PODCAST: Film Focus Episode 15 – Is It Too Late For A Black Widow Film?

Howdy ladies and gents of the internet, as some of you may have seen, back in April I started a film podcast entitled Film Focus and on this podcast I talk about various topics in film and reviews as well. I was actually meant to make this post available last week but was super busy with work, but hey better late then never right?

Anyway here’s the 15th episode:

This is a topic of conversation I’ve wanted to talk about for some time now, Black Widow has become one of the most notable and well-received characters in the MCU since 2012’s The Avengers (I mean she was good in Iron Man 2, but I think more people took notice of her afterwards), and these days talk of her getting a solo film is something that always comes up every so often because a lot of fans want it, but unless Marvel Studios are still finding the right means to make it happen or just don’t care, a lot of people are left wondering if it’ll ever happen. And with the ever-changing nature of Hollywood and the cinematic film landscape, the longer Marvel leaves this, the less interested people will become, so I thought I’d just share my thoughts on the matter and hopefully start up some discussions.

As I said before in each episode I’ll cover a different topic and since I don’t have much in the way of listeners or promotion, I’m here to spread the word about my podcast. 🙂

You can find my main site on Soundcloud here: https://soundcloud.com/film_focus

Or if you’re on iTunes subscribe and rate me on there: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/film-focus/id1114233892?mt=2

So if you have some spare time on your hands and would like to listen to the ramblings of a passionate/strange man then please check it out, and share it with your friends if you can. Also you have any feedback or if you’d be interested in joining on future episodes be sure to let me know, until next time, laters! 😀

 

Captain America: Civil War Synopsis & Cast Revealed By Marvel Studios

Howdy ladies and gents, time for some film news. Now I know there’s been some pretty big film news floating around the internet recently with the all of the images on the Suicide Squad, Star Wars: The Force Awakens info and images and rumoured info on the upcoming Spider-Man reboot with the potential actors and directors, but I’ve honestly been too lazy to report it. However today there is some news that I can’t ignore and that’s the new info on Captain America: Civil War. The following info comes from superherohype:

“Marvel Studios has commenced principal photography at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta, Georgia on Captain America: Civil War, the third installment of its Super Hero franchise. The production will shoot on location in Atlanta, Georgia, which serves as the base for the film’s production, as well as locations in Germany, Puerto Rico and Iceland.

Set for release in the United States on May 6, 2016, Captain America: Civil War is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo (Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, “Community”) from a screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (Captain America: The Winter Solider, Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger). The film returns Chris Evans as the iconic Super Hero character Steve Rogers/Captain America along with Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon, Paul Bettany as The Vision, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Don Cheadle as Jim Rhodes/War Machine and Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch.

After his debut in Marvel’s Ant-Man on July 17, 2015, Paul Rudd will make his first appearance alongside the Avengers as Scott Lang/Ant-Man in Captain America: Civil War.

The cast of the film also includes Chadwick Boseman (42, Get on Up) as T’Challa/Black Panther, Emily VanCamp (“Revenge”) as Sharon Carter/Agent 13, Daniel Brühl (Inglorious Basterds, Bourne Ultimatum) as Baron Helmut Zemo, Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow/Crossbones, William Hurt (Marvel’s The Incredible Hulk) as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey).

Captain America: Civil War picks up where Avengers: Age of Ultron left off, as Steve Rogers leads the new team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. After another international incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to enlist the services of the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers while they try to protect the world from a new and nefarious villain.

Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War is produced by Marvel Studios’ president, Kevin Feige, with Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Victoria Alonso, Patricia Whitcher, Nate Moore and Stan Lee serving as executive producers.

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo’s creative team also includes director of photography Trent Opaloch (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Elysium), production designer Owen Paterson (Godzilla, The Matrix), and three time Oscar-nominated costume designer Judianna Makovsky (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone).”

To be honest I was already hyped for this film long before Avengers: Age of Ultron came out, but now that it’s filming and we’ve gotten all of these recent announcements my hype levels are actually exploding in my mind. I want this film in my life now. That’s how hyped I am. What I like about this news is two things:

• The cast
• The story details

Firstly that cast, damn! SO MANY PEOPLE, SO MUCH TALENT! In addition to having all of the great characters from Winter Soldier coming back we see The Vision, Hawkeye, War Machine and Scarlet Witch have returned from Age of Ultron too which is just delightful. Anyone that’s seen Age of Ultron knew that these characters were more than likely going to return but it is the fact that they’re confirmed that makes me smile. More Vision, War Machine and Scarlet Witch makes me very happy. Oh and having RDJ back as Tony Stark/Iron Man always makes me smile too. Also seeing Sharon Carter/Agent 13 is a wonderful thing, and getting to see Boseman as Black Panther in full costume is gonna be a delightful feeling for sure. But let’s talk about the bigger news that not only Paul Rudd will return as Ant-Man, but we also have bloody William Hurt back as frigging General Thunderbolt Ross from The Incredible Hulk! What!?! If there’s been one missing link in the MCU is the lack of connections to that Hulk film from 2008, it’s been largely ignored, so to have Hurt back adds to the continuity of this world and I would love to see his interaction with Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner and see what kind of conversations they’ll have or how they acknowledge each other. Oh and finally I’m curious to know what character Martin Freeman will play, some say he’ll be some kind of government official at the center of this war, and in some ways I’m inclined to agree.

And then there’s the plot. Which basically sounds like the superheroes do something bad, the government steps in to control how they operate and this doesn’t bode well for the heroes with some for it and some against it, and then chaos ensues. I like it. It’s a very different, yet familiar take on the Civil War storyline from the comics. I’m just curious to see what this incident is and how it will trigger the government to step and what will be the exact catalyst for the heroes going to war with each other. I have some ideas but I’ll wait until more details arise before I make assumptions.

While Age of Ultron stumbled a bit with its plotlines and use of characters, it was still a very enjoyable and fun film, though I feel like some fans’ trust in Marvel Studios has been shaken. I feel like this film will have to be amazing or people will moan about Marvel’s ability to make good/consistent work. I believe in the Russo brothers, the way they handled Winter Soldier showed me that these are men who know what the deal is having a good relationship with the people at Marvel so they can craft an entertaining film that they want but also what the fans want too. As long as this film handles the cast correctly, sticks to its main story and doesn’t get lost in setting up from future films, it’ll be badass for sure.

So what are the main things I’ve taken away from this news? Well:

1. Vision, Scarlet Witch, War Machine, Ant-Man and General Ross are back, YAY!
2. The story sounds great.
3. Once again General Ross is back, continuity! 😀

So what do you think of this news? Are you more or less hyped than before for it? Please be sure to drop your thoughts in comment section below and I’ll see ya on the next blog post, laters! 😀

 

Avengers: Age of Ultron SPOILER-HEAVY Review/Discussion

Howdy ladies and gentlemen of the internet, if you’re a big comic book fan or film fan in general chances are you would have seen the recent beast of a film by the name of Avengers: Age of Ultron, and if you haven’t yet you should. There is so much going on in this film and that it would be impossible for me to not do a long spoiler-based discussion on the film, so after seeing it three times I believe is it time to talk about it in a great deal of detail. So if you haven’t seen the film read my spoiler-free review, then come back here. Alrighty then for those of you still here, let’s get started.

Now before I get into this I just want to clarify a two things:

1. The following thoughts are just the opinion of an avid film/comic book fan
2. I am not a blind fan boy, if a film has issues I will not pretend like they don’t exist and will bring them to light if necessary

So with that in mind I am going to talk about what worked, what didn’t and what could have been improved (though the latter will technically be attached to what didn’t work because most of those points collide with each other).

What Worked In Age of Ultron

As a Whole, turned out Great

Avengers: Age of Ultron was always going to have a lot going up against it. Firstly it had to out do the first Avengers film which was a pretty damn good film and is regarded to be one of the best comic book films ever. Secondly it also had to fend off the great Phase Two films from 2014; Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy. Thirdly it had to take the already established characters and bring in a new villain and three additional characters. And finally the film had to take several storylines and set up for future films and make it work in one cohesive manner.

In the end I believe Joss Whedon, the writers and everyone involved in this project did a good job at making it work. This film represents everything that you like about the first film, but introduces a lot of new and interesting elements that work very well too. The film moves at a breakneck speed and continues to evolve these characters and the world of the MCU.

Hawkeye

I think the main thing I took away from Age of Ultron the first time and again on my subsequent viewings was how awesome Hawkeye was. After being Loki’s puppet for the majority of the last film, this time round he gets so much love. He has a lot of the best scenes, great dialogue and really is the core of the Avengers team. Even though he is just human with a bow and arrow, he’s aware of his limitations and makes do with the skills that he has. Whether he is making a great speech about the ridiculous nature of battle with Scarlet Witch, chilling with his teammates or talking to himself about taking out Quicksilver, he comes across a totally cool, fun and relatable person, and anyone who has dismissed him before should be pleased with the way he was handled here. Oh and the fact that he had a hidden family stashed away in a farmhouse off the grid was the biggest surprise ever! I thought it was a trick or dream sequence, but it WAS real, totally unexpected and add a big layer or depth to him, he’s not just a fighter, he’s a family man and has something to fight for beyond his teammates.

Character Moments

One of the key elements of this film that I think were better than the previous film was the character interaction and quieter moments between the Avengers team members. As great as the action sequences were, some most entertaining parts involved the characters just talking to each other. For the established characters it was about them just enjoying each other’s company and cracking jokes, but it was also about seeing how far they’ve come and learning more about their insecurities and trust issues (especially after their encounters with Scarlet Witch). Whether it is conversations between Vision and Ultron or watching Tony and Steve debating over different ideals while chopping wood, it is all good stuff. I think the best character moments (besides Vision and Ultron’s conversation near the end of the film) is the relationship between Black Widow and Bruce Banner/Hulk. Both of them are troubled and hurt individuals, they find each other, they flirt with the idea of being together, but in one scene we see how they tragically wouldn’t be able to make things work out. Banner fear’s that the Hulk would still be threat and that he wouldn’t be able to have children, and then Widow drops a bomb; she’s been sterilized so she can’t have children. Damn, that’s some heavy stuff there. Add on top of that the wonderful interaction that Hulk and Widow have on the battlefield and when she used the lullaby to turn the Hulk back to Banner, they are soft and beautiful. Oh and that last scene when Hulk leaves Widow and flies off into the unknown on his own, it’s very special and on top of everything they’ve been through together already, it just adds to drama their characters and their potential relationship.

The Humour

Humour has always been half the fun of a Marvel Studios film and while it hasn’t always worked, in The Avengers it was one of the best parts of the film and here it is no exception. The jokes are witty, quick and work both verbally and physically. Whether it is all of the men trying to pick up Thor’s hammer, Quicksilver getting shot in the arm after the police are told to ceasefire, Ultron referring to Cap’s Vibranium shield as a frisbee, Tony Stark getting giddy over a secret door or Vision picking up Thor’s hammer in a casual manner, there is plenty to make you laugh. The jokes feel a little less forced than some of the previous films and it works because it’s used in the midst of dangerous situations or adds to the character interactions.

Vision

Even though this character is only in the film for a short time, he leaves a very big impression. Vision is a combination of JARVIS and Ultron, but is his own entity and from the time he is introduced he’s very interesting. He’s calm, assertive, intelligent and articulate. There’s something very clean and pure about him, but it is the way interacts with characters that makes him brilliant, whether he’s speaking with the Avengers or talking with Ultron (which are some of the best moments in the film), the guy is just really awesome. It also helps that he pick up and use Thor’s hammer and is a complete badass in battle flying around dismantling robots and shooting head lasers. Paul Bettany should be noted for his lovely performance in this film, Bettany as JARVIS has been one of my favourite minor characters in the MCU films (much like Agent Coulson before he got killed in Avengers) and to see him evolve into a physical being where can interact with the Avengers.

Ultron

While Ultron doesn’t have the same kind of charm, likeability and elegance that Loki has, the guy is clearly the best villain the MCU has had in a while (besides Winter Soldier). Ultron wasn’t just another typical evil villain looking to take over the world, he wanted to purify it by evolving the human race and taking out those who didn’t fit into his grand design of a perfect world. It also helps that he was smart, quite funny, big-headed and could go into a temper tantrum like a child at anytime. Oh and Spader’s voice work, excellent, I really helps elevate a character if the right voice is behind it.

The Ties to the MCU

This is just a small point but I really liked the sense of continuity in this film as it ties in nicely with not only The Avengers but also some of the previous Phase Two films. Seeing the film the first time, I just got so happy at the party seeing not only Rhodey, but also Sam Wilson as well. Both of these guys are some of my favourite side characters and to see them conversing and interacting with characters beyond the solo films is delightful, funny and again adds to the continuity. Also having War Machine coming in and fighting with Iron Man when dispatching the Ultron drones was awesome, those two haven’t been together on-screen since Iron Man 2, so its nice. And of course there’s Thor’s vision about the Infinity Stones/Gems and the mid-end credits scene with Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet which not only ties this film with Captain America 1, Avengers 1, Thor 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy. Oh and with Andy Serkis’ Ulysses Klaw (who was great by the way), we’ve gotten a piece of the puzzle from the upcoming Black Panther which will happen in a few years. SO MUCH REFERENCING!

Action

Straight from the beginning of the film this film straps you in for this action thrill ride and never let’s go. I mean the introduction of the film jumps right into an action sequence which shows not only how well these heroes work individually but also as a unit. It is incredibly well-choreographed and features that awesome slow-mo shot of the team together from the third trailer. Some of the fight sequences feel like they are ripped straight from the pages of the comic books, it’s that accurate. And it is not just the team together that have the best scenes, Thor happens to get a lot of love in this film and has the best fights I’ve seen him in since Avengers 1, possibly even Thor 1. Also Captain America’s strength from Winter Soldier has carried over to this film and its put to good use. It seems like Cap and Thor have a good connection as they seem to seem up a lot and do cool combo attacks too. Everyone has their moments to shine, Black Widow is cool, Hulk is a beast, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are lovely, and the list goes on. I have to say one of my favourite moments was seeing Iron Man, Thor and Vision are striking Ultron down together, it was pure badassery. Though, I believe the slow motion battle sequence where the Avengers defend that one spot against the Ultron drones has to be the best in the entire film. The way it is crafted is done with such care, style, beauty and it is pure fan service to the fans.

What Didn’t Work/What Could Have Been Improved

A Bit Too Much Going On

I think this has been the main point/problem with Avengers: Age of Ultron, that there is just a bit too much going on. I have to say on your first viewing the film it can be a bit overwhelming. There are a great deal of plots to follow with the Twins, Ultron, Ulysses Klaw and the Vibranium, Black Widow and Bruce Banner’s relationship, Thor’s quest to learn about the Infinity Stones, the creation of Vision, etc… It can be a bit much and since there will be specific stories you get invested in you will either end up get engaged only to switch to something else or get stuck with something that doesn’t interest you or have a piece of story that feels like it detracts from the main narrative. While Joss Whedon did well to balance out all this ambitious amount stories and didn’t make a complete mess of things like Spider-Man 3, Iron Man 2 or The Amazing Spider-Man, the film has clearly suffered from an oversized plot which needed to be much more straightforward. If certain characters were removed and things were streamlined then the film would have flowed a lot better, though personally I wouldn’t know what to take out because I liked everything for the most part.

Time Devoted to the Twins

I really liked the inclusion of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, they added a lot of interesting elements to the film with their powers, close sibling relationship and their reasoning for joining Ultron and then later converting to the side of the Avengers. That being said at the same time, if handled differently they could have been removed and it would have given more screen time to other characters or helped streamline the plot. It kind of feels like they’re around just to show off their powers and eventually join the other heroes. I wish there had been more screen time given to their characters to see more of their close bond, maybe see flashbacks when they were children or when they were being experimented on by Strucker or using their powers for the first time. Just small things like that would have helped.

Ultron’s Evolution

With Ultron I was hoping to see more of how he came into being, saw the world, grew to see its problems and then decide that things needed to change and turn evil. The jump from his creation to him having a plan to take out the Avengers and make humanity evolve or be destroyed was pretty damn quick and I believe a little more time spent with him, giving him some more development and screen time would have done wonders. Also I wanted to mention his physical transformation, I was hoping to see more of a gradual transformation and more bodies, maybe even see him take one body and get morphed/upgraded in a machine, but no, we go from one body to the next pretty swiftly which was a little disheartening.

Action Sequences

As much as I loved the action in this film which was gorgeous and kick ass, at the same time this time it felt like it had a little less “wow” factor to it. I’m not the only one to say this, some other have mentioned that the action this time round, while really good, there wasn’t as many memorable scenes/sequences as the first Avengers or like Winter Soldier where there was a lot of cool hand to hand combat which blew my mind. And while the action is usually very clean, wonderfully framed and pretty, the CGI looked a little inconsistent, some of the action was done with a few too many quick cuts and sometimes the shots seemed a bit too zoomed in, but that’s nitpicking for sure.

Repetition From Avengers

One of the other major complaints that’s come from this film is that it rehashes a lot of elements from the last film, mainly the final act where the Avengers go up against a villain with an army. Just switch the Chitauri with robots and the final fight is almost exactly the same. I give this film credit for raising the stakes and creating a more life-threatening situation with Ultron taking a piece of the earth and using it like a meteor to crush the rest of the world below. But besides that it is essentially the Avengers, trying to save civilians and fighting an army.

No Big Continuity Related to Iron Man 3 and Thor 2

I think this was something that a good few fans and critics brought up around the time the film was released early to the press and here in the UK. Winter Soldier is clearly the most referenced film in Phase Two with its use of Falcon, the mentions of the hunt for Bucky and Baron Strucker saying he worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. when Cap said he worked for Hydra. But beyond that Iron Man 3 continuity feels non-existent, besides having Rhodey around, there is nothing to be found about the film, no mention of Tony’s anxiety attacks or why he started building suits again after he blew most of them up and had no lab to work in. And Thor’s last film feels invisible, besides seeing the Aether in his vision and a mentioning of Jane and the convergence, his film feels like it has had little consequence going ahead in this film.

Other Notable Points

There are just a few other things I wanted to mention like:

1. Baron Von Strucker: When I saw Strucker at the end of Winter Soldier I thought he would have a substantial role in this film, and while he was fine and the same time I thought he was incredibly underutilized and could have been featured more many in some flashbacks or addition scenes with the twins.
2. Doing More With Scarlet Witches Visions: Besides what was done with Tony Stark and Black Widow, the other members of the team members’ visions weren’t that damaging or extreme. Widow relived the dark days of her past and Stark saw his worst fear, those scenes were handled well. But I wish we’d seen a little more and done things that were psychologically more damaging for the team.

In conclusion Avengers: Age of Ultron is a bloody good follow-up to avengers and while it didn’t turn out like a lot of people had hoped, when you think about it could have turned out a lot worse. The first Avengers film came out at a time when comic book films were really starting to become a big deal, but they were not as frequent or as popular as they are now. The MCU was also very different too, The Avengers was the first of its kind as since then, the world has expanded and there is more characters populating it, and since the MCU is all connected there is a certain expectation from the fans to see how one film affects another. Age of Ultron does suffer from being part of a larger world and with the multiple plot points things can get a little messy. That being said, again this film is still a good time, it is hilarious, action-packed, full of fan service and character development and the most important fact is that it is fun. The film is entertaining and at the end of the day that is all you need a film to be right?

So what did you think of Avengers: Age of Ultron? Is it the film you hoped for or not? And do you agree with any of my points or not? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to leave them below and I’ll see ya on the next blog post yo! 😀

 

My Top 10 Films of 2014

Howdy people of the internet, the year is pretty much done and all major films that’s come out have come and gone, with all that being said I think it’s about time that I give you my top 10 list of my favourite films of 2014. Now before I get into this list I have to explain a few things:

1. As per-usual I DO NOT include 2013 films that got released in 2014 here in the UK, and what I mean by that is films like: The Wolf of Wall Street, 12 Years A Slave, Fruitvale Station, those were originally released in 2013 in the US and for me they don’t count. I only list films that are new and were released between the start and end of this year.
2. The following films are listed as such because I had a good time with them but I also tried to categorize them in terms of fun,  surprise and re-watch value.
3. This list was hella hard to construct because I find it hard to stack certain films on top others when some are clearly better than others, but since it is personal enjoyment it really changes things up.

With all that in mind let’s begin shall we?

10. The Imitation Game

The last entry on this list was hard because before my final choice there were at least three other films occupying this space, but once I thought about it I found The Imitation Game deserves a spot on this top 10. This was a film I expected to be good however it really surprised me how good it was with a very intriguing story about one man’s goal to help win WWII by cracking an uncrackable Nazi code with a computer, but more so than that, it about a man struggling with his identity in a time when he wouldn’t be accepted for who he really was. And with an incredible performance from my man, Benedict Cumberbatch, it was a great piece of film to watch.

9. Edge of Tomorrow

I feel bad about Edge of Tomorrow, it is a film I keep forgetting came out this year because it was released in a very specific window of time around Godzilla and X-Men: Days of Future Past, so it sort of slipped under the radar. But make no mistake I like this film, in fact, I REALLY liked. The best thing about this film was the way it surprised me with how fun and awesome it was. I mean the trailer for the film looked so shit and I seriously thought the film was gonna be crap from the way it was marketed, but man I was so wrong. This film’s main aspect was the repetition of going through the same day over and over, however it was handled in such a smart, action-packed and humourous way and with awesome performances from Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt and Bill Paxton, it was a good time.

8. Godzilla

Now I can see a lot of people getting on my case about this choice as Godzilla wasn’t everyone’s favourite film and putting above the previous entries will probably annoy some people. But screw it, I don’t care. This film I saw three times in the cinema and had a great experience each time. This was the reboot I wanted and while it had its problems for sure, I will never be able to get over how good the film made me feel with the great visual effects, monster fights, soundtrack and cinematography.

7. How To Train Your Dragon 2

I think that this is the first film on the list to give me the feels yo (for those who don’t know what that means, it means: A wave of emotions that sometimes cannot be adequately explained). How To Train Your Dragon 2 was a terrific sequel to the 2010 original which pretty much improved the first film in every way possible. The story was deeper, the visuals were detailed, the music was incredible and the characters were so wonderful. Overall the film just gave me an emotional feelings that I haven’t felt in an animated film for a while.

6. X-Men: Days of Future Past

Ah X-Men: Day of Future Past, you lovely film you. This was the film I was really hoping would be good because it could have been a train wreck, but it ended up being one of my favourite experiences in the cinema. This film had some great action, a cool time travel story and an incredible cast of past and present characters. Bryan Singer not only continued the good string of X-Men films but he CORRECTED THE FRIGGING TIME AND ERASED X-MEN 3 AND X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE FROM EXISTENCE! BEST. THING. EVER. It really does annoy me that this film escaped the top 5, however I believe that the next films honestly just beat it out of the higher half of this list.

5. Nightcrawler

Okay now we’re into the meaty half of the list and here we have a film that I had no expectation for and it ended up being on one of my favourite films of the year. Nightcrawler is one of the most impressive films I have seen in a while as it deals with a subject matter that is very close to life; news reporting. Through a determined yet unsettling main character Lou Bloom, we get to see the inner workings of how news is filmed and presented and the dodgy dealings that go on behind the scenes. The film is disturbing and makes you question the morals and ethics of that line of work and thanks to an epic performance from Jake Gyllenhaal, it was a film I had to watch twice.

4. Guardians of the Galaxy

Oh yes, Guardians of the Friggin’ Galaxy! This was a film I was hyped for, but didn’t know whether it would turn out to be good or not because it was an unknown Marvel comic book property when compared to its previous films. However Marvel Studios proved that they can pretty make anything work as this was not only one of the best comic book films in recent history but also one of the best sci-fi films for quite some time. It also helped that the soundtrack was amazing, the cast were incredible and the humour was on-point throughout.

3. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

This is a film that I think deserved that spot especially after seeing it the second time. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is such a great film, it takes the foundation of the first film and expands upon it in a great and unique way. This was the film where the apes were the focus, it was not only about Caesar but also about Koba too and their relationship. The film was very dark, emotional and tension-filled throughout with awesome performances and incredible visual effects.

2. Gone Girl

Man, Gone Girl, what a great film. This was almost number one, however I really would have needed to see this film a second time to know if I loved it to the highest degree. That being said this was a film that loads of people were talking about before it was released and then I saw it, and then I believed in the hype. I don’t know how this film compared to book, however as a film I thought it was incredibly thought-provoking, full of tension and had so many unexpected twists and turns. Ben Affleck gave a great performance but I think it was Rosamund Pike that really surprised me with her incredible performance for sure.

1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

It was a close call between this film and Gone Girl, however in the end I think I always knew that Captain America: The Winter Soldier would end up being my number one. When considering my first experience with the film, how many times I’ve seen it and how much fun I had with it, I just had to put it as my number one. Cap 2 pretty much outdone the original in every way possible and was the first film since The Avengers that’s truly changed the game for the Marvel Cinematic Universe with its story and genre-focused adventure. Add on top of that great characters, an amazing story, some of the most impressive action sequences and hand-to-hand combat that would make your mind explode, this was one of the best comic book films to come out, ever.

Conclusion

In the end 2014, its had its ups and downs but I do believe that its been a WAY better yeah than 2013. The good films were awesome and made me feel super happy and satisfied with my time at the cinema. With 2015 on the horizon I can’t wait for Avengers: Age of Ultron, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Spectre, Jurassic World and Tomorrowland among some of the major films I’m interested in, I cannot wait to see how it turns out.

So how do you feel about my list and are any of your favourites on here? Also do you feel like some of these entries are wrong? And just in general what were you favourite films of 2014? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to leave them below and I’ll see ya on the next blog post, laters! 😀

 

My Top 5 Films of 2014 So Far.

Howdy ladies and gentlemen, we’ve passed the halfway point of the year already and June’s pretty much over but on this last day I would like to give you my picks of the top 5 films I have enjoyed the most so far. Now I normally do this around mid-June however a combination of moving back home and laziness have contributed to this late blog post. So with that in mind let’s start.., But before that, HONORABLE MENTIONS!

Here is a few films that I saw this year that just missed the list but are still worth mentioning:

• Lone Survivor (one of the best war films I have seen in years with great acting, incredible action, cinematography and sound design)
• The Lego Movie (one of the most creative, funny and kick ass animated films with kick ass humour, action and amazing voice performances from the cast involved)
• Edge of Tomorrow (the biggest surprise of 2014 so far, this is an interesting, humourous, dramatic and action-packed sci-fi film with awesome performances from Emily Blunt and Tom Cruise

Remember 2013 films released this year DON’T COUNT! So with that out of the way here are my favourite films from 2014, IN REVERSE ORDER!

5. THE RAID 2: BERANDAL

So yeah this one is at an interesting place in the list. Check it, I really liked The Raid: Redemption, it was some filthy martial arts action in a confined location and had some of my favourite kills in any film ever. But I felt like it wasn’t quite enough to blow me away. So in comes the sequel and it pretty much outdoes its predecessor in every way. The story is much denser and more complex, the fight choreography is even more chaotic and complex than before and the cinematography was lovely throughout. Some people will probably say that this film should be much higher on the list, but for me there were a few nitpicks. I felt like there was a bit too much going on in the story department, some of the fight scenes went on a little longer than I would have liked and the overall length of the film I felt could have been shorter. But all that said I REALLY liked this film and it is one that any fan of martial arts or action films in general should check out.

4. 22 JUMP STREET

Now 21 Jump Street was a surprisingly fun film and in the sea of horrible comedy films I’ve had to sit through in recent years this was one I liked, so I was looking forward to the sequel but was also cautious because I didn’t want to be disappointed. Luckily 22 Jump Street was badass and pretty much exceeded any expectations had for it as it was the funniest film I’ve seen in AGES. Phil Lord and Chris Miller do the impossible and create one of the most, if not the most funny comedy sequels ever. The film is self-aware, repeats many of the plot elements from the previous film and yet is still ridiculously funny thanks to the script and brilliant acting from Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill and an especially awesome Ice Cube.

3. GODZILLA

This is probably where things are gonna get a bit more controversial, but I don’t care, bring the fire people! For me, Gareth Edwards’ new interpretation of Godzilla is pretty kick ass and considering all of the things that could have gone wrong with this film, the end result is bloody impressive. There is a story that feels big and moves across several locations, we also get treated to a cast of characters who are relevant to the plot and we also get monsters, but the one thing this film gets right more so than anything else in the presentation. The CGI was super impressive and seeing Godzilla fighting 2 other monsters was SO awesome and this film also features one of the most badass kills in any film ever. Now sure there are problems like: a strong start for the story but never stays that consistent, too much teasing for the monster fights, not so interesting human characters and the death of Bryan Cranston early on in the film. But all that aside, for all the haters of this film, just remember this… Godzilla (2014) is FAR better than the 1998 Roland Emmerich version. would you rather have that film as your only western adaptation of Godzilla again? Thought not.

2. X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

Honestly if you had told me that X-Men: DOFP would be totally badass, I would have looked at you and said “Are you sure?” Believe me, I saw the trailers and really liked them, but since Bryan Singer hadn’t made a good film since X-Men 2 I was worried for this next instalment. Fortunately my worries were misplaced as the film was SO good and it was like a love letter to fans of the film series and comics. It bridged the gap between the newer and older films and united a massive cast of actors and actresses in one place. There was so much to love about the film from like the action set-pieces, references to comics, visual style and direction, darker and more mature tone and the film’s great sense of humour. But the best thing about the film was the fact that it pretty much fixed the X-Men film timeline by creating a new reality that destroyed the previous one (take that X-Men 3!). For some this is the best comic book film of the year, but for me there is still one that is rises above.

1. CAPTAIN AMERICA 2: THE WINTER SOLDIER

For the people who know me I’d have to ask you, “Was there any doubt in your mind?” I only got to see this film twice, but it still left a massive impression on me. The reason why Captain America: TWS is still my favourite film of 2014 is because it was everything I wanted and then some and considering how plain the first film was, this sequel was a massive surprise for a lot of people. This was a genre-specific film (political thriller mixed in with action) and it did many things that no one expected, in particular re-introducing Hydra and breaking the  secret organization known as SHIELD. What we were given by Marvel Studios was a comic book film which was smart, quick in pace and had lovely character moments too. Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson pretty much perfected the roles they’ve been playing for a while now and Robert Redford, Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan did such a great job in their roles as well. I don’t think anyone expected a Captain America sequel to be so good, but it pretty much was the best effort from Marvel since The Avengers and some believe to be even better than that.

Well that’s my favourite films of 2014 so far. It has been a good year from what I’ve experienced and I’m having a much better time than I ever did this time last year. So what do you think of my choices? Do you like them or hate them? And what are your picks for th year so far? I’d love to read them so comment below and let me know. Until next people, laters! 😀

 

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. “Turn, Turn, Turn” Review

Howdy ladies and gents of the interweb, time for my review of episode 17 of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. entitled “Turn, Turn, Turn“. Okay so after a good returning episode last week, we finally have the episode that ties into Captain America: The Winter Soldier and obviously if you have seen the film recently, then you know that the actions of that film have ramifications that should effect this show too. So how has this week’s episode fared? Read on and find out. Spoilers to follow yo!

As usual in these reviews I’m just gonna present the plot and then say what I liked and what I didn’t like. Cool? Okay let’s keep going.

The Plot

Coulson and his team find themselves without anyone they can trust, only to discover that they are trapped with a traitor in their midst.

What I Liked

Damn, this was some good stuff. This episode featured a lot of tension, character development and good story details with genuine twists that some wouldn’t see coming. While this isn’t my favourite episode, that would still be “T.R.A.C.K.S.” for me, however I would say that “Turn, Turn, Turn” is the best episode of the series so far.

So since a lot of stuff went down in this episode I’m just gonna go through a few highlights below:

• Coulson Don’t Trust No Man: Poor Coulson, this guy is in freak out mode. Not only does he think that May is a traitor to his team (and he totally treats her like a criminal), but he then starts to suspect that Fitz and Simmons are possible people under suspicion too.
• Hydra Lives Within S.H.I.E.L.D.: So just like in The Winter Soldier, Hydra decides to come out of the shadows and become known within S.H.I.E.L.D. which obviously causes confusion and fear within the our team and makes you look at everyone at the Hub like they’re all dodgy. It made for some tension and moments of uncertainty.
• Victoria Hand Is Bad… But Then She Isn’t?: So at the end of “End of the Beginning” it looked like Hand was the bad guy and wanted Coulson and his team dead. Even in this episode she looked like she was part of Hydra, spouting all that talk of join Hydra or die to Agents Simmons and Triplett. But in the end she was just undercover, she was one of the good guys after all. Colour me surprised. I seriously thought she was Hydra, but I am kind of happy to know that she was good, it was a cool switch around from the writers.
• Melinda May Still Shines Under Pressure: Poor May. Since the beginning she’s been my favourite character because of her kick ass martial arts skills, mysterious past and silent but dangerous nature. She’s gotten better and better with time. So it pains me to see her under suspicion from Coulson, that being said, with her reporting to Nick Fury on that private line on the Bus, Coulson has every reason to not trust her. The fact that she not only knew about Coulson’s recovery, but been reporting to Fury from the beginning and assembled the team instead of it being Coulson was an insane revelation.
• Agent Garrett is Actually The Clairvoyant?: So this was again a bit of a surprise. My man Garrett, who I’d really gotten to like in the short time he has been part of the show is actually one of the bad guys. To be honest I should have suspected it, but I did like how his character has gone from being a cool recurring SHIELD agent to a pretty important bad guy. Now while Coulson accused him of being the Clairvoyant, he didn’t say that he specifically was, so there may be a chance that he’s just an accomplice working for the real man in charge. But hey I guess we’ll see in episodes to come.
• Agent Ward is Dodgy After All!: This was the real game-changer. I know that Ward was under suspicion last episode, but I thought that he was too plain and nice to be a bad guy. But damn I was so wrong. Ward you cheeky bastard, you hid in plain sight, acted all boring, got some creditability in the last few episodes and now you’re a bad guy? You shoot two agents and Victor Hand, and you’re working for Garrett? You punk. But hell this makes for some really good story material. I can’t wait for Coulson and the team to find out and see how this affects Coulson and Skye especially (Coulson totally gonna feel like a fool for focusing his hate on May when it should have been directed over at Ward yo).

What I Disliked

Now for what I didn’t like and while my problems with the episode were minor at best it is still worth talking about. Firstly this episode was meant to tie-in with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and while it did just that, I was hoping for more than just the Hydra infiltration and a small mentioning of Nick Fury’s [apparent] death and S.H.I.E.L.D. falling apart. Also I was a bit confused about the timing of this episode and where it takes place in relation to The Winter Soldier. I think because this episode took place right after the last took, the events of this episode must have taken place during the night when Cap and Black Widow discovered Arnim Zola, then recruited Falcon, then took Hydra and Cap destroyed the Helicarriers. Outside of those nitpicks it was a great episode.

Conclusion

In conclusion “Turn, Turn, Turn” is probably the best episode of the series, it involves a lot detailed story elements from both the recent Captain America film and this TV series with many twists and turns. While I expected a bit more ties to The Winter Soldier film, the episode was definitely smart and thrilling and shows us that AoS has evolved since its inception into a good TV which long-term fans are getting the best out of.

Rating: 8.5/10 (The smartest, most thought-provoking episode yet)

So what did you think of “Turn, Turn, Turn“? Whatever your thoughts drop them in the comments below and I’ll see ya again for episode 18! 😀

 

LATE NEWS: Captain America 3 Release To Against Batman vs. Superman in 2016!

Good day to you ladies and gents, sorry I’ve been MIA for a while but I’ve gone back home for the week and my computer is in the repair shop, so basically my blogging powers have been kind of grounded. HOWEVER… I’m not completely down and out. So today I’ll be talking about several news stories that broke over the last few days. The following info comes from superherohype:

“Following a rumor that was ignited last month, Marvel has confirmed this morning that Captain America 3 will officially debut in theaters on May 6, 2016 where it will face off against Warner Bros.’ Man of Steel follow-up, Batman vs. Superman. The second “Captain America” film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier debuted this past weekend to a new April opening record with $96.2 million.

“The Winter Soldier” directors Anthony and Joe Russo are set to return to helm the third film along with screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who have penned both previous “Captain America” films.

Before debuting in his third solo film, Chris Evans will return as Captain America in Avengers: Age of Ultron, which hits theaters on May 1, 2015.”

Now this has been talked about a lot for a while now but it seems like Marvel are literally sticking their feet firmly to the ground by announcing this release date for their third Captain America film… And so the great stand-off begins. Now check it out, before Captain America: The Winter Soldier came out I would have told Marvel to shift from their 2016 release date because Batman Vs. Superman is much bigger film, it has legions of fans who have waited for this film for DECADES and it would just be bad timing for both films and the studios wouldn’t make as much profit as they would if these two films weren’t competing on the same day. That being said, after I saw The Winter Soldier and LOVE IT, my assessment of this situation has changed a great deal. Marvel Studios got the release date slot first, they also have a great track record of films behind them and after this film I am pretty sure there will be fans who will want to see what Cap is doing in his third solo film. What do DC and Warner Bros. have? One film, that has a constantly expanding cast, that is supposed to be a Man of Steel sequel is looking more like a Justice League film and has a lot to lose if the film fails whereas Marvel Studios can take a hit, recover and make another two or three films and keep moving.

Basically Marvel have nothing to fear regardless of the hype and potential of BvS because they have fan support in massive numbers and their confidence shows that they’ve got balls. If Warner Bros. and DC don’t move then we’ll have our first superhero film stand-off, two film competing against each other for your money. For me I’ll see both regardless because I’m not fussed, at the end of the day if both films end up being good then I’m all over it. However I really wonder what’s going on over at Warner Bros. and DC, will they move or will they stay on target?

 

It’s My Birthday And I’l Do What I Want To! :D

Good day to you ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another causal blog post and today’s one is a bit special as it is my birthday again, so what better time is there to do blogging again? The answer of course is none haha.

Indeed it is the day of my birthday and want to spread the joy of the occasion, yes even on my blog.

So yeah it is March 30th, a day I’m always looking forward to, but always seems to sneak up on me. In recent years I have looked forward to my birthday for at least 6 months, but when it is upon me it always feels bizarre and completely surreal. Like it shouldn’t be real. But of course I eventually get the groove and it feels like a good time.

Now recently I have had a lot of random and annoying shit to deal with, my dissertation at uni is changing constantly and becoming harder and harder to write, my laptop had just recently got repaired just for the network adaptor to stop working randomly and for some reason life has just been kind of dull in general. So when it comes today I’m just saying “Fuck it.” Its my time and I think Cartman from South Park summed it up pretty well in this video below:

So what have I been up to today? Well besides being flooded with birthday messages on Facebook which is always a good feeling. I entered my birthday at midnight playing games with my mates, then got some garlic bread from the takeaway and watched some of my favourite episodes of Regular Show. I have also been walking around town and stuff and the music selection on my phone has been very good with some great choices from some of my favourite artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jamiroquai, AFI, Manic Street Preachers, Deadmau5, Crush 40 and an assortment of songs from Sonic games. 🙂

But the highlight of my day has to be when I went to the cinema to see Captain America: The Winter Soldier again. I already reviewed the film earlier on this week and I haven’t been able to get over how good the film is. Seeing it again has not only gotten me so hyped for seeing the film again, but also for the future of Marvel Studios and what They are gonna do with Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Age of Ultron. In addition to seeing the awesome film, the film screen I was in pretty much showed all the trailers for my most anticipated films of the year which are Godzilla, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy. If any of these films deliver what their trailers give us or are at least as good or better than The Winter Soldier then this is gonna be a glorious summer for films.

If you haven’t seen this film yet go out and do it now, it’s really good! 😀

At this current moment I’m just blogging on a PC quickly at uni, but soon I’ve venture back outside to go collect a free cookie, a free cupcake and possibly a sandwich from Subway. Then tonight I think I’ll have a filthy film session because I have plenty of films to watch and why not do it on the best of days, my birthday. XD

Anyways just wanted to share my birthday experience with you all so far and here’s hoping it continues to be badass into the night. Until next time people, later on yo 😀

 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier Review

Good day to all who may be reading this blow, today is an important day I’m finally able to review Captain America: The Winter Soldier! I have waited for AGES for this film and avoiding spoilers has been a frigging mission for me. But after all the waiting I finally saw it yesterday and I’m ready to share my thoughts. So how did the film fare? Read on and find out!

Set after the events of The Avengers, Steve Rogers/Captain America is trying to adjust to the modern world and while working for S.H.I.E.L.D. he starts to realize that there is a lot of secrets and complications hat come with working for an organization that has so many secrets. Soon a  new enemy emerges known as the Winter Soldier and it require not only Cap, but the help of Black Widow and newcomer Falcon to join in and help.

I thought the story was great, it was action-packed, dramatic, dense, thrilling and complex. There is so much to love in the film like:

• Steve Rogers trying to adjust to the modern world
• The secrets and deceit of S.H.I.E.L.D.
• The introduction of the Winter Soldier
• Getting to know more about Black Widow
• How this film not only links to the past of Captain America but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general

One of the great things about the film is that it doesn’t feel like a typical superhero flick, it feels like a mix between a thriller and a your usual comic book material. If you know of films in the political and spy thriller genres then you’ll totally see elements borrowed from that here and it is used to great effect. The story emphasizes the themes of trust and the price of freedom, plus since this film is all about secrets and lies nothing is black and white, just loads of grey. The Russo brothers do a great job with this film’s direction, it seems like they have a good idea of what Captain America is, how to handle him in film and change things up while giving the fans what they want.

Oh and by the way, there are things in this film that basically change the whole of the Marvel Cinematic Universe forever. I can’t say what they are, but when you see this film, you’ll be looking at everything in a totally different light and will be trying to wrap your head around things for ages after the film ends.

When it comes to the cast they are all really good and there really isn’t any weak links. So let’s start with Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, honestly Cap has gone from being one of the most bland superheroes to being one of the coolest. Evans embodies the character so well now as he feels cool, serious, yet vulnerable and emotionally versatile, the guy really gets to spread his wings and shows off why he’s a badass seeing more of his strength and combat skills in a way unseen before now. Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow is also very good in the film, we get to learn more about her, see more layers get stripped away and see more of her personality too. Johansson really does well as this character and I would love to see her continue in this role for a while longer. In addition to that Johansson and Evans have such a great screen chemistry as Cap and Widow whether it humour-based or action related.

And then there’s Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier, oh how I loved him. This villain here is cold, merciless, scary and relentless, he’s like the frigging Terminator and had an intimidating and screen-dominating presence. And Stan just does such a great job as the character, he’s stepped into this role so well and I he’s just awesome. Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon is an awesome new addition to the MCU. Wilson is cool, funny and capable action man, he’s not just thrown into the film, he is key to the plot and has some cool key scenes. Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce is simply amazing. I knew that he’d be awesome after I watched All Is Lost, but here is great because his character has a lot to do with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the main plot and he was really awesome. And then there’s Samuel L. Jackson who is still killing it as Nick Fury. In this film we get to see more of Fury emotionally and see how he fits into the world of lies and deceit that S.H.I.E.L.D. have created. Jackson is still cool and badass as hell and he has such a good handle on the character that it would be hard to see another person do the ultimate version of the character.

And the there’s all the other people that show up in the film and even if they’re only around for a little while, they still have relevance. Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill was cool, Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow was intense and smooth and Emily VanCamp as Agent 13 did a good job in her role too. By the way there is a cameo of a character that is from a certain TV show, I won’t say who it is but when you see him you’ll know and for me it was a great moment.

As for the presentation MY GOD it is GORGEOUS! Honestly this might be the best presentation of the Marvel Studios films just behind Avengers. The action sequences and scenes are done with such precision, scope and style that you’ll be hard-pressed to fight something you didn’t like. There are fights in the sky and on the ground and it is a mixture of hand-to-hand combat, gunfights, car chases and so much more. The best part for me what the fight scenes, they were some of the sexiest fight choreography I have seen in years, i was tight, well-down, hard-hitting and SO cool to watch. Also the CGI in this film is very clean and works well to give us some of these larger-than-life set pieces. The soundtrack by Henry Jackman is also very good and in my opinion is better one then Alan Silvestri’s score for The First Avenger. While this film doesn’t have any stand-out themes, the music just amps up the action, drama and tension and it just felt so good in addition to what was going happening on-screen. And seeing this come together on a massive IMAX screen just made it SO much better. 😀

In conclusion Captain America: The Winter Soldier just night be the best Marvel film yet! The direction, story, characters and action is simply incredible and this film really does change the game for future comic book films. Forget Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, this is the best Phase Two film and possibly the best film from Marvel Studios. 2014 films have finally gotten awesome and The Winter Soldier sets the bar really high for future films. Do yourself a favor and check this film out, it is mint.

Rating: 9/10 (Another win for Marvel with a kick ass action-based thriller)

So what did you think of Captain America: The Winter Soldier? Have you seen it or are you gonna see it? And how do you think it stacks up against the previous Marvel Studios films? Whatever your thoughts are drop in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next film review yo! 😀

 

ABC to Air Sneak Peek at Avengers: Age of Ultron!

Good evening ladies and gents, it is time for me to deliver some film news once again. It seems like Marvel Studios is never too far away from the world of film news with their previous and upcoming work and now it seems like we’re going to see even more from them in the future through the power of television. The following info comes from superherohype:

“ABC and Marvel Entertainment have announced a special behind-the-scenes look at the company in a new one-hour special titled Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe, which will air next month on the network. In addition to new footage from upcoming episodes of their TV series “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” the special will also show off new footage from the upcoming films Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the highly-anticipated Avengers: Age of Ultron. Here’s the full press release:

Join stars from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, celebrity fans, filmmakers and pop culture icons for a world premiere primetime event, “Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe,” on Tuesday, March 18 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Marvel Studios has pioneered and broken box-office records around the world, creating a cinematic universe unlike any other in pop culture history through its blockbuster films. Beginning with “Iron Man” in 2008 and continuing today through “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” on ABC and the theatrical release of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” this April, the Marvel Cinematic Universe presents audiences with some of the most groundbreaking and dynamic storytelling that brings an unprecedented vision to the world of entertainment.

In this exclusive primetime documentary special, audiences will be taken further into the Marvel Cinematic Universe than ever before, offering viewers a front row seat to the inception of Marvel Studios, the record-breaking films, the cultural phenomenon, and further expansion of the universe by Marvel Television.

Marvel’s first television special documents the exciting story behind Marvel Studios and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, featuring exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes footage from all of the Marvel films, the Marvel One-Shots and “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” Viewers will walk a clear path through this amazing and nuanced universe, featuring sneak peeks at the future of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” on ABC, new footage from Marvel Studios’ upcoming theatrical releases, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and “Guardians of The Galaxy,” and a sneak peek at the upcoming Marvel’s “The Avengers: Age of Ultron.”“

Well this sounds awesome, only one problem… I’m not in the US! It is great for ABC to air this super fancy documentary in their native homeland, but where does that leave the rest of the world? Does that mean that we’ll eventually see aired on one of our TV networks in the UK or wherever everyone else is or will we just be left in the dark and have to read about it online? That’s my only concern about this news, that people outside of America won’t be able to see the documentary.

Beyond that, this sounds really interesting. I’d be really curious to see how Marvel Studios started and how they formed their ideas for the cinematic universe that they have crafted. I mean I’ve read all about on Wikipedia and many other websites and verbal interviews, but I would like to see the documentary to shed light on the places where the magic happens and give us some cool behind-the-scenes looks at their old, current and future projects. I’m really curious to know what they’ll show of Avengers 2 considering that production only just started a little while ago. As for Cap 2 and GotG I want it all now, show me everything! Haha. Okay maybe not everything, ESPECIALLY if it is spoiler-based, but I will be intrigued about those two films.