Matthew Monagle
New York Toy Fair Offers Up Some ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Spoilers
This past weekend, fans from around the world flocked to the Javits Convention Center in New York City to attend the annual conference put on by the Toy Industry Association, Inc. In recent years, Toy Fair New York has become a hot spot for movie fans as well, with new action figures and toy sets offering first looks at the comic book adaptations of the following summer. One of the big hits of this year’s conference was Spider-Man: Homecoming, with a few new character designs and even a potential look at the film’s final battle.
London’s Clock Is Ticking in the First ‘Unlocked’ Trailer
Since the presidential election, many critics have been quick to point out that not every film released should be viewed as a response to Trump’s presidency. Movies spend far too much time in production for any 2017 to really have a chance to incorporate the current political climate into its message. What is acceptable — and perhaps even necessary — is to acknowledge when new releases feel like the product of a bygone era. Sometimes, Hollywood is unprepared for large cultural shifts, and that means movies that would have been fine even a year ago sit wrong with most audiences.
‘Doctor Strange’ Deleted Scene: Because Veterinarian Strange Doesn’t Have the Same Ring
With the release of Doctor Strange on home video just around the corner, fans are getting an early look at some of the behind-the-scenes features that will accompany the film on DVD and Blu-ray. Just yesterday, for example, Marvel released some of the best best set jokes on the film’s gag reel, showing that even respected Shakespearean actors like Benedict Cumberbatch aren’t above flubbing the occasional line. For die-hard fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, these features are a great peek at how the sausage gets made.
Our Favorite A-Holes Save the Galaxy (Again) in This New ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ TV Spot
It’s funny how things work out. When Marvel was putting together the cast for Guardians of the Galaxy, they probably never dreamed that it would be former professional wrestler and MMA fighter Dave Bautista who would emerge as the film’s most likable character. And yet, with his deadpan line deliveries and awesome physicality, Bautista stood out among his live-action costars — I mean, nobody was going to beat Groot — as the funniest and most sympathetic of all the Guardians. Just like that, Bautista was a bonafide movie star and one of the biggest strengths of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Watch Robert Downey Jr. and Guests Answer Your ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Questions
There may never be a Hollywood talker like Robert Downey, Jr. Even in his fifties, the actor possesses a nervous energy and patter that makes him seem like the youngest man in the room, barraging his co-stars and audiences alike with a flurry of self-deprecating jokes and unbridled enthusiasm for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His success as Tony Stark is synonymous with the success of the Marvel movies as a whole; while it’s technically possible to picture an Avengers movie without Downey, Jr. in the mix, there’s no denying it would probably be a whole lot less fun.
Los Angeles Band Claims Fox’s ‘Lucifer’ Stole Their Song
No copyright infringement case has much entertainment potential as a legal battle over a piece of music. The most famous of these, of course, is the lawsuit filed over Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” by the estate of guitarist Randy Wolfe. As Rolling Stone noted in their summary, the jury was not allowed to hear a recording of either track, instead being ordered to listen to a live performance of each song based on the original sheet music. The thought of a jury diligently taking legal notes while a Led Zeppelin cover band plays is enough to put me in my happy place.
Laurence Fishburne Explains Why He Won’t Appear in ‘Justice League’
While fans sit at home and worry about the behind-the-scenes struggles of The Batman and Flash, Zack Snyder keeps moving right along with that Justice League movie. A common complaint of the DC Cinematic Universe is that they haven’t let it bake in the oven enough; each character has a decent foundation in place with the supporting characters and visuals, but rather than build them up organically, Warner Bros. has chosen to throw them all together and hope things shake out for the best.
‘The Ticket’ Trailer Promises a Miracle Gone Sour
For someone just now having his moment, Dan Stevens has already accumulated a pretty diverse group of fans. Art house audiences already knew and loved his work thanks to a breakout role in Downton Abbey. Meanwhile, the genre crowd already declared his 2014 film The Guest as one of the best John Carpenter movies to not actually be made by John Carpenter. And now, with Legion, Colossal, and Beauty and the Beast all set to hit our screens in the next few months, Stevens is on an upward trajectory that few actors can match.
The ‘Doctor Strange’ Gag Reel: More Like Cumber-BOTCH, Am I Right?
When you get right down to it, there’s something delightfully surreal about watching our generation’s best actors tie themselves to the ceiling and spout metaphysical gibberish at the camera. Doctor Strange may not be my personal favorite superhero movie, but it’s undeniably the one with my favorite cast; Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Mads Mikkelsen would represent an embarrassment of riches for any movie, let alone one focused on time travel and temperamental capes.
Marvel Studios Releases Its First Look at ‘Avengers: Infinity War’
When you’re in the business of making movies as large as those in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even the first few days of production are a pretty big deal for fans. This is doubly so when you’re launching Avengers: Infinity War, a superhero crossover event unlike anything audiences have ever seen before on film. So last night, when Marvel released a brand new production video complete with new cast interviews and some key concept art, people rightfully lost their minds. You think you’ve seen movie hype? You ain’t seen nothing yet.
New ‘The LEGO Ninjago Movie’ Images Show the Family That Ninjas Together, Stays Together
With The LEGO Batman Movie the latest LEGO adventure to be hailed by critics — our own review called it “far more entertaining than a giant piece of crass commercialism has any right to be” — it looks like the LEGO universe is here to stay. In fact, that crass commercialism might be part of the fun; while plenty of Marvel fans spend their time wondering what would happen if the studio obtained the rights to some of their lost properties, the LEGO films are free to move forward with reckless abandon, secure in their strange collection of legal permissions.
Date Night Takes a Turn for the Steamy in This ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ Clip
For most people, the decision to make a sequel to 2015’s Fifty Shades of Grey is probably the punchline to a bad joke. But have you actually stopped and looked at the box office numbers for Fifty Shades of Grey recently? We’re not talking about $100 million at the global box office; we’re not even talking about $200 million. We’re talking about $571 million worldwide, more than Mad Max: Fury Road and Creed combined and the eleventh highest-grossing movie of the year. With those kind of numbers, you pretty much have to make a sequel. I don’t blame them.