ultimate avengers Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Geek news I found while pondering the hole in the toe of my best dress socks:

• You know the Flickr site with all those Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer wedding pictures? It has been updated yet again with some pictures of the Invisible Woman in action. Well, sort of in action. In poses which suggest action will be added via the magic of special effects. Ignore that man behind the curtain wind machine.
• Here's a site in a language you probably can't read with a few pictures of some "Transformers movie preview" action figures. Thanks to CBR for bringing this one to attention.
• You know the deal Marvel signed with Lionsgate for animated features? The one which brought us the two Ultimate Avengers flicks? Their third movie is on the way; you can expect an animated Iron Man flick to land on January 23rd, according to Comics Continuum.
• Jane Wyatt, known to geeks worldwide as the mother of Dr. Spock from the the original Trek series, has passed away. Unfortunately, none of her family will mourn her passing, as Vulcans experience no emotion.
• I have found no new images from 300, which I firmly believe to be an impossibility after the last two weeks of daily updates. If you know of any which I missed, drop them off in the comments section so we can get our Frank Miller fix, okay?

Welcome back to the world of Mark Beall, where we continue to extol the virtues of animated superhero movies and be giddy beyond all reason about their expected existence. Most writers on this esteemed site will offer you critical, insightful, and witty commentary on the world of film -- while yours truly will geek out over animated Avengers. It is a good life. Let me tell you about the new information on Ultimate Avengers 2, which will grace our small screens in just over a month from now (August 8, to be precise). Part two looks to be much the same as part one, only more so. The big splash today is an exclusive look at many, many menu screens from the new flick, courtesy of the good people over at Superhero Hype. Do they look awesome? Yes they do. But really, how can you have Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and the Incredible Hulk all together in the same place and have it not look awesome? Have a look, True Believers, and enjoy. Let us hope the quality maintains, and Marvel continues to crank these babies out.

Dave Boat is the vocalist behind Marvel's god of thunder in the two (well, soon to be two, anyway) direct-to-DVD Ultimate Avengers animated flicks the company has produced. Until the Avengers flicks, Boat had not done any movie work -- he had instead labored away in the anonymity of video game voice acting, working for the likes of The Sims. When asked how he liked the transition, Boat provided a terrible double entendre of an answer which this Marvel geek found very amusing. He replied "I'm a god to my nephew and his friends." I know, I know ... it is a terribly cheesy line. But hey, I'd totally be throwing down that line if I were playing Thor. He also said it was fantastic to be working with the same crew again, as he enjoys his fellow Avengers. And he envies Thor's muscles and hair ... but hey, who doesn't envy the god of thunder, really? 

Geek confession time! Okay, you know you've had this discussion. If you could pick any Avenger to portray, which one would you go for? And you can include Avengers which don't show up in this flick, if it helps. Personally, I'm a Captain America guy myself, but ya know, I'd take Thor if they offered.

Nearly lost in the shuffle of big-budget, special-effects laden summer blockbusters which are pouring forth from the world of comic books these days is the quiet little success story of Marvel's direct-to-DVD animated feature Ultimate Avengers. We here at Cinematical (and by "we," I really mean the geek boy here) are doing our best to remind the world of this pretty little gem and the impending sequel coming your way this August. In today's news, Ultimate Avengers has "officially" launched a website for the animated sequel, which you can dig here. It's got the usual collection of things -- an image gallery, some generic news, an older trailer, and some desktop downloads. A few of the wallpapers are actually pretty nice looking; I'd probably use the Captain America one if the title weren't so darn big.

Aside from the generally good quality of the first film, I think I'm such a strong proponent of them because animated Marvel cartoons played a big part in getting me hooked on the Marvelverse as a young child. The Marvel Power Hour and that fantastic X-Men cartoon were like gateway drugs for me into the sordid world of comic books. I am now chemically predisposed to desire any Marvel animation.

I'll openly and proudly admit to loving Marvel comic book cartoons. My childhood was partially defined by the Marvel Power Hour and the fantastic X-Men cartoon, in addition to some animated Spider-Man. My concept of Jubilee probably comes more from the old cartoon than it does from the comic books, as I was not much of a Gen X reader.* Because of this, I delighted in the recent direct-to-DVD animated Marvel film Ultimate Avengers. It wasn't flashy, it wasn't fancy, it was just good, solid, animated Marvel. I don't even read Ultimates with any regularity, and I loved the film. Lucky me, they aren't done yet. Next up in the animated Marvel movies comes a sequel, and you can now catch a quick look at it here, thanks to IGN.

It isn't anything groundbreaking, it just looks like what it is -- more of the same goodness we found in the first flick, so if you enjoyed the first one you've got a lot to be happy about. If you (like many people) did not see the first flick, I suggest you go do so. Or at the very least click on the link above and watch the preview for the second, as it'll give you a pretty good idea of what to expect.

*Yes, I know she showed up first in Uncanny X-Men.

If you are a fan of Marvel and you missed out on the Ultimate Avengers direct-to-DVD animated movie, you really should go pick it up. It's well worth the cash, for   an animated flick; it does a rather good job of capturing the feel of the universe. I'm not even a particularly avid reader of the Ultimate time line, and I dig the movie. And if you've been meaning to watch it but just haven't gotten around to it yet, it would be a good idea to do so soon, because the sequel is fast approaching. August 8 is the date now being floated around by various retailers, which means we've only got a few months until we are blessed with another round of animated Marvel goodness. It'll be put out by Lion's Gate (no surprise) and the expected retail value is 20 bucks (also no surprise, but it could stand to lose five dollars or so, given that it's only an animated direct to DVD).

Personally, I'm loving this animated Marvel stuff, and I hope they keep pushing it out if they can maintain quality. It's a nice little filler between major motion pictures, and I'm always up for a good super hero cartoon. I just wish they could have little clips of Stan Lee saying "Greetings, True Believers" and "Excelsior!"

A quick note for those of you like me out there in readerland who find yourself excited for the upcoming direct to DVD release of Marvel's Ultimate Avengers: a short video clip has been made avalible to fans, and SuperHeroHype has your exclusive look at it. I suggest you click here and take a look at it, if you are anxious for a solid idea of what the film will be like.

My take is that this sucker plays very much with a late-80s/early 90s cartoon feel on a pumped up budget. Something about the nature of the characters, the action scenes, and the voice acting take me back to the old G.I. Joe and cartoon X-Men days. The look is rather different, but the feel is the same. I stand by my opinion that this movie will be a fun little distraction for Marvel fans- obviously it is not a high-end blockbuster, but it's not pretending to be. And c'mon...it's Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor. What more could a nerd want?*

*Okay, so maybe in an ideal world it would be standard Avengers and not Ultimates. But still, both are fun.

The usual suspects weigh in today on our geek image roundup, providing you with some new looks at by now familiar faces. Here they are, in no particular order:

• The LA Times has laid their hands on a slightly different picture of Kelsey Grammer as the blue-furred Beast. Nothing too unusual, but it certainly provides a good look at the character.
• Likewise, a whole slew of new Superman set images have been posted, and some of them include images other than Brandon Routh posing in his costume. I've got to say, a few of these look pretty spiffin'.
• In the midst of 51 or so images, here is one new shot of a bald Natalie Portman as Evey Hammond.
• Finally, an early look at the upcoming direct-to-DVD Ultimate Avengers offering. You can dig some shots of the DVD menu screens and the like here.

[via cbr]

Don't look now...but you're about to view a geek image roundup that includes no pictures from the Man of Steel or The X-Crowd.  *Gasp*

• The closer we get to V for Vendetta, the more information we get, including a continual flow of new stills. Today's offering is a lovely assortment of high res images over at OutNow.
• For the serious Marvel nerd, we've also got a new look at some artwork from the upcoming animated Ultimate Avengers flick. While they are not as pretty as high res images from a major production, they will fulfill your Marvel comic needs.
• And finally, for the more casual Marvel fan (or poser, as the former crowd is more likely to refer to you), here is some weird shot that is rumored to be from the set of the new Spiderman film. You can read the explanation and jump into the forum dedate at superhero hype, if you are so inclined.
   

Here's the lastest from around the pages of comic book moviedom, distilled into happy little bullet points for your reading pleasure.

• A new picture of Kirk Jones in all his Blade glory has been unearthed by the good folks over at Comics Continuum. Spike TV hopes to turn the made for TV movie into a pilot for a new series about the Marvel character.
• Also in the world of images, a new shot of Kirsten Dunst gearing up for her next performance as MJ from People magazine.
• In other Web-news, actress Natalie McNeil's website currently indicates that Natalie has bagged a "co-star role" in Spidey 3.
• Comic Continuum brings you notes on voice actor Marc Worden, who will be voicing Iron Man in both upcoming Ultimate Avenger's films, as well as the upcoming Iron Man film (all three animated). You can also read the thoughts of Marvel staff on Worden and the part he'll be playing.
• Finally, you can scope this PDF to learn that a Candian company named PQ Systems is working on technical aspects of Ratner's X-Men 3.