Tag Archives: trailer

Iron Man 3 – What I Know About the Mandarin is Probably Useless

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The new trailer for Iron Man 3 was released last week. With it, and a photo released by Entertainment Weekly, it shows that one of the villains in the movie is “The Mandarin”. Watch the trailer below:

I loved the whole series of movies Marvel has been releasing. Even though some are a bit weak (Read: Thor), I still find them entertaining. I hope this one will not disappoint. Iron Man 2 was a bit weak and quick for the ending.  This third movie seems like it will have the same general plot like Dark Knight Rises, where Tony Stark will have to fall hard and have to rebuild himself to be better in order to conquer the villain of the Mandarin as well as his internal self.

Hildebrandt Trading card of The Mandarin

Lo Pan and the Mandarin - Do you think they shop in the same store, or they just like accessories?

As you can see the Mandarin will be played by Sir Ben Kingsley, who is a wonderful actor. He was in Hugo, Gandhi, Schindler’s List, Sneakers, Searching for Bobby Fischer and many other great movies. I’m sure his portrayal of The Mandarin will be good. Although a piece of me wonders how he’s called the Mandarin and isn’t really Chinese. (The New Karate Kid, I am looking at you). But Ben Kingsley is a great actor, so surely it can’t be bad. We can all forget Bloodrayne, right?

The first time I remember seeing the Mandarin character was in a Marvel trading card series that were painted by the Hilderbrandt brothers. It was a dynamic intense view of the villain. it accentuated where his powers came from – the ten rings on his fingers. And it reminded me of the Planeteers, how each ring has a different power.  Still, the depiction of him reminded me of Lo Pan from Big Trouble in Little China – both Asian, both with similar hair stylists and wardrobe supervisors. Although Mandarin’s powers come from alien technology, it just seemed a bit mystical to me much like Lo Pan’s abilities.

I’m not sure what angle the movie will use to play out the Mandarin’s origin and how he can overpower Iron Man/Tony Stark. Guy Pearce is in the trailer, and it would seem like he will also play a bit of a villainous part, much like Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2.

We shall see when the movie premieres on May 3. And with the coming holiday movies, I”m sure there will be more trailers premiering and each one revealing just a bit more of the movie.

Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin in Iron Man 3

Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph Includes Legendary Video Game Bad Guys

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Video game movies are a sore subject. When’s the last time you loved an adaptation of a video game? A few searches in IMDb might even help you to discover Street Fighter movies you wish you had forgotten. These are movies that look so awful in trailers you refuse to invest a fraction of what you paid for the actual game just to rent it. Let’s face it, the imaginative fantasies captured in video games weren’t mean for live action.

Disney decided to skirt around the genre by creating an original character that interacts with real video game villains in its new CG animation movie, Wreck-It Ralph. It will be produced by Disney’s own animation studio (i.e. Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons, Bolt).

Take a look at at the trailer below:

Cameos include:

  • M. Bison / Zangief (Street Fighter)
  • Clyde (Pac-Man)
  • Bowser (Super Mario Brothers)
  • Doctor Ivo Robotnik (Sonic the Hedgehog)
  • Kano (Mortal Kombat)
Gamers should love the 8-bit style of the Wreck-It Ralph and the movie looks like it falls under the things-that-happen-behind-closed-doors formula (think Toy Story).
Mark your calendar. Wreck-It Ralph comes out November 2, 2012

Game of Thrones: You Win or You Die

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HBO has just released a 22 minute special revisiting the stunning events of Season 1, introducing the major players and a sneak peak at Season 2.

The second season of the American fantasy TV series Game of Thrones is scheduled to begin airing in the U.S. on HBO on 1 April 2012. Like the first season, it will consist of ten episodes. It will approximately cover the subject matter of A Clash of Kings, the second book of the A Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R.R. Martin, of which the series is an adaptation.

For more information visit the official site.

The “The Friends With Kids” Cast Looks Very Familiar

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As a trailer addict, I couldn’t help but notice a new trailer for Friends With Kids. As a man in his early 30’s, the title hit close to home, so I decided to take a gander in hope for an appealing premise or great cast ensemble. Luckily, I scored 2 for 2.

The trailer begins with a dinner table scene among two couples discussing a third couple’s whereabouts. We see Maya Rudolph (Leslie), Chris O’Dowd (Alex), Adam Scott (Jason), and a relatively unknown Jennifer Westfeldt (Julie). Jon Hamm (Ben) and Kristen Wiig (Missy) then enter the room trying to cover up the obvious scandalous act that held them up.  Next we see Jason and Julie talking about having a baby out of wedlock. In fact, they’re not even a couple. They’re just platonic friends. It’s like “Knocked Up” minus the accident factor. Later, the story introduces Edward Burns and Megan Fox, who appear to be love interests of Julie and Jason.

Curious about Jennifer Westfeldt, I decided to do some research and discovered some interesting facts about her. Her role in the Friends With Kids is actually quite significant. She stars, directed, and wrote it. She’s quite the triple threat! Just in case you weren’t jealous of her yet, she’s also Jon Hamm’s main squeeze.

It’s like someone decided everyone in Bridesmaids worked so well together, they had to do another movie and I’m totally okay with that. Sadly, Chris O’Dowd left behind his Irish accent. Since he isn’t playing a historical figure, I don’t agree with that decision but hopefully I’ll be proven wrong.

I was one of the last people to watch Bridesmaids but still found it to be a very enjoyable movie. Nope, none of the hype phased me. I just adore Kristin Wiig and LOVED Jon Hamm‘s bizarro Don Draper character, Ted.

Friends With Kids will be distributed by Lionsgate and is scheduled to arrive in theaters March 9, 2012.

Netflix’s First Original Series Is Lilyhammer

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February is going to a special month for Netflix. We’ll see the end of the dreadful standard definition Starz releases and the birth of  its first original series, Lilyhammer.

The show stars the multi-talented Steven Van Zandt, aka Little Steven/Miami Steve, who is known for his guitar/mandolin work in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and his Sopranos character, Silvio Dante. As you might have guessed, Van Zandt reprises a wiseguy role as Frank Tagliano, a former gangster who moves to Norway and tries to make the best of his new life in a witness protection program.

The show is tagged Dark, Quirky, and Understated, which suggests a considerable gamble for Netflix to appeal to a less mainstream audience. Check out the trailer below. We see Van Zandt’s character, Frank Tagliano, in both three piece suits and Nordic sweaters. There’s also plenty of bleeps, a good sign for any fans who love gritty gangster dialog. And for those that doubt the show’s indie credibility, take a look at the credits and confirm names clearly native to Norway. Frank Tagliano’s role is genuinely fish-out-of-water both on and off camera.

Lilyhammer is poised to give great exposure to Norway, those in supporting roles, and mainly Steven Van Zandt, who is not only acting, but also a writer and executive producer of the show.

The trailer also happens to be the first video in Netflix’s YouTube channel.

Source: Netflix

Official The Dark Knight Rises Trailer!

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If you didn’t catch it with the new Mission Impossible movie this past weekend, then here is the new The Dark Knight Rises trailer!

It shows a lot more than the teaser trailer did. There’s more Anne Hathaway screen time, as well as the main villain Bane. And…a new Bat vehicle.

Summer 2012 can’t come any sooner!

Real Steel – Because Childhood Toys Somehow Make for Good Movies

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“Real Steel“ is an action drama about a former boxer (Hugh Jackman) who, with the help of his estranged son (Dakota Goyo), gets one last shot at a comeback by building and training the perfect contender for the new high-tech sport of robot boxing.

Official Trailer:

If you haven’t guessed already from the trailer, the inspiration for this film is Mattel’s old Rock’em Sock’em Robots. Instead of the plastic toy counterparts, we’re treated with really cool shiny metal (“real steel”) robots. The film is set to be shown in regular conventional theatres but also be in IMAX theatres. So, IMAX viewers will be treated to high quality special FX.

Although the robo-boxing is the main draw for the film, it appears there will be a strong focus on the father-son relationship. I hope it all works out and doesn’t just become a fancy eye-FX-candy film, like the Transformers film series.

Hollywood seems to keep pulling their ideas from anything and everything. It’s interesting when they make movies from toys that don’t really have a storyline. Such as the upcoming movie, Battleship, inspired by the board game of the same name, looks to be more of a fancy action FX heavy movie than an action drama.