Let the summer superhero blockbuster movies begin! Marvel kicks off every moviegoer’s favorite season with the witty, action-packed flick that so many of us have been waiting for, The Avengers.

With 5 years of planning and 5 movies doing a pretty fantastic job of building up this movie, The Avengers has finally been released into theaters nationwide. With so much riding on the line, it’s easy for a highly anticipated movie to fall flat of many of the fan’s expectations. However, fanboys need not worry. Marvel’s The Avengers is a phenomenal movie.

So lets get to the basics. The Avengers is equal parts drama, action, and comedy and a movie that anybody can enjoy, whether you are an avid comic book reader or not.

The movie begins where all of the previous movies left off. This includes Iron Man 2, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, and, most closely, Thor. A familiar threat to the moviegoer audience, Loki, has returned with the help of an alien race all too familiar to fans of the comic books, the Chitauri. With the conniving mastermind at the helm of an army of aliens, S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury is forced to assemble a team to combat this threat. However, things do not always go so smoothly when you bring together an old-fashioned soldier from a past time, a billionaire-philanthropist and genius playboy with Narcissistic traits, the Norse God of Thunder that is always quick to rush into battle, a highly intelligent gamma radiation specialist with a dark side, and a former Russian spy with a piece of her past still haunting her.

Writer and Director Joss Whedon has done the franchise justice by giving us more of the characters we have grown to love. He allows us to see Captain America/Steve Rogers step into that leadership role. He shows us a softer side to man in the Iron Man suit, Tony Stark. He gives us more of the unfinished interaction between Thor and his mischievous brother Loki. We get to finally see a bit of Black Widow and Hawkeye’s past and watch them in action. And finally, we get to see a lighter side of the raging beast known as the Hulk.

We have seen many movies in the past crumble under the weight of combining many different big name actors. The Avengers is not one of those movies. The interaction between Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, and new comer Mark Ruffalo has you screaming for more than the already lengthy 2 hour and 22 minute running time. The combination of the constant barrage of action, the well written and witty comedy, and the character driven drama, The Avengers moves very fast and in the best way possible. Joss Whedon does a fantastic job at capturing all of the important aspects for each character from the way they were intended from the comics. The phenomenal acting of this cast coupled with a director/writer that is very familiar with the comic book industry has made Marvel’s The Avengers a tough movie to beat. The Avengers is now in theaters worldwide, and remember, stay after the credits for a look at a new threat that fans familiar to the franchise will recognize. Now if you will excuse me, I have a movie to watch. Several more times…

We did get ahold of this key art featuring a full body image of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman however, so hopefully this will tide you over until more news, photos and promos break before the July 20th release.

With the NHL playoffs starting this week, we figure we’d review “Goon” for all of you hockey fans out there.

Whether you like hockey or not, “Goon” is a fun comedy about a bouncer named Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott) who doesn’t even know how to skate but he knows how to throw down. As with any sports movie, like “The Mighty Ducks” or even “Miracle”, the audience pretty much can figure out the plot from the trailer. The protagonist team is weak and, through adversity, becomes the champion of something or rather.

“Goon” puts a bit of a twist on this storyline and  tells you the tale not from the leading scorer’s side but rather from the enforcer’s point of view. Glatt is brought onto a minor league team to protect their star scorer, however, and he does so by fighting anyone that challenges him or his teammates.

From the opening scene, the movie builds a case for a fight against one of the toughest guys in the league, Ross Rhea (Liev Schreiber), who the audience can already predict will lead to a final showdown.

There is a funny contrast as Glatt is a gentile soul that would bleed for his team and becomes the inspiration for his teammates to do the same. His character is extremely likable and the the movie packages comedy and violence and wraps it in a little bit of a love story.

For those who don’t watch hockey, the movie is still enjoyable and incorporates elements that would make any other movie successful. One thing viewers need to remember is that this is a satire on professional hockey. Though the sport allows players “to police their own game” and referees will often allow a bare knuckled fight, “Goon” magnifies this rule for the sake of entertainment.

“Goon” released in select theaters last week and is also available on demand from iTunes and VUDU and is sure to be this generation’s “Slap Shot”.

Go Kings!

For a product that is literally 100 years old, you’d think that Disney would have had enough time on their hands to figure out a way to properly market their next potential blockbuster franchise.  But then again, how do you promote a movie that looks like a retread if not all out rip off of Avatar, Star Wars, and practically every other major sci fi series over the past few decades when the general audience doesn’t  realize that it’s actually the other way around.  That John Carter of Mars came first.  It seems that this was the idea that the House of Mouse eventually settled on with their recent “Before there was Star Wars” commercial campaign and it’s a shame that they didn’t roll with this strategy from the start.  Even though the geekdom knows of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom saga, I’m afraid that this movie may flop because the rest of the world won’t give the franchise a chance.  And it deserves a chance.  While by no means a great film, I think Disney and Andrew Stanton have created the start of what could be a very cool film franchise.

I give Stanton a ton of credit here.  While the movie has a good amount of flaws – the plot gets convoluted and the pacing is often rushed, when there’s no action on screen THERE’S NO ACTION ON SCREEN, and the dialogue sometimes drifts into Episode II territory – I think Andrew Stanton’s jump from animation to live action is an overall success.  Despite the aforementioned issues, there is nothing I would say is just plain bad.  On the flip side, Stanton did a whole lot right.  There were even some scenes such as the Carter vs. alien massacre/flashback which were downright stellar.  Stanton took a $250 million mega budget and all the pressures that go along with it and made a solid beginning film.  If the demand is there for future installments that can expand the mythology that at times weighed down this first effort, fans are in for a real treat.  The mythology is so rich that it will require multiple visits to Barsoom to fully appreciate it. 

Probably the best aspect of John Carter is the near perfect tone it maintains throughout.  It is pure escapist fun in every sense of the word.  In a post 9/11 industry that has been heavily focused on going darker and more mature with its franchises, it is refreshing to see a film that feels like an old school adventure.  I was damn near nostalgic at times as it felt like I was watching a Star Wars or Indiana Jones flick.  Michael Giacchino’s score fuels the film perfectly.  While there are no dynamic themes that stand out like in Up or Star Trek, the score picks up when it needs to and is appropriately subdued during the more intimate moments.  Some of the dialogue can get a bit cheesy and at times it is only Giacchino’s score that prevents it from totally jumping the shark.

This is one of two major blockbusters that Taylor Kitsch is spearheading this year with Battleship coming out this summer.  I have no idea if he can or will become the next big thing in Hollywood, but there are moments in John Carter where he shows flashes that he’s more than a just face and six pack.  The rest of the main cast gives you exactly what you’d expect from them.  Willem Dafoe creates another memorable on screen character without ever physically appearing on screen.  Mark Strong is as simultaneously sinister and cool as even.  Lynn Collins, who I didn’t know much about before going into the film, holds her own playing the damsel in distress adding enough depth to make her a true warrior princess.  And then there’s Woola.  I just want to give him a big hug.

There is such a depth of mythology here that will be great to explore on the big screen.  Now that Disney finally understands what type of potential they have, they can steer this ship in the right direction.  Hopefully it won’t be too late because despite its many flaws, John Carter is a film I had a lot of fun watching and would love to continue to follow in the future.

These guests included the director Mark Webb in Los Angeles, Peter Parker and Spider-Man himself: Andrew Garfield in New York, the very beautiful Gwen Stacy played by Emma Stone in Rio de Janero, and Dr. Curt Connors and the Lizard himself: Rhys Ifans in London. These special guests were asked several questions regarding the movie and the Spiderman franchise with very comical responses. The event concluded with a nice little souvenir T-Shirt that was given to the viewers upon exiting the theater.

Click on the clip below for the footage from this event HERE!

The Amazing Spider-Man releases in theaters this summer July 3rd, 2012.

I know this isn’t really headlining the current event pages but when we were invited to a screening of “The Big Year”, we turned it down due to lack of time and interest. Just by looking at the cast, you expect a gut busting comedy whether your into Steve Martin’s vintage style of humor or Jack Black’s over-the-top physical comedy…you won’t really get either, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

I checked out some of the reviews of this film dating back to its original theatrical release and they weren’t all that great. Rotten Tomatoes rounded it to a 39% and that will usually deter me from seeing a film. When the Blu Ray was announced for a release date of January 31st, I decided to give it a spin and see what it was all about.

The first thing the viewer needs to remember when seeing “The Big Year”, is that just because it has an A-List cast within the comedic genre, you’re not going to be on the floor laughing. TBY makes light of some pretty serious mantras that I feel most people can align themselves with.

The story follows three men who are all at different times in their lives. What they all have in common is that they are all looking to devote a year of their lives to try and spot as many birds as they can. By doing this, they are leaving behind their wives and careers which is, ultimately, the real theme to the film.

Without getting too much into a summary of the film, TBY takes place across some great environments and scenery, has some mild laughing moments, a relatable story and who doesn’t enjoy narration from John Cleese?

“The Big Year” won’t blow you away and won’t be up for an Oscar this year, but it does provide a good 100 minutes of entertainment.

“The Big Year” releases on DVD and Blu Ray next Tuesday, January 31st.

The Muppets have been pretty obsolete for many years now so it was tough getting motivated to make the trip to the theater to check this one out. I have always been a fan of Disney and knowing that Jason Segel had written it and Brett McKenzie (Flight of the Conchords) had done the music, I knew there would be something special about this movie.

“The Muppets” pokes fun at itself in a way by playing on the fact that they are no longer relevant. The plot of this movie centers around Gary (Jason Segel) and his puppet friend Walter. When Walter takes a tour of the Muppet’s studio and overhears a plan to tear it down so an oil tycoon can tap into the land’s resources, he finds Kermit the Frog in an effort to round up the Muppets to put on a show and raise $10 million to save the studio.

Now I know that doesn’t sound like the most original plot on paper but by following Kermit on his journey to pick up the characters that either brightened your childhood, or will be sure to brighten your child’s childhood, you will find yourself pleasantly surprised at this charming film.

The writing was absolutely fantastic and “Flight of the Conchords” are all over the musical sequences. The reviews of this film speak for themselves and with “Hugo”, “Arthur Christmas” and “Twilight” giving you choices for holiday moviegoing, do yourself a favor and see “The Muppets” the first chance you get. No matter what age you are, it will have you laughing and I challenge you to leave the theater without one or two of the musical numbers stuck in your head.

In a market over saturated by vampire movies and TV shows, it is not often one stands out from the rest. If you are looking for something a bit off the wall, that I can promise you’ve never seen before, you may just want to check out a dark comedy called “Vamperifica”…my official WTF movie of the Halloween season. This is the gayest vampire film you may ever see, aside from “Twilight”, and I don’t mean that in a derogatory way.

“Vamperifica” begins 200 years ago with an epic tale of a vampire king who was killed only to be reincarnated into an extremely flamboyant college student named Carmen (Martin Yurkovic ) who is unable to land a part in a stage performance that he’s after. After being tailed by 2 vampires, who are trying to make Carmen realize who he really is, he finally embraces his role as a vampire and begins his training as the vampire king.

Carmen utilizes his new found powers to seek revenge on those who have wrong him throughout his life. Though he’s not afraid to feed on humans, he stay’s away from devouring his victims that he “doesn’t like”. This leads to one-liner gems like “don’t you know there are vampires in Africa who have no blood to drink”.

“Vamperifica” may not be the funniest film you see, the acting may not be Oscar calibre and the story is simple, but it’s charming in its own right.

“Vamperifica” is not afraid to poke fun at itself and its genre and, in a way, it makes it a fun experience. With most Halloween movies nowadays being cheesy or campy, “Vamperifica” is a unique holiday movie that is well produced and you may find yourself enjoying it more than you think.

“Vamperifica” was an official selection of the Screamfest 2011 horror film festival.

There are two types of people in this world: those who want to watch scary movies and those who don’t. If you find yourself in the former category, chances are you’re going to enjoy Paranormal Activity 3. The movie itself treads over very familiar territory and doesn’t really add too much to the horror genre (or Paranormal franchise for that matter). However, what PA 3 lacks in originality, it more than makes up for it in execution. Directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman have crafted together a very tight 84 minute flick that milks every last scare and jump out of what could be (and should be…but won’t be) the last entry in the found footage franchise.

Serving as a prequel to last year’s prequel, PA 3 takes place in 1988 and follows sisters Katie and Kristi in what is assumed to be their first encounter with…wait for it…PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. The two young girls live with their mother and her boyfriend Dennis, who happens to be a wedding videographer. From here you can pretty much guess where the story goes as it follows the successful formulas of the previous two installments. Some weird stuff goes down in the house which prompts Dennis to put up a couple of cameras. Slowly but surely events in the house get a little more bizarre and a little more out of control. By the time the characters who originally wrote off these occurrences as merely coincidence realize what kind of situation they’re in, it’s all but too late. There are cute little kids, “imaginary friends”, goofy sidekicks, creepy old people, teenage babysitters, plot holes, and few others items you might find in your typical horror flick. 

But don’t let my nonchalant description of the plot push you away. The narrative of this film is actually the most intricate and I would say best of the entire franchise. Whether originally conceived this way or not, Paranormal Activity has become a solid film trilogy with a definite beginning, middle, and end.  Having said that, most likely the franchise won’t end here considering the oodles of cash it continues to grab at the box office. But if it did, you probably wouldn’t be too upset. And if they find a way to keep going forward (or backward) with the franchise and still deliver the scares, more power to them.  There are even some new tidbits that could lead to yet another prequel.

But enough about story. Will this movie scare you?  Hell yes. As I mentioned earlier, this film is all about getting the most out of what’s already been established. Joost and Schulman have fun messing around with the audience by taking our expectations and throwing them right back in our screaming faces. My favorite example of this is when Dennis comes up with the idea to create a rotating camera. Taking apart an oscillating fan and mounting a camera on top of it provides the perfect summary of what the audience experiences throughout the entire movie. While the camera slowly pans back and forth, you can feel the tension in the entire theater as everyone expects a scare to pop up right around the corner. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t. It’s that uncertainty in what should happen versus what does, or in many cases, does not happen that makes this film so damn frightening.

Major props go out to the cast, especially the young girls Chloe Csengery and Jessica Tyler, who really bring home the huge scares and drive the film. When they’re cute, they’re cute. When they’re terrified and crying, don’t be surprised to find yourself on the edge of your own seat. There were a few moments in the film where I stopped and thought, “Man, I hope these little kids aren’t messed up in real life after this.”  Speaking of which, will the last 15 minutes mess you up for life like the trailers proclaim?  Doubtfully. But will it still scare the living bejesus out of you?  It did for me.

I’m the type of guy that loves going to see scary movies but is all too often disappointed when the credits start to roll. Very few franchises can effectively keep the scares going for an entire 90 minutes. The Paranormal movies are able to do it over an entire trilogy with the third being the scariest and best in the franchise. Like most horror films, grab a group of friends and go see this one in a crowded theater to get the most out of it. Then expect a slightly larger electricity bill next month because you’re going to be keeping the lights on for a while.

Are you an X-man? Or do you follow the ideals of Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants? These are the questions that, as a gamer, you must ask yourself while playing X-Men: Destiny. The only other question you must ask yourself is: “Why did I purchase this game?”

Let’s start with the story. If you are a fan of the X-Men comics, you will find the theme and story of this game familiar. That theme being: Acceptance. You get to play as one of three new mutants: Adrian Luca, the son of a hard-shelled and rigid Purifier idealist; Aimi Yoshida, a Japanese refugee sent to America to pursue a better life by her father; and Grant Alexander, the college football jock.

Another choice you are given at the beginning of the game is Mutant power selection. Your choices are: Density Control, a hard-hitting class where rock-like protrusions aid in attacks and defense; Shadow Matter, a quicker attacking class based on shadow-like daggers; or Energy Projection, ranged-based attacks through energy projectiles. As the game progresses, you are given more choices in abilities pertaining to which power-class you have chosen. Furthermore, you collect exp by defeating enemies and are given liberties on which abilities to strengthen.

As you follow the development of the character you have chosen, you are simultaneously thrown into conflict between the Purifiers, individuals devoting their lives to the eradication of Mutants, or organizations for the safety and progression of Mutant rights, such as the X-Men or the Brotherhood of Mutants.

One of the strengths of X-Men: Destiny lies in the franchise’s characters. Part of the fun of the game was waiting to see which popular comic-book-character-come-to-life (or video game life) you would run into next. The developers did not use the characters sparingly and have allowed for even some of the under-rated characters to be used.

Another strength for X-Men: Destiny are the unlockables. These include collectibles, which allow the player to access character bios, and costumes, which change the appearance of your character to classic outfits that also give stat boosts.

Unfortunately, no single game is perfect and with that comes weaknesses. In X-Men: Destiny’s case, there are plenty. Firstly, the combat. Combat is fun at first, but quickly become somewhat of a hack-n-slash, button-mashing, lack of strategy form of repetition. Secondly, character movement is slow. While fighting enemies, your movement feels as though you are weighted and fighting underwater. Thirdly, you are constantly fighting waves of enemies that follow similar character designs, with not much variation. Fourthly, environments change, but still have the same format and are very linear in nature. Lastly, many cut-scenes seem to suffer from a product of poor clipping and editing. While watching a particular cutscene, with much excitement of what will come next, the emotion and power of that scene are halted due to a rushed resolution.

In conclusion, the sole purpose for the purchase of this game was the use of the long-running X-Men franchise. Although it was fun to have the capability to play within the X-Men universe along with popular characters, shoddy game-play and a rushed polish hold this game back from being the great game it could have been for us comic book fans. Hardcore X-Men and Marvel fans like me can see past the many flaws, but gamers that are not familiar with the franchise may want to use their Mutant power of inhibition and pass on X-Men: Destiny.