marvel Tagged Articles at Cinematical

It might seem to be strange to love a scene in a movie that frankly you are not all that attached to. But for today's Scenes We Love, I decided to pick one of my 'bittersweet favorites': the opening from Blade. Now why is it bittersweet? Well, because as much as I love this scene, when it comes to the rest of the movie, I kind of felt like it was all downhill from here. This is just my personal taste, but Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff) was never all that scary as the bad guy in the story, and, well, that chick kind of got on my nerves (hey, just my two cents!). But, I'm going to stand by the fact that despite a heck of an opening, the rest of the movie never quite lived up to this set up. I guess that's the problem with a great entrance -- it isn't easy to keep up the pace.

But this is called Scenes We Love after all, so let's not dwell on the negative. Because as opening scenes go, this one is a winner, with a pumping soundtrack, some pretty cool fighting moves, and last but not least -- the chance to see Traci Lords explode into a pile of ember and ash.

After the jump: Blade fun facts, and the number one reason you should never go to a rave in a slaughterhouse...

I know it's a huge bummer that Iron Man director Jon Favreau told MTV that he's not going to be directing The Avengers, Marvel's forthcoming superhero omnibus film that'll feature the likes of The Hulk, Nick Fury, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and whoever else the now Disney-owned studio wants to create a new action figure for. Favreau would love to do it, and he'll executive produce, but logistically he is just not going to be available to direct. Obviously that's not going to stop Marvel from moving forward with the guaranteed moneymaker, so here are five humble suggestions for replacement.

Before we let the fanboy inside us explode at the possibilities, let's keep things a bit grounded. They've got to be directors who could tackle something in the fantasy-action realm and they have to be available; so even though I'd be game for them, busy A-listers like Christopher Nolan or J.J. Abrams just aren't practical.

While Warner Bros. readies a few new DC comic adaptations, including The Green Lantern and maybe Wonder Woman, word is still out on whether we'll ever see The Flash get his own movie, too. I've never been a big fan of Mr. Flash and his skin-tight red and gold suit. Yeah, so you run fast -- what else you got for me? Perhaps that's why it's taking so long for Hollywood to dump a Flash movie into theaters, and maybe it's also why the proposed Flash video game was shelved. Whatever the reasons for delays and cancellations are, it looks like we may one day get our big-screen film featuring some hot up-and-coming actor running all over the damn place.

IGN ran a quote earlier this week from Charles Roven, who was involved as a producer with The Flash movie at one point. He claimed Warner Bros. didn't feel comfortable with the version they had -- that they wanted to take into "account the entire, rich DC character world" (which I read as: we want to do what Marvel is doing) -- and so that incarnation was thrown to the curb for the time being.

The next day, however, IGN received an email from the film's current screenwriter, Dan Mazeau, who assured the site that the Flash movie was still alive and well. He says, "The Flash has not been hobbled. Everything is moving forward as planned. I'm still writing the script. Geoff Johns is still consulting. Flash fans have no cause for concern, and -- IMO -- lots to be excited about." So there you go ... the wheels are turning (though maybe not as fast as The Flash would like them to turn).

Check out the rest -- including concept footage from the canceled Flash video game -- over at SciFi Squad

It's as inevitable as the tides. Once something becomes a genuine industry to the tune of a $4 billion dollar marriage, the lawsuits quickly follow. On the heels of the Siegel and Shuster lawsuits that dismantled the world of Clark Kent comes a lawsuit from the estate of Jack Kirby that targets all things Marvel. According to The New York Times, the Kirby heirs have sent 45 notices of copyright infringement to Marvel, Disney, Paramount, Fox, Sony, Universal, Hasbro, and just about everyone else in the world. Kirby created (or co-created alongside Stan Lee) just about all the big Marvel characters so anyone using them must now face the the Kirbys and Toberoff & Associates. (The same law firm that handled the Siegel and Shuster lawsuits, which is no coincidence.)

The Kirbys seek to win the copyrights back to Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four, etc., and claim some (or all) of the profits. If they win back the copyright, it wouldn't kick in until 2014 so presumably they wouldn't be able to claim the "back profits" the characters have made, but anything going forward would be a problem. As Bleeding Cool notes, Disney and Marvel will always own the trademarks, and the movie studios would probably also be safe in their acquisitions, but continuing to publish anything Kirby created would be problematic.

The attorney Marc Toberoff declined to comment on the case, but Disney released an official statement that shrugged off the lawsuit, noting "the notices involved are an attempt to terminate rights 7 to 10 years from now, and involve claims that were fully considered in the acquisition." This will undoubtedly be a case fraught with as many tangles as the Siegel and Shuster suit was. Will Marvel end up owning Iron Man's armor, but the Kirbys will own Tony Stark and Pepper Potts? Will it create problems for Marvel Studios down the line? We shall watch and see.

Now that there's been some time to digest the news that Disney and Marvel have joined forces, we can begin to have some fun with what could (but ultimately will not) be the future of this new partnership (we hope). The clever folks over at Worth1000 have just finished piecing together a photoshop contest that asked readers to design a Marvel/Disney hybrid in honor of the recent announcement ... and the results were, um, pretty hilarious.

We're talking characters like The Incredible Snow White, Spider Chicken, Buzz Iron Man, Captain Incredible and more. While there's a pretty good chance we'll never ever see these beloved Disney characters Marvel-fied, that doesn't mean we can't play pretend. (Note to Disney: Just because we can laugh at Spider Mickey doesn't necessarily mean we'll ever forgive you if Spider Mickey arrived in movie theaters a few years down the line.)

Check out some of our favorites below and the entire collection over at Worth1000.

Every time we get a new Hulk, Spider-Man, Iron Man, or Fantastic Four flick, tons of new articles hit the wire about how Marvel has big plans for Thor, Captain America, and ... Ant-Man. It's probably because Ant-Man isn't quite as popular as those other guys that we don't feel any geekish urgency towards an Ant-Man movie, but ... heck, at least Ant-Man has had a finished draft for a while now. And that's more than you could say about ol' Thor, right?

Plus it should be noted that said draft comes from one Edgar Wright, yep, the co-writer and director of great comedic entertainments like Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, and Hot Fuzz. Find me a movie geek who wouldn't want to see a Marvel hero as filtered through the lenses of Wright and his loyal team!

But now that the massive Disney + Marvel deal is in place, we're hearing a few buzzings (from Entertainment Weekly and BleedingCool.com) that Ant-Man could maybe, possibly, sometime down the road ... become a Pixar feature? Keep in mind that this is simply geek-friendly speculation, and that even if Edgar Wright DID combine his skills with Pixar, well, the flick wouldn't be ready for about four years. Check out the piece at BC.com right here and then share your thoughts below. Me? I think it's a perfect fit: The Pixar team working on something with a strange and colorful history -- along with a movie-geek filmmaker who is all about delivering the fun.

Without a doubt, there's a potential for greatness with the news that Disney bought Marvel Entertainment. With Pixar in the mix, this could mean a whole collection of cool animated superhero movies where the boundaries of human law are no object. But what about the other side?

Even the best laid plains or ideas can go horribly wrong. It's not like Hollywood, or Disney for that matter, have a perfect track record of cinematic goodness. Obviously, they picked up Marvel because they like what the company is doing, and want to get in on the action. But admiration doesn't always make for loyal productions. Just think about all the great books that get made into terrible films, or any company that buys another and then strives to make "improvements."

Today we were greeted with a big surprise: Disney bought Marvel Entertainment at the modest cost of $4 billion, grabbing control of thousands of Marvel characters while giving the comic company a tap into Disney's global power. It should bring about a lot of change, for Marvel at the very least, and a myriad of possibilities, but will stronger female characters be on that list? It would be great to be proven wrong, but this new deal doesn't inspire confidence.

On the one side, we've got Disney. Their best female potential lies in Pixar -- a company that has yet to have a real front-and-center female lead in their films, but has done a really great job with supporting characters. Unfortunately, that's about as far as it goes. Beyond that, laying in stark contrast to gals like Ellie, is Disney's princess mania. They provide the main femme arm for the company, plying young girls with pastel colors, pretty dresses, and dreams of princely saviors. In fact, they have become such a backbone for the girl side of Disney that even Pocahontas, who is not a castle-dweller, is lumped with the rest. Her characterization is similar enough, but really -- if they didn't throw her in with the rest, there would be no place for her. The Mouse House is all about their pretty, pretty princesses, and rarely, if ever, seem interested in expanding that focus.

Cinematical has just received this exclusive, leaked memo from the new Disney-centric Marvel. Of course, we cannot guarantee its authenticity.

August 31, 2009

Memo to all Current Marvel/Disney employees:

The following changes are to be made, effective immediately, concerning the nature, personality and behavior of some of the Marvel characters.

1. The Avengers will no longer be called The Avengers. This name suggests vengeance or revenge, which does not represent a healthy Disney attitude. The new name will be "The Befrienders."

2. Wolverine will no longer be allowed to drink beer or smoke cigars. Likewise, Iron Man will no longer drink martinis. Juice boxes are acceptable.