Guardians of the Galaxy TV Series: First Footage

It's official! The biggest movie of the year so far is now making its way to the small screen, despite producers recently claiming that a Guardians of the Galaxy series was only a rumor. Marvel's Head of Television Jeff Loeb made the announcement at New York Comic Con this week, stating that "Everyone wants more of Star-Lord and his crew – now they’ll get it.” 

The Big Hero 6 Trailer Is Here! But Where Are The Rest Of The Team?

Superheroes are ridiculously popular right now and Disney have just had their most successful hit in years with Frozen, so it doesn't take a genius to work out that combining the two could be a huge earner at the box office. Lo and behold, Walt Disney Animation Studios have finally released the first full length trailer for Big Hero 6, a Marvel superhero adaptation that looks set to repeat the phenomenal success of Frozen and Wreck-It-Ralph.

"We're the Fricking Guardians of the Galaxy!" - New Extended Trailer

It's almost here.

Fans have been drooling for the chance to finally see Guardians of the Galaxy for months and now we're only a few short weeks away from the official release, Marvel Studios have released their most exciting trailer yet for the film.

Anthony and Joe Russo Return To Direct Captain America 3...Already!

Marvel Studios must be feeling seriously confident right now. The first instalment of the Captain America franchise performed well, but is often considered to be one of the weaker films Marvel released in the past decade. However, Captain America: The Winter Soldier has just been screened for the media and the initial reactions are overwhelmingly positive.

Michael Douglas is Hank Pym in Marvel's Ant-Man

When Marvel recently announced that Paul Rudd would play Ant-Man, comic fans everywhere breathed a sigh of relief. Speculation still remained however, as three separate characters have each donned the ant-controlling (!) cybernetic helmet at some point in the original comics.

Today, Marvel have confirmed that multiple Oscar winner Michael Douglas will play Hank Pym in Edgar Wright's upcoming Ant-Man film. The announcement came just a day after Douglas won the Golden Globe for his stellar performance in Behind The Candelabra and clearly, Marvel are keen to maintain the buzz. In addition to this news, the studio also revealed that Rudd will play Scott Lang, the second comic book incarnation of the miniature super hero.

Film School Friday Lesson #19 - How To Make A Terrible Superhero Film

Last week, Film School Friday held an acting masterclass in honor of Nicolas Cage, King of the Nutters (I used capitals because that's really a thing you know). If you took my advice then thank you. I'm honored you'd use up your 15 minutes of allotted internet time to read this week's lesson. Just remember to log off once you've finished and slip that straitjacket back on right away. I don't want to be responsible for anyone catching their death of cold. That's not how we do things here.

Now onto the learning. Yay learning! This week's lesson was inspired by Cage's restrained, under-stated performance in Ghost Rider and its even better follow up Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Terrible, terrible films I'm sure you agree but they didn't do too badly at the box office. Comic book movies make big bucks but as Ghost Rider proves, it takes a lot to actually pull them off successfully. My point then is why bother trying to make them good? Even a horrendous comic book movie will make you money in the short term so if you want to make a superhero film, just put minimum effort in. You'll make a mint, so pick a random comic book character, ring up the studios and put the charm on as we read today's lesson.

Thor: The Dark World Review

Marvel is on top of the world right now, on top of the Nine Realms in fact, but even just ten years ago, it was hard to imagine that the prolific studios would have two of the five most successful movies of all time under their belt. Now, at the brink of Marvel's plan for Phase Three, the studio is back with the third cinematic outing from the God of Thunder himself, Thor (Chris Hemsworth). Yes, there is a colon in the title and yes, the word 'dark' is prominent, but does Thor: The Dark World deliver or should it be called something more condemning like Thor: The Lame World but you know, actually clever?

Film School Friday Lesson #2 - How To Become A Successful Super Villain

Last week, Film School Friday gave out key survival advice to help in the event that Kim Jong-un watches Team America and decides to turn the Western world into a barren nuclear wasteland. This got me thinking... Kim Jong-un is without a doubt the worlds most badass super villain. Like his father before him, Kim Jong-un has it all; a loyal army, a maniacal lust for power and a kickass haircut.

Now what would you do if I said that you too could be a world renowned super villain? Yes, my friends; power, respect and all the cute yellow minions you could ever ask for should be within your grasp if you just follow a few handy tips from yours truly. Well what are you waiting for? It's time to slip on the spandex, brush off that delirious cackle and take notes as I unveil the latest edition of Film School Friday.

Kick-Ass 2 Review (2013) Or Should I Say The Hit-Girl Movie Review?

Among all the superhero comics that have been adapted for the big screen recently, 2010′s Kick-Ass stood out more than most for its thrilling super heroics and shockingly infantile sense of humor. For the sequel, Matthew Vaughn stepped down to a co-producer role, handing over the directing reigns to Jeff Wadlow, whose previous credits consist of Cry Wolf and…Never Back Down. You can understand now the concern I felt walking into the cinema. Would Kick-Ass 2 be better than the first film? And would it do Mark Millar’s comic justice? 

The Wolverine Review (2013) Is It Better Than X-Men Origins: Wolverine?

After the embarrassment that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Logan's latest solo outing had a lot to make up for. In a determined effort to console the fans, James Mangold's take on the most popular X-Man is based on the classic Chris Claremont limited series from 1982, which transported Wolverine to the exotic setting of Japan. This all sounds promising but after being burned by Origins, I was sceptical that this would turn out any better. Is Mangold's take Ol' Canucklehead the definitive Wolverine film that everyone was hoping for? 

Iron Man 3 VS Man of Steel - Which Is Better?

2013 has been a fantastic year for superhero films so far with the success of both 'Man of Steel' and 'Iron Man 3'. DC have finally proved that they can begin building a viable cinematic universe outside of the Batman canon and Marvel's showed that a threequel can sometimes be pretty awesome. 

But what I want to know is which film was best? Whether you're a die hard comic fan or just a casual cinema-goer, which movie left you wanting more? To help you guys out, I've broken the films down into six different categories and have chosen a winner for each. Read on for help in making this key life decision and then let me know your answer by voting in the poll to your left.

General Zod Was Great But Which Villain Should Superman Face In Man Of Steel 2?

In the world of comics, there's a popular notion that Superman's rogues gallery is pretty lame and when you compare his villains to the likes of the Joker or Magneto, it can be hard to disagree. However, when you delve further into the comics, you might realise that there's more classic Superman adversaries out there than you would think. Michael Shannon did a stellar job of portraying General Zod in the new 'Man Of Steel' movie so it got me thinking; who will Big Blue face in the inevitable sequel? Here are my five picks; See if you agree...

Obstruction 1: Imagine A World Where Avengers Assemble Sucked!

Over at www.myfilmviews.com, a new event has begun, titled the 5 Obstructions Blogathon. The theme of the first month is to write either a positive review of a movie you don't like or a negative review of a movie you love. After much deliberation, I've decided to write a negative review for my favourite film of 2012, 'Avengers Assemble'. It's going to be tough but then that's the whole point! To read more about the blogathon, click here. 

The Five Worst Superhero Sequels of All Time

With the release of 'Iron Man 3', Marvel has begun Phase 2 of its cinematic release schedule. Robert Downey's return as Tony Stark has been extremely well received, but it was only the first of many superhero sequels scheduled to come our way this year, including 'Man of Steel', 'The Wolverine' and 'Thor: The Dark World' (Pointless subtitle anyone?). 

What I'm wondering though is whether any of these films will actually be any good. Last week, I honored the Five Best Superhero Sequels of All Time but everyone knows that not every sequel is bigger and better than the first. Let's take a look back at the five worst superhero sequels that have bored or frustrated cinema-goers in recent years. Trust me. There were plenty to choose from.

The Five Best Superhero Sequels of All Time

Hollywood is full of pointless cash-in sequels that ruin everything that was great about a series in the first place, but I think that superhero sequels can be the exception to this. Often, it is the first film in a superhero franchise that turns out to be the weakest because so much of the plot has to be devoted to introducing the character and their origin story. Once that's all out of the way though, the sequels are then given free reign to take the character's development to the next level. That's why 'The Avengers' worked so well; each of the heroes had already been introduced to audiences in each of their previous solo films.

To celebrate the fact that 'Iron Man 3' is a thousand times better than either of its predecessors  let's take a look back at the five best superhero sequels of all time. Just remind me to update this post when 'The Avengers 2' comes out ok?

Avengers Assemble - 5 Reasons Why It Kicks Ass!

The polls have closed for the final part of the 2012 Summer Blockbuster Stand-Off. It was close between the five nominees but in the end, the winner you voted in for Best Film was Avengers Assemble!

Well done guys! There they are accepting their award now!

Out of all the films released this summer, Avengers was the game changer, becoming one of the most successful blockbusters of all time. Who says comics are just for kids?! To celebrate its win, here are five reasons why I'm in love with this movie;
 
1) There is a serious amount of hotness in those 143 minutes!
 
Chris Evans. Liam Hemsworth. Scarlet Johansson. Mark Ruffalo. Jeremy Renner. That's all you need to know.

 

Who Should Be in The Avengers 2 and Who Should Play Each Part? Lesser-Known Characters Assemble!

Joss Whedon has recently signed onto directing The Avengers 2 and the internet is rife with speculation as to who will join the cast in the highly anticipated sequel. With that and the new release of Avengers Assemble on DVD and Blu-Ray, I figured now would be a good time to throw my two cents in! Here are the characters from the Avengers comics that I think are the most likely to make an appearance in the upcoming sequel, currently slated for a 2015 release.
 
Look how many there are to choose from!
 

Top 5 Stan Lee Cameos

Stan Lee, the undisputed god of comics and creator of such famous heroes as Spiderman, the X-Men and the Avengers, has recently spoken up about the Marvel films that disappointed him in recent years, such as Daredevil and the Hulk. Fair play to him I say. After all, they are his creations. Read more about this here: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=40630

As I'm sure you know, Stan Lee is also something of a Hollywood film star, appearing in pretty much every single Marvel film that has been adapted to screen in recent years. With the upcoming release of Avengers Assemble on DVD and the recent success of The Amazing Spiderman, I thought it would be cool to look at the top 5 Stan Lee cameos of all time.

The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises is an exciting and extremely well made film but while I loved Anne Hathaway's take on Catwoman, ultimately there was no way the film could have ever bettered its predecessor.