything about Guadians of The Galaxy

XTRA | Top 10 Moments: Marvel’s The Avengers

XTRA | Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Two Round Up

A GREAT EXPERIENCE

I saw Iron Man 3 in a sold out theater full of excited fans.  There wasn’t a single idiot around us chatting or texting friends.  The movie itself is full of humor, heart and fantastic action including a breathtaking aerial rescue.  It was nice to see Tony Stark taken back to square one.  It serves as a clean slate for the franchise and it sets the stage for what will be an amazing journey to The Avengers 2.

You have to see this movie in theaters.

Click here for more reviews.

Note: Forgot to mention our little group CRUSHED that theater at Timeplay.  We finished 1,2,3.  (My wife beat me.  I love her.)

Marvel set out to create a massive cinematic universe and delivered on that promise.  Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Captain America: The First Avenger & Thor told separate stories but everything led to The Avengers.  To say that Phase One was a success is an understatement.  It’s not everyday you get to see 4 major franchises come together so brilliantly.  Bring on Phase Two!

How will Tony Stark overcome the events of The Avengers in Iron Man 3?  What threat will the Dark Elves pose against Thor in Thor: The Dark World.  Captain America continues to adjust to the modern world in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  We will meet a new team of cosmic heroes in Guardians of The Galaxy.  Last but not least, The Avengers take on the Mad Titan Thanos in The Avengers 2.

It’s an amazing time to be a Marvel fan.

Here are 10 things I’m looking forward to in Phase Two:

10. CAPTAIN AMERICA EXISTS NOW

The only thing that kept Captain America from being my least favorite Phase One film was Iron Man 2.  The reason is because of the origin story.  It took a really long time before we finally got a look at Cap in action.  Understandably, it was a necessary story to tell and I understand that.  I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to but he exists now.

Thanks to The Avengers, we got many glimpses of what The First Avenger can do…  And it’s pretty awesome.

I can’t wait to see a full Captain America movie without the need to establish his origin.  It’s time for a full tilt, action filled hero fest!

9. IRON MAN VS MANDARIN

The final battles in Iron Man and Iron Man 2 weren’t the greatest in my opinion.  I doubt Iron Man will fight The Mandarin in a fist fight but there’s no way the finale won’t be massive.  Just look at all the Iron Man suits in the second trailer:

I think Iron Man 3 will kick start Phase Two in a BIG way and I can’t wait to see it.

COUNTDOWN | Top 5 Moments: Iron Man 3 Trailer #2

8. SO…  LOKI…

How will Loki fit into Marvel’s Cinematic Universe after his action in The Avengers.

“….  Sorry?”

I think he will still be a force to be reckoned with especially with Thor distracted by Maleketh.  I’m also curious to see if Loki mentions anything about his connection to Thanos and what lies ahead.  Love him or hate him, he has answers…  And I want those answers.

7. THE CAMEOS

Which major characters will appear in other movies?  Are The Avengers truly disassembled until The Avengers 2 in 2015?

We really got a sense of what Marvel had up it’s sleeve when Nick Fury appeared at the end of Iron Man.  Whether it’s Tony Stark in the Incredible Hulk or Hawkeye in Thor you never knew who would appear next.

That trend will most certainly continue in Phase Two.  Part of the fun will be catching all the subtle references they will include in the next slate of films.

6. A POST INVASION WORLD

We’ve already seen glimpses of New York after the events of The Avengers as well as the effect it’s had on Tony Stark.  I can’t wait to see how the world has changed after Loki opened a portal and unleashed an alien army on the world.

What’s different?  How has humanity evolved now that these threats have been revealed?  What do people think of The Avengers now?  I think the majority of the answers will be dealt with in Iron Man 3 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

But what about the rest of the universe?

5. HULK SMASH…  AGAIN

It’s very unlikely we will see The Hulk again until The Avengers 2 premieres.  He isn’t getting a standalone movie any time soon but I think saving him is a good move.  Watching Hulk punch giant alien snakes in the face was part of the fun of The Avengers.  We may see Bruce Banner pop up at some point before then but I’m willing to wait.  It’s going to be awesome when the Hulk is unleashed again.

4.  THE CREDITS

No one will ever leave at the end of a Marvel movie again.  We all know the extra scene is coming.  A teaser of what’s to come.  A few moments that connect these movies together in ways that frustrate and delight fans.  (I say frustrate because the wait for answers can be painful.)

When we last left a Marvel movie, they gave us a glimpse of the villain who will be the center piece of Phase Two…  Thanos.

The ending of Iron Man 3 is rumored to introduce The Guardians of the Galaxy.  I know it’s a lot to ask but it would be nice if they at least mentioned Thanos.  Either way, I’m really looking forward to the bonus scenes.  Especially double bonus scenes like this:

3. THE GUARDIANS

A brand new Marvel franchise!?

I don’t know much about The Guardians of the Galaxy but I’m looking forward to learning more about them.  A Marvel movie directed by James Gunn set in space with talking Trees and Raccoons might seem risky but I’m excited.

XTRA | I’m glad I don’t know anything about Guardians of the Galaxy

The very idea that Marvel’s is expanding their universe is exciting enough.  What’s more exciting is the connection this movie will have with Thanos.  It will no doubt lead directly to The Avengers 2.

2.  THANOS

Who doesn’t love a good villain?  When Marvel announced The Avengers people wondered who the villain might be.  It was ultimately revealed to be Loki but it wasn’t his plan.  It’s always been Thanos.  We may not have seen him but he’s been around the whole time plotting against humanity.

It’s unprecedented to have not one but many films to set up a villain.  Especially one as powerful as The Mad Titan Thanos.  I’ve read about the history surrounding the character and his connections to The Avengers & The Guardians but what will the cinematic version of Thanos be like?

Will he impact the events of the films leading up to The Avengers 2 directly?  Or will he take a back seat and allow pawns like Loki take center stage.  When will we see him again?  What’s his plan?

…  I want answers!!!

1. THE AVENGERS 2

It took years to set up the events of Marvel’s The Avengers and we are in for another long but entertaining ride.  Along the way, we’ll catch up with Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the rest of shield.  We’ll get updates on Bruce Banner and the ‘other’ guy.  We will meet the Guardians of the Galaxy and learn more about the looming threat known as Thanos.

Through all of these fantastic adventures we will all be wondering how it will all end.  How will these films connect?  What does Marvel really have planned for Phase Two?

Everything leads to The Avengers 2 and it’s going to be an amazing adventure indeed.

Phase Two is about to begin.  Cinematic history is about to be made.

COUNTDOWN | Top 10 Moments: Marvel’s The Avengers

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WHICH BLOCKBUSTER WILL COME OUT ON TOP?

The Summer Movie season is nearly upon us and 2013 is shaping up to be one spectacular show. I think the battle for this year’s crown comes down to three outstanding projects: Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness & Man of Steel.

Which one will stand out critically? Commercially? Which one will connect to audiences most?

Ultimately, it depends on which franchise you love and the history behind it. Are you excited to return to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe after the events of The Avengers? Are you counting down the days until J.J Abrams unleashes another adventure in his rebooted Star Trek universe? Can the DC Universe thrive without Christopher Nolan’s Batman?

These are all questions that will be answered but which one will truly deliver?

IRON MAN 3

May 3, 2013 (April 18th)

The marketing machine behind this film did a fantastic job with the first two trailers. Tony Stark is in for one hell of a battle with The Mandarin but more importantly himself. Immediately, you get a sense that the events of The Avengers weighs heavily on him. It should be! Aliens opened a portal and invaded Earth! The whole planet was almost lost!

Iron Man 3 is a guaranteed success because of The Avengers and previous films but how will people respond to a standalone tale now that the team has disassembled? Are movie audiences spoiled now?

Personally, I think it will work. Judging by the trailers, Marvel has learned that Iron Man cannot be used solely to introduce elements of future films.  That approach killed any momentum Iron Man 2 could muster.

Thankfully, that movie was erased last year when Tony flew a nuclear missile through a portal in the sky and blew up an alien mothership…

Apparently, the finale of Iron Man 3 is full of different types of armors in one of the most explosive endings ever.  An ending that has Avengers director Joss Whedon worried about how he will top it in The Avengers 2.  This according to Marvel president Kevin Feige:

“There are a lot of suits in this movie. While it is both a movie in which he spends quite a bit of time outside of the suit, as you see it’s not working and he’s — and he’s with Ty in Tennessee, by the end of it we reveal that underneath the house, which is now covered with rubble, he’s got dozens and dozens of suits.

And once, throughout the course of the movie, and all that rubble gets pulled aside by construction cranes, just when he needs them, he calls them to the rescue and we have what I think is the biggest most action-packed finale we’ve had. I showed the film to Joss Whedon, who is our writer-director of Avengers and who is currently working on Avengers 2, and he saw the finale of this and he goes, ‘Now what am I supposed to do now? What am I going to do in Avengers 2?’ (Geek Tyrant)

Will Iron Man 3 win the summer 2013 movie season?

XTRA | Top 5 Moments: Iron Man 3 Trailer #1

XTRA | Top 5 Moments: Iron Man 3 Trailer #2

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

May 17th, 2013

J.J. Abrams’ 2009 reboot basically introduced me to the Star Trek universe.  That should NOT have been the case.  I didn’t dislike Star Trek at all, it was just never a part of my life growing up.  This universe is essentially all I know about the characters from the original series other than the standard pop culture references.  I’m reluctant to call myself a Star Trek fan but I did enjoy the reboot a lot.

This time around, the origin story is established and the possibilities are endless.  I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

Will Star Trek Into Darkness win the summer 2013 movie season?

XTRA | Top 5 Moments: Star Trek Into Darkness Trailer #1

MAN OF STEEL

June 13, 2013

Christopher Nolan is done with Batman and has now turned his attention to Superman.  (I just read that last sentence again and grinned.)  Superman is returning for REAL this time!  This new take on the Man of Steel looks nothing short of spectacular.

I was highly disappointed in Superman Returns (2006).  For a Superman movie, it really didn’t offer much action and when it did, it he was lifting continents out of the water.  Lex Luther’s evil land plan was pretty dumb and the movie failed to relaunch the franchise as many hoped.

This time it’s going to be different.  This is the modern Superman movie I’ve been dying to see my whole life.  (My age when the first films were released ranged from non existent to infant child.)

I can’t wait to see Man of Steel.  I truly hope Zack Snyder, Christopher Nolan and the entire team deliver something amazing.  I’m at the point now where I’m just about prepared to guarantee it.

Will Man of Steel win the summer 2013 movie season?

XTRA | Top 5 Moments: Man of Steel Trailer #2

Do you think another movie can beat these three titans this summer? The Wolverine? Pacific Rim?

XTRA | Top 10 Summer Movies 2013

THE RANKINGS

TOTAL BOX OFFICE (WORLDWIDE)

3. Man of Steel

2. Star Trek Into Darkness

1. Iron Man 3

CRITICAL ACCLAIM

3. Star Trek Into Darkness

2. Iron Man 3

1. Man of Steel

MY PERSONAL PRE-SUMMER RANKINGS

3. Star Trek Into Darkness

2. Iron Man 3

1. Man of Steel

What do you think?

THE FINAL IRON MAN 3 TRAILER HAS ARRIVED!

…  And I thought the first Iron Man 3 trailer was explosive!

The latest trailer begins with Tony Stark as we’ve never seen him.  Weakened.  Scared.  The trailer then evolves into an action packed look at a movie poised to kick start Marvel’s post Avengers universe.  The road to the Avengers 2 has truly begun.  Before we get there, Iron Man has to pick himself up and deal with the deadly Mandarin.

How?  Looks like it’ll take just about every suit he’s every built!

Here are 5 of my favorite moments from the new Iron Man 3 trailer:

5.  “AN EMPTY LIFE OR A MEANINGFUL DEATH?”

While I’m not a fan of Sir. Ben Kinglsey’s Mandarin voice, he is a formidable and intimidating foe.  That one line paints a picture of a ruthless villain bent on creating chaos for Tony Stark and co.  It’s almost time!

4. EXTREMIS IN ACTION

Extremis technology allows Tony to control his armor with his mind.  This new armor can wrap itself around Tony whenever he calls.  You can see it in action a number of times during the trailer.  I can’t wait to see it on the big screen.

3.  BROKEN STARK

It was a given that this movie would be full of action and eye candy.  What will truly make this film worthy of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe is Tony Stark’s journey.  From the looks of this image, he’s in for one hell of a beat down in the third installment.

2.  TONS OF IRON!

Extremis technology plays a huge part in Iron Man 3 and there’s no greater example than an army of remote controlled suits.  Awesome.

1.  THE HULKBUSTER!

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When the concept art below leaked on the internet I thought it was awesome but I didn’t think we would see it in Iron Man 3.  Needless to say, this badass armor is front and center in the trailer’s final moments.  I’m happy I was wrong.

Click here for more Movie Countdowns!

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XTRA | Top 5 Super Massive Gigantic Game Changing Movie Announcements

A NEW YEAR BEGINS.  A GREAT YEAR FOR MOVIES!

Movie sites world wide are posting lists of movies they can’t wait to see in 2013.  Last year I realized that, if I did the same, my list would be identical to many film fans out there.  I decided to try something different.  So I collected lists from around the web and devised a scoring method to rank the movies mentioned in the lists.

It’s simple.  For this year’s movie preview I used 16 lists from big sites as well as smaller blogs.  These articles had to rank 2013 movies from 10-1.  I gave 10 points to every movie that was given the top spot, 9 points for second down to 1 point for 10th place rankings.  Total points were sorted and the result was 44 movies to look forward to in 2013!

XTRA | My top 10 summer movies of 2013

Before I get to the big list, here are my sources:

YAHOO | 2013 Preview: 25 most anticpated movies

/FILM | Angie’s 10 most anticipated films of 2013

DEN OF GEEK | The top 25 must see movies of 2013

HEAVY | The top 20 most anticipated films of 2013

MOVIE FANATIC | Top 13 movie moments of 2013

MOVIE-MORON | Top 30 best new movies of 2013

TECH REPUBLIC | The 10 must see geek movies of 2013

RORCHACH REVIEWS | My top 10 most anticipated films for 2013

TOP TEN BEST FILMS | 10 most anticipated action adventure

MOVIE INSIDER | 2013 most anticipated movies

CLASSIC BLANCA | Top 10 most anticipated movies of 2013

SHOW WATCHER | 10 most anticipated movies of 2013

BEST GEEK BLOG EVER | Top 10 anticipated 2013

WHAT CULTURE | 15 most anticipated films of 2013

SPILL | Ten most anticipated movies of 2013

DUKE FRUKEM | Most anticipated movies of 2013

THE MOST ANTICIPATED MOVIES OF 2013
THE RANKINGS

44. UNTITLED DIABLO CODY PROJECT (1 POINT)

43. CAN A SONG SAVE YOUR LIFE (1 POINT)

42. NYMPHOMANIAC (1 POINT)

41. THE HEAR (2 POINTS)

40. ENDER’S GAME (2 POINTS)

39. NOW YOU SEE ME (2 POINTS)

38. OLD BOY (3 POINTS)

37. SCARY MOVIE 5 (3 POINTS)

36. A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD (3 POINTS)

35. OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (3 POINTS)

34. MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (3 POINTS)

33. THE GREAT GATSBY (5 POINTS)

32. TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE (5 POINTS)

31. THE LAST STAND (5 POINTS)

30. PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS (6 POINTS)

29. INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (7 POINTS)

28. THE EVIL DEAD (7 POINTS)

27. ONLY GOD FORGIVES (8 POINTS)

26. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (9 POINTS)

25. WORLD WAR Z (9 POINTS)

24. LOWLIFE (NIGHTINGALE) (9 POINTS)

23. STOKER (10 POINTS)

22. THE WORLD’S END (10 POINTS)

21. GANGSTER SQUAD (11 POINTS)

20. G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (12 POINTS)

19. ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND CONTINUES (13 POINTS)

18. FAST AND FURIOUS 6 (14 POINTS)

17. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (16 POINTS)

16. AFTER EARTH (16 POINTS)

15. KICK ASS 2 (18 POINTS)

14. BEFORE MIDNIGHT (20 POINTS)

13. SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR (20 POINTS)

12. THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (22 POINTS)

11. THE LONE RANGER (23 POINTS)

THE TOP 10 MOST ANTICIPATED MOVIES OF 2013

10. OBLIVION (24 POINTS)

9. THE WOLVERINE (31 POINTS)

8. THOR: THE DARK WORLD (31 POINTS)

7. THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (43 POINTS)

6. GRAVITY (45 POINTS)

5. ELYSIUM (45 POINTS)

4. PACIFIC RIM (67 POINTS)

3. MAN OF STEEL (85 POINTS

2. IRON MAN 3 (107 POINTS)

1. STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (110 POINTS)

What movie are you looking forward to the most?

Click here for more Movie Countdowns.