Man Of Steel teaser flies in

What more is there to say? Man of Steel looks very interesting from these teasers. However... I don't believe a man can fly... yet. We'll see if that's changed when the full length trailer hits. There isn't much difference between the trailers, except from the voice-over, which features both Kal-El and Clark Kent's father figures.

This one features Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent.

And this one features Russell Crowe as Jor-El.

Is it exciting enough? No, not yet, but I think this is just the first in a long line of hype peices which will build up that excitement until I am bursting for Superman to return. In the meantime, I think I'll go back to watching the incredible blu-ray collection. Man of Steel has Superman 1 and 2 (Donner cut) to live up to, and that's a pretty hefty task.

  

The Walking Dead season 3 trailer

This looks ridiculously good, and totally brings in tonnes of elements from the comics wonderfully. If the season does it as well as this trailer seems to then we're in for a treat. Plus, this makes me slightly less worried about the Governor being played by David Morrissey, and gives me excited chills at the Michonne appearance.

If you haven't seen the first two seasons of this incredible show, you must have been living under a rock. Bite the bullet and dive in. It's worth it.

Carlmageddon's Bunker (working title)

I made a Cafepress shop. It's as simple as that. I had some ideas for some T-Shirt designs and ran with them. One is almost completely a rip-off, the other two are quote based but hopefully more original. Generally this is just stuff I've wanted to have on T-shirts and mugs for ages, and instead of waiting for them to come to me, I figured I'd generate them myself and see if anyone else felt the same!

There are three designs so far, and I've picked a few things I wanted them on. If you want a design on something that isn't there yet, let me know and I'll put it together for you.

Click here for the shop!

Cheers,
Carl

Gangster Squad Trailer hits hard

Wow. That's all I gotta say. This looks tremendous.

Battlestar Galactica: Blood And Chrome trailer

No need for words here. Just awesome trailer.

No news on a release date as of yet, but I'll be keeping a close eye on this one.

Firefly Watch: Joss Whedon

I've been thinking about ways to start this blog up again. Joss Whedon made me do it. Link

The Avengers teaser trailer

A full teaser has been released for one of the biggest films out in 2012 and while I might have missed the original hype, there may be about twenty people out there who haven't seen it and one of them may look at this page. It's shaping up to be great and I can't wait for 27 April 2012 to see it.

John Dies At The End Trailer

While I was hoping that Don Coscarelli's next film would be the long talked about Bubba Ho-tep prequel, it looks like 'John Dies At The End' is quite promising to say the least. Paul Giamatti was supposed to be involved in the prequel too, playing Elvis' manager, so it's good to see that the connection between him and Coscarelli wasn't misleading. However, what we have here is a brilliant trailer for a film based on the book of the same name by David Wong, and while I haven't read it, the book seems to have a strong following who hail it as being dark and funny. Both are here in this trailer, even if the dark stuff glosses way over the funny stuff, and the film ends up looking great for it. Another film to look forward to in 2012.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance trailer and poster

The directors of Crank are the heroes of the Ghost Rider film series, as they step into the shoes of a director of much lower calibre, Mark Johnson. While Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor are responsible for both of the brilliant Crank films, Johnson was responsible for Daredevil, before being handed the Ghost Rider Job. So before a trailer for the second Ghost Rider outing even appeared, it seemed like the film would turn out a lot better than the first. And now we have proof of just that, as an astoundingly brilliant looking trailer has surfaced online. Here it is (with a rather odd intro from the directors themselves)...

The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra trailer

When I posted the other day about upcoming animated shows to get excited about, one that I hadn't noticed was one which I've actually been very eager to see, given the strength of it's parent series, Avatar. Quite why the 'Avatar' had been dropped from the name in favour of the much more silly sounding 'The Last Airbender'. Wasn't Aang the last Airbender? There's probably two reasons for this:

1) So as to not further confuse the lack of a connection between the series and the 2009 film 'Avatar' directed by James Cameron. There could also be more to it than that, but who knows?

2) To connect the series to the film series based on 'Avatar: The Last Airbender', which despite absolutely shocking reviews, earned enough to guarantee a sequel.

Whatever the reason, the mini-series had originally been slated for only 12 episodes but will now be a pretty big 26 episodes. Even if it just a one-year affair, that will be another year of brilliant animated, incredible story and characters to die for. If you don't believe me, check out the trailer below.

Some lovely little images I noticed in there:

0:10 - A flying bison. In Avatar, Appa was Aang's bison, and was the only known living one to boot, which sparks interest that this could be a return for characters's from the original series.

0:18 - A Statue of a grown-up looking Aang, looking fairly serious.

0:23 - Korra, clearly stating out as a water bender, leaving her home, with an ominous shadowing of characters in the background. It could bs friends of family, but could it be something more meaningful to fans of Avatar?

0:38 - An array of images showing the more industrialised look of The Legend Of Korra, compared to Avatar's more jungle and ruin based feel.

0:56 - Korra shows off her ability to bend Fire too.

1:13 - A closer looks at Korra's animal fiend named Naga. Something close to a cross between a dog and a polar bear.

1:29 - The fist image of the big bad of the series, Oman.

Doctor Who Series 6 Part 2 trailer

There are no words than can do this justice, so I won't even bother trying.

3 Animated events to look out for

Keeping up to date with Comic Con when you aren't there is difficult, but when three very interesting looking animated stories come through across one day, it makes you sit up and take notice.

The first is something which was announced quite a while ago, by the name of Black Dynamite. Based on a film of the same name, Black Dynamite is the main character, who is a homage to Shaft and the blaxploitation stars of the 70s. He is joined by friends and enemies to make one of the greatest spoof films ever, but is the move to animation the right one, or should the focus be on the sequel? Well, originally I was more concerned that if they made an animated series, that it could never match the intense wit and off-kilter action scenes from the movie at all. However, with the release of this trailer, my concerns have been singed, as this looks like not only a visual treat, but a hilarious addition to Adult Swim's line-up.

The next is another Film-to-series adaptation which has a good chance of making the transition well. You'll probably all remember Napoleon Dynamite, but you might not have heard that this will be coming to the small screen during the 2001-12 season. So far there have been four clips released through Comic-con, and the feeling of the film is still there in those clips, but what's even better, is that the series looks to invoke the feelings that the best 90s animated series had on their fans. The style of it, for me, seems perfect to capture the feeling of the film, but who knows whether this will be successful until it's air-date? Ahead is one clip for the series, with the other three here, here and here.

Last, but by no means least is a animated film adaptation of Frank Miller's incredible graphic novel Batman: Year One. With a voice cast headed by Benjamin McKenzie as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Bryan Cranston as James Gordon, Eliza Dushku as Catwoman and Katee Sackhoff as Sarah Essen, there is no shortage of talent. As for thew look of the film, there now seems to be no reason to worry there either, as the trailer shows just how good it looks.

Bruce Campbell talks about Evil Dead reboot

Bruce Campbell reveals a little more about the Evil Dead reboot/reimagining that has been in the works for the past few years. The bad bit about the details he does give away is that he will not be the star of the film, but a producer. It's a bit of sad news as an Evil Dead film without Bruce Campbell is not an Evil Dead film at all. That said, Sam Raimi did make a brilliant horror film a few years ago by the name of Drag Me To Hell, so he is still on his game, at least. Finding a replacement for Bruce Campbell would be just the beginning in a long line of difficult tasks to get this film being great, but having a good director at the helm is always a good start. Original story at CBSnews.

The Walking Dead Season 2 trailer

The Walking Dead's first season was so well done it made anticipation for the second one absolutely huge. After only six episodes, the survival of Rick Grimes and his rag-tag group made a huge impact, and was brought brilliantly to television from it's original (and still-thriving) home of comics. So it's good then, that this first full trailer looks pretty damn good. Hopefully though, we can get away from making up some terrible storylines (the gang looking after the old folks) and move more into 'the Governor' story and more from the comics. Word is good on that front, it would seem, but more on that later. Without further ado, the trailer...

Christopher Judge cast in The Dark Knight Rises

If there's one thing I love it's Batman. If there's another thing I love it's Stargate. So, putting someone as awesome as Christopher Judge in the next Batman film is nothing short of awesome news. No word on what part he'll be playing, or even if it will be anything more than a one-liner, but here's hoping. Although I think the last time I saw an old Stargate cast member in a huge film it was a very, very small part. When Paul McGillion of Stargate Atlantis turned up in Star Trek it was for about 10 seconds as a 'Barracks Leader', so considering Judge is in a similar position I don't imagine his part being much bigger than that. Judge tweeted the info yesterday:

@iamchrisjudge I can finally confirm: I have been cast in "The Dark Knight Rises".

In response to fans tweets, Christopher Judge tweeted again a few hours later:

@iamchrisjudge Thank u all for your support!!! I am so lucky! Great gig, great woman, great family, great friends, and fans!!!! luv and peace! Xo

More news on this topic if and when it's released!

The Amazing Spider-man trailer

Without any more words, here is the trailer:

And now some thoughts:

Firstly, I've never liked the idea of rebooting Spider-man since the first in Sam Raimi's trilogy is brilliant, and the second a truly incredible feat. Sure, the third was a little un-even, but the fourth film was looking to come back on track before it all went sour for Raimi when Columbia switched to the reboot route. However, then Marc Webb was attached as director and things started getting interesting.

It was revealed that it was going to be a darker tone, but also that it would more closely follow the comics (in that Pete's getting friendly with Gwen Stacy instead of Mary Jane, and that his web-swinging is not part of his abilities, but something which he creates himself). Then, of course, it seemed much more toward where a good reboot could be.

However, this trailer leaves me wondering, where is the fun? Where is Spider-Man's wit and charm? Why does this trailer seem more like a teen romance than a super-hero film? And the biggest question of all, why is Spider-man doing an ode to Mirror's Edge for the last minute of the trailer? For those of you who don't know of Mirror's Edge or don't believe me, have a look at the trailer for that below. Stunning similarities, eh?

So there are a few things which could work out well for The Amazing Spider-man, but so far the trailer doesn't do much to live up to it's name.

Captain America new poster and trailer

So a new poster has been released for Captain America which looks awesome, and if you add that to the brilliant trailer which was unleashed onto the internet last week, Captain America could shape up to be one of the best Marvel films in years.

Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol trailer

So it leaked a few days before the official release, but when it looks like it's going to be just as entertaining as the brilliant (and best in the franchise so far) M:I3 you can't be too picky.

It looks like most of the best parts of that one are back for more. Not only do you have Tom Cruise and Simon Pegg returning, you also have a glimpse of what Mr. Cruise does best. Running. Although I would have liked to have seen Ving Rhames in the trailer just to know he's definitely in it or not, I'm sure that will get cleared up soon.

And then you have the new kids on the block, including Josh Holloway and Jeremy Renner, both of which I am very excited about the inclusion of. I think both could hold their own in a blockbuster, and this will give them both the chance to prove it.

Of course the film also gives us a look at the live-action directorial debut of Brad Bird, famous for Ratatouille, The Incredibles and of course, The Iron Giant. It'll be very interesting to see how he stacks up against Brian De Palma, John Woo and JJ Abrams. Since all three directors have lent their own directing style to the previous films, each film has felt very different, only held together by the inclusion of Cruise and Rhames, so it'll definitely be interesting to see if Brad Bird keeps the tone of M:I3 or adds his own spin. If you'll remember, when JJ Abrams was called on to direct, it was his first live-action film too and the results there were spectacular.

The only thing to be worried about here is the music. While Michael Giacchino is another hold over from M:I3 (and a brilliant one at that) he isn't responsible for the music in the trailer, which is courtesy of Eminem and Pink. It's pretty bad, and hopefully will be one of those end-of-credits pieces of music, but it does feature quite heavily here. Be warned.

Excuses, Excuses...

So I've been away for about 3 months... and here are what can only be called excuses.

When I and my Fiancée started looking for a place to live, we honestly didn't expect it to be as quick as it was. The words "You can move in at the end of the month" were brilliant to hear, especially for such a lovely, and relatively cheap place. So we were quick to get into action, packing all our worldly possessions (mainly about seven boxes of DVDs and video games in my case) and moving in.

Then when we had moved everything necessary in, it came to the computer, which unfortunately was a shared one with my parents. They would keep it until a new one was bought and delivered, so they were quick to get into action and buy a new computer... from Mesh. Who went into administration (although there website seems to say otherwise). And didn't tell them for ages. So that delayed me getting my computer to my flat for a while.

Then I went on holiday. Yet another delay. And I didn't have a computer table. So another one. Anyway, now I'm home and I have my computer and my computer table and that was this weekend just passed.

So now I can get back to learning more about what I want to do best. Describing what I think about films and television in a way that will inspire others to either steer clear or seek them out.

Let's get to it eh?

Film-a-day: Week 5: 13-19 Feb 2011

We'll start with a film I watched purely because 65daysofstatic were doing a live re-score of the film at the Glasgow Film Festival. The rest are, as usual, behind the cut.

Silent Running (1972) ***

Silent Running [live re-score by 65daysofstatic] ****

Not that I was, but if I were in any doubt before, now I'm certain. Music can dramatically change the impact of a film and how it's ideas and messages come across. Silent Running by itself is a bit of a strange beast. The story is a little on the perplexing side for one, especially for the rating it was given. Keep in mind that this was given a U for universal in the UK and G for general audiences in the USA. The main character kills three of his crew, two of them are blown up and the other strangled. I had this argument with a friend about whether the message outweighed the reason for ratings, and to be honest I kinda felt like rating this a so low is pretty irresponsible. Still, that has more to do with the BBFC and MPAA, but it does shine a light on where the film has this character.

Bruce Dern does no wrong here as the main man, left at his wits end trying to protect the worlds last forest from everyone else in the universe, who have plans to turn this sanctuary ships into cruise liners. He shines in a film that was built to have one strong main character tell his own story, and the look of the ships is incredibly well done too, especially considering how long ago it came out. However, the plot drifts a lot in the middle when the idea falls to it's basic elements, and the soundtrack is one of the worst I have ever heard. Which is where 65daysofstatic come in. I've never been to a live re-scoring before, but this was definitely a match made in heaven. The band used their post-rock to set the scenes and used their electronic side to ramp up the sci-fi element perfectly, and left me feeling more for the issues at hand than the first viewing ever could. It was a perfect marriage, and I came out wanting that to be the final cut of the film; wanting them to record the re-score and have Universal release it on the films 40th anniversary next year. Who's with me?

After The Cut: The Terminal, Marley And Me, The Cocoanuts, Choke, Paper Heart and The Goods (Live Hard, Sell Hard).