Movies

Wonder Woman (2017)

Wonder Woman’s Early Reviews Are In — And They’re Superb

New poster touts a four-star review and quotes a reviewer who calls it “The Superhero Movie of the Year.”

Like everyone else who wants to see female superheroes succeed, we’ve been holding our breath and praying for Wonder Woman. It has been a decade since twin bombs Elektra and Catwoman were released and “proved” to studio executives that audiences won’t watch female-led superhero movies. (The fact that both of those films were awful never entered the conversation for some reason.)

So if Wonder Woman is anything less than excellent, we might have to wait another 10 years for studios to try again.

The movie is embargoed — so critics are not allowed to post reviews until closer to the release date — but based on Twitter chatter from people who have seen the film, we can breathe a sigh of relief. Wonder Woman is good. Really good.

Wonder Woman Poster - Four Stars
Wonder Woman Poster – Four Stars

Eagle-eyed fans spotted new Wonder Woman posters touting a four-star review from the British tabloid the Daily Star, with a pull-quote proclaiming it “The Superhero Movie of the Year.”

Daily Star movie critic Andy Lea confirmed on Twitter that he wrote the review. He called the movie “dark” and “funny” and singled out Gadot’s performance in a now deleted tweet.

Comic book writer Marc Andreyko (Wonder Woman ’77) also had his Tweet deleted, but he had nothing but praise for both Jenkins and Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot.

I can’t get into specifics but @GalGadot gives a beautiful, nuanced, powerful performance, @PattyJenks is SO GOOD with actors.

Other reviewers were more circumspect (probably to avoid the nasty phone call from Warner Bros. Lea and Andreyko likely received), but all indicators are that the movie is fantastic.

Bustle‘s Anna Klassen heaped praise on the film’s director.

 

Batman-News.com didn’t see the film, but spoke with many people who had.

We should take all of this with a grain of salt. Early Twitter reviews for almost any movie are generally positive. Still, positive buzz is a good thing, and both fans and professional critics that have seen the movie seem genuinely excited by the film. The praise seems universal, and that can’t be seen as anything but a wonderful development.

 

Homemade Wonder Woman

A Shot-For-Shot Recreation of the Wonder Woman Trailer with Zero Budget

The folks over at CineFix have created a remarkable shot-for-shot remake of the Wonder Woman trailer using  cardboard, duct tape and trash can lids as part of their “Homemade” video series. You can see it at the top of the page.

If you want to see how awe-inspiringly accurate the recreation is, check out this side-by-side comparison video.

While I don’t think there is a huge mystery about how they did anything here, it’s still pretty cool to see the process that they used to recreate the shots. Here’s a behind-the-scenes video showing how they made the home-brew trailer.

Cast

Leeron Amiel
Andrew Nowak
Stefanie Galler
Maddie Estrada
Andreas Trolf

Crew

Directed by Benjamin Martin
Art Department:
Mark Johnson
Bianca Lemaire
Music/Sound: Mike Wendland
Executive Producer: Dustin McLean

Dark Phoenix

‘Dark Phoenix’ Movie Gets a Release Date

In a press recent conference, 20th Century Fox dropped a ton of release dates for movies in production, but the one that jumped out at us was Dark Phoenix, now slated for release on November 2nd of next year..

After the financial and critical disappointment of X-Men: Apocalypse, people were unsure what came n

X-Men #135
X-Men #135

ext for the flagship mutant franchise. Spin-offs like Deadpool 2 and New Mutants were moving along, but the studio was uncharacteristically quiet about the proposed third movie in their rebooted X-Men franchise, X-Men Supernova.

Things became more clear when the movie was refocused and retitled Dark Phoenix. The emphasis would clearly be on telepath Jean Grey, played by Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner. In the comics, Grey becomes a threat to the entire world when she becomes possessed and corrupted by the “Phoenix Force” a cosmic being of incalculable power.

Eventually, she is becomes such a danger to the Earth that her fellow X-Men are forced to kill her. Whether the movies will send Grey down that same dark path remains to be seen.

Guardians of the Galaxy

James Gunn Will Write and Direct ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’

We don’t need to wait to see how Guardians of the Galaxy, vol. 2 does in theaters before getting news about a sequel. Writer/Director James Gunn took to Facebook today to announce a that he will return for a third installment of the popular antihero franchise.

With the addition of Mantis and Nebula in vol. 2, the Guardians of the Galaxy is easily the most gender-balanced team in the Marvel Universe. And it is likely that Gunn will add even more Guardians in the next installment. (Moondragon, anyone?)

There isn’t a lot to add to Gunn’s announcement, but we will note that Marvel must feel very confident about the second GotG movie if they are willing to announce a third before this one even hits screens.

Well, this week we start the U.S. press junket, before traveling to Europe at the end of the week. Of course I know some of the questions that come up a lot – “Wasn’t there a lot more pressure dealing with the sequel of a beloved film?” (No, there was less, because this time I knew there was an audience waiting to see it!) and, “What was it like working with Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone?” (Daunting and at times overwhelming – I ran around in my backyard as a kid pretending to be Snake Plissken and John Rambo, so these guys are true icons to me.)

But the question that comes up perhaps the most is, “What’s the deal with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and are you going to direct?”

Before I was able to honestly answer this, I needed to know it was, in my heart, what I truly felt called to do. There is a history in Hollywood of haphazard endings to trilogies, and I didn’t want to become a part of that dishonorable tradition of pretending the third one doesn’t exist. I couldn’t do it for the money, and I couldn’t do it because it was what other people wanted me to do. I needed to do it because it was what I needed to do. I have never made choices in my career based on anything other than passion and love for the stories and characters, and I didn’t want to start now.

So, after many months of ruminations and discussions, I know the answer. I could save this answer for the first, random interviewer to ask me during the press junket but instead I thought I’d share it with the most important people in the Guardiansverse – you, the fans, who have been so incredibly supportive and enthusiastic over the past five years, it has moved me to tears on a regular basis.

So, yes, I’m returning to write and direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

In the end, my love for Rocket, Groot, Gamora, Star-Lord, Yondu, Mantis, Drax, and Nebula – and some of the other forthcoming heroes – goes deeper than you guys can possibly imagine, and I feel they have more adventures to go on and things to learn about themselves and the wonderful and sometimes terrifying universe we all inhabit. And, like in both Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, we will work on creating the story that goes beyond what you expect.

My partnership with the folks at Marvel Studios – Kevin Feige, Lou D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Jonathan Schwartz – has been the best of my professional career, and is a huge contributing factor to my decision – as is my relationship to the guys at Disney Studios – Bob Iger, Alan Horn, and Alan Bergman – who have been cheerleading innovation and the pure love of movies from the start. This is the kind of thing you’d expect a director to say about the people who have just hired him, but people who know me know I would never put up working with people I don’t like for a single movie, much less two, and much, much less three. I love them all and appreciate immensely their collaboration. I wake up every day pinching myself that they’d allow this punk rock kid from Missouri to help create this wonderful universe, and to not only allow but encourage creative freedom while doing so.

I can’t fricking wait to get started.

Much of what’s happened in the MCU for the past ten or so years has been leading, in a big way, to the Avengers’ Infinity War. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will happen after all that. It will conclude the story of this iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and help catapult both old and new Marvel characters into the next ten years and beyond. I will be working side-by-side with Kevin Feige and the gang to help design where these stories go, and make sure the future of the Marvel Cosmic Universe is as special and authentic and magical as what we have created so far.
I promise you, the fans, I’ll do it all with integrity and love and respect for the characters.

Make mine Marvel.

We are Groot.

Excelsior!

Love,
James

Black Widow and Captain America

Chris Evans Adds His Support for a ‘Black Widow’ Stand-Alone Movie

Scarlett Johansson, the most bankable actress in the world, has played fan-favorite Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow in five Marvel movies so far with at least two more on the horizon. But for reasons that elude pretty much everyone, Marvel has refused to give the Russian super-spy her own movie.

In a recent interview with Elle, Captain America actor Chris Evans was asked for his thoughts on a Black Widow solo film.

Why hasn’t there been a stand-alone Black Widow movie yet?

Chris Evans: That’s a good question. It would really just clean up, wouldn’t it? Scarlett [Johansson] is so good at everything she does. She’s played such a crucial part in the other films. She always makes her presence so felt—even when there are 50 different superheroes running around onscreen. I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens at some point in the future. I’m sure Scarlett would be open to it.

The idea that Johansson would be down for a Widow solo movie is established fact at this point. She told Collider in 2015:

I think that there’s room for a standalone movie. The character has a really rich origin story and I’ve been really fortunate to kind of place all these layers on top of one another and kind of build up this character to this point where I think I can now start to peel them away and reveal different sides of her.

After years of cryptic non-answers President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige finally seemed to confirm that a Black Widow movie franchise was in the works in 2016, telling Deadline

Of the characters that you’ve just mentioned I would say certainly the one creatively and emotionally that we are most committing to doing is Black Widow…We think she’s an amazing character. We think Scarlett Johansson’s portrayal of her is amazing. She’s a lead Avenger and has amazing stories in her own right to tell that we think would be fun to turn into a stand-alone franchise.

Listen, Marvel.We are as excited as anyone about your first female-led superhero movie, Captain Marvel. (We are less excited that it took 20 male-led movies before you were willing to try one with a female hero — but I digress.) But please give us the Black Widow movie that we have been asking for ever since she first appeared in Iron Man 2.

If you won’t do it for us, do it for Captain America.

 

Black Cat and Silver Sable Movie in the Works at Sony

Sony has hired Thor:Ragnorak writer Christ Yost to pen a stand-alone Black Cat and Silver Sable movie according to Variety. When added to their recently announced Venom stand-alone movie, it looks like the studio is attempting to leverage the rights they have to Spider-Man and his supporting cast into its own interconnected superhero universe, although how that works when they have given shared custody of Spidey himself back to Marvel is unclear.

Silver Sable and Black Cat have been both allies and enemies to Spider-Man at various times. Sable is the leader of the Wild Pack, a group of mercenaries founded by her father to track down international criminals and recover stolen property. As the demand for criminal apprehension diminishes, Sable began hiring out the Wild Pack’s services to the highest bidder — good or bad.

Black Cat is one of the best international jewel and art thieves in the world. Her exploits brought her into repeated conflict with Spider-Man, but she also became interested in the hero romantically — and fought at his side multiple times to save innocent lives. More recently, she has reverted back to a far more dangerous version of herself, attempting to manipulate and kill Spider-Man.

Both characters work in a morally gray area that Spider-Man and other mainstream heroes are uncomfortable with. And it is possible to see them teaming up for some greater good, or to be in conflict with either one potentially assuming the role of the villain or the hero.

Matt Tolmach and Amy Pascal are attached to produce.

Legendary Director Hayao Miyazaki Returns from Retirement for New Film

Miyazaki is famous for powerful, girl-centric movies such as Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke.

Japanese media giant NHK aired a recent television special, Owaranai Hito Miyazaki Hayao (“The Man Who Is Not Done: Hayao Miyazaki”). In the special, iconic Japanese film director and animator Hayao Miyazaki announced his return to the world of animation with a brand new film. Miyazaki officially retired three years ago, after directing the biographical anime The Wind Rises.

San from "Princess Mononoke"
San from “Princess Mononoke”

“Many of my movies have strong female leads — brave, self-sufficient girls that don’t think twice about fighting for what they believe with all their heart,” he said. “They’ll need a friend, or a supporter, but never a savior. Any woman is just as capable of being a hero as any man.”

That philosophy led Miyazaki to create some of the most enduring young female protagonists in the history of cinema. Chihiro who saves her parents in Spirited Away, San, raised by wolves, who protects the forest from the encroachment of men who would destroy nature, or Mei and Satsuki, two sisters who befriend the spirits that live all around them without fear in My Neighbor Totoro.

Unlike Disney’s female-led films, Miyazaki felt that romance did not need to be an integral part of stories featuring girls and women.

Mei and Satsuki from "My Neighbor Totoro"
Mei and Satsuki from “My Neighbor Totoro”

“I’ve become skeptical of the unwritten rule that just because a boy and girl appear in the same feature, a romance must ensue,” he said. “Rather, I want to portray a slightly different relationship, one where the two mutually inspire each other to live – if I’m able to, then perhaps I’ll be closer to portraying a true expression of love.”

In retirement, Miyazaki was working on the short film Kemushi no Boro (“Boro the Caterpillar”), for the Ghibli Museum, which celebrates films from the studio he founded. While working on the short, he was so pleased with how it was developing that he decided to expand it to a feature film,

Miyazaki predicted that it will take him at most five years to complete the movie — at which time he would 80He hopes it will be ready for release in 2019, since the Olympics are returning to Tokyo in 2020.

‘Guardians of the Galaxy, vol. 2’ Drops a Poster and Teaser Trailer

Less than a week away from the premiere of Doctor Strange, Marvel Studios has begun leaking the first bits of promotional material for Guardians of the Galaxy, vol. 2.

First was a “sneak peek” trailer that gives us glimpses of the reconstituted team with new additions Yondu and Nebula, as well as the adorable “Baby Groot” who is still growing back after the events of the first movie. The scenes show parts of what appear to be a few spectacular action-oriented set pieces, interspersed with Director James Gunn’s trademark humor that elevated the first film to classic status.

It is hard to glean much plot from the trailer, but certainly the attitude and sense of fun have made it intact from the first film.

Next, the first poster for the movie hit the interwebs. The black and white poster with a splash of red for the logo is very reminiscent of album cover art. That is most likely intentional. Music was so integral to the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, that the sequel is “vol. 2” in reference to the mix tape Quill was given by his mother that he discovered at the end of the first film.

Guardians of the Galaxy, vol.2 - poster
Guardians of the Galaxy, vol.2 – poster

The sequel is also adding newcomers Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russel and Pom Klementieff to the fold.

Guardians of the Galaxy, vol. 2 opens on May 5th, 2017.

Margot Robbie to Produce Harley Quinn Standalone Film

Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, the stand-out star from this summer’s Suicide Squad, is getting her own solo movie in a deal announced just yesterday.

Margot Robbie’s terrifyingly beautiful rendition of Quinn will be making its way to the big screen in a standalone movie, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Robbie is “signing a first-look deal with the studio behind her summer hit Suicide Squad to develop and produce feature films through her LuckyChap Entertainment banner.” She will also be the executive producer of the film.

The twenty-six year-old Aussie actress has been championing the Harley solo film since before Suicide Squad made its summer release. “I’m trying to make it happen,” Robbie said in an interview with Tipsy Talk, “there’s just so much more to do.”

If it were up to Robbie, she’d play the Clown Queen of Crime forever.

“There’s so much you can do,” she told ComicBook.com, “They’re the sort of characters that you could keep exploring and find so many more, so much more to do.”

Here’s to hoping that the film will fare better than the critically mauled Suicide Squad — which director David Ayer reportedly only had six weeks to rewrite after Warner Bros. made various large cuts to his first go at the film.  

While the DC Extended Universe has fared poorly from with the critics, it has been making money for Warner Bros., and the female heroes have been bright spots in otherwise poorly reviewed films. Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman was considered by many to be the best thing in Batman vs. Superman, and director Patty Jenkins. is finishing up post production on the Amazonian princess’s solo movie right now.

Wonder Woman will be the first female-led superhero movie set in the modern DC or Marvel universes, but she won’t be alone for long. Captain Marvel starring Brie Larson will be Marvel Studio’s first female led superhero film, and now Harley Quinn is joining the fun.

The buzz on all of these movies is good so far, But female superhero fans are crossing their fingers. After high-profile failures such as Catwoman and Elektra 20 years ago, Hollywood gave up on female-led superhero movies for two decades. If Harley Quinn, Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel are anything short of spectacular, we might not see another female superhero film for a generation.

Luckily, these kick-butt ladies — powered by female writers, actors and directors — are more than up to the task