IRON MAN – Cinefantastique

IRON MAN 3: CFQ Spotlight Podcast 4:18.1

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Dan Persons

Robert Downey Jr. casts an acidic glance on superheroics in IRON MAN 3.

It’s felled the likes of Superman, Batman, Spider-Man and the X-Men. It’s a more daunting foe than Lex Luthor, Bane, and Magneto combined. It is, of course, the third installment of a superhero franchise, and now it’s time for comicdom’s snarkiest hero to face the figurative music in IRON MAN 3. With Robert Downey Jr, Don Cheadle, and Gwyneth Paltrow returning to their roles as, respectively, Tony Stark/Iron Man, James Rhodes/War Machine (here redubbed Iron Patriot), and Pepper Potts/Pepper Potts (somebody’s gotta stay in civvies), plus Ben Kingsley donning a bin Laden beard and a Hugo Weaving/Agent Smith drawl as the politically-incorrect terrorist the Mandarin, and with direction by pop-ironist Shane Black, can this third go for the power-assisted crime fighter break film’s most notorious curse? Turns out Cinefanatastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons form a decidedly mixed jury on that front, differing on whether IM3 is one of the best comic book films to come around in a while, is just solid if undistinguished entertainment, or is an affront to all right-thinking fans of Marvel’s steeliest superhero. The conflict will be resolved with a massive, twenty minute fight scene, heavily enhanced with CG. (No it won’t.)
Plus: What’s coming to theaters next week.

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'The Avengers' — Official Trailer

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Tom Powers

Press Release:
Joss Whedon brings together the ultimate team of superheroes in the first official trailer for Marvel’s The THE AVENGERS — out Summer 2012

When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as SHIELD, finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.
The Avengers continues the epic big-screen adventures started in “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor” and “Captain America: The First Avenger”. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since.
Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble in summer 2012.

Avengers Assemble—Promo Art

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Tom Powers

Here’s three pieces of promotional artwork for Marvel Sudios/Disney’s THE AVENGERS.

The artworks shows Captain America in a cowl with his ears showing, production photos have shown Cap (Chris Evans) in a masked helmet not unlike his recent WWII outfit, and maskless, fighting beside Thor (Chis Hemsworth).

: Click to Enlarge

'The Avengers' Begins Production

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Tom Powers

From Marvel Studios’ Press Release:

Empty Chaires, meant for Heroes

Production has commenced today in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Marvel Studios’ highly anticipated movie “Marvel’s The Avengers,” directed by Joss Whedon (“Serenity”) from a screenplay by Whedon. The film will continue principal photography in Cleveland, Ohio and New York City.
Robert Downey, Jr. (“Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2”) returns as the iconic Tony Stark/Iron Man along with Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”) as Thor, Chris Evans (“Captain America: The First Avenger”) as Captain America, Jeremy Renner (“Thor,” “The Hurt Locker”) as Hawkeye, Mark Ruffalo (“The Kids Are Alright”) as Hulk, Scarlett Johansson (“Iron Man 2”) as Black Widow, Clark Gregg (“Iron Man,” “Thor”) as Agent Phil Coulson, and Samuel L. Jackson (“Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2”) as Nick Fury.
Set for release in the US on May 4, 2012, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is the first feature to be fully owned, marketed and distributed by Disney, which acquired Marvel in 2009.
Continuing the epic big-screen adventures started in “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor,” and “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Marvel’s The Avengers” is the super hero team up of a lifetime. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster.
Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1963, “Marvel’s The Avengers” brings together the mightiest super hero characters as they all assemble together on screen for the first time.
The star studded cast of super heroes will be joined by Cobie Smulders (“How I Met Your Mother) as Agent Maria Hill of S.H.I.E.L.D., as well as Tom Hiddleston (“Wallander”) and Stellan Skarsgård (“Angels & Demons,” “Mamma Mia!”) who will both reprise their respective roles as Loki and Professor Erik Selvig from the upcoming Marvel Studios’ feature “Thor.”
“Marvel’s The Avengers” is being produced by Marvel Studios’ President, Kevin Feige, and executive produced by Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Louis D’Esposito, Patty Whitcher, and Jon Favreau. Marvel Studios’ Jeremy Latcham and Victoria Alonso will co-produce.
The creative production team also includes Oscar nominated director of photography Seamus McGarvey (“Atonement”), production designer James Chinlund (“25th Hour”), Oscar winning costume designer Alexandra Byrne (“Elizabeth: The Golden Age”), Oscar winning visual effects supervisor Janek Sirrs (“Iron Man 2,” “The Matrix”), visual effects producer Susan Pickett (“Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2”), stunt coordinator R.A. Rondell (“Superman Returns”), and four-time Oscar nominated special effects supervisor Dan Sudick (“Iron Man,” “War of the Worlds”). The editors include Oscar nominated Paul Rubell (“Collateral”) and Jeffrey Ford (“Crazy Heart”).

G4's Anime 'Wolverine' — Clip

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Tom Powers

Here’s a 3 and a half minute look at G4’s Anime-style WOLVERINE cartoon.
HEROES’ Milo Ventimiglia (Peter Petrelli) will voice Logan in the American dub, as revealed at Wondercon by Marvel Televisions Jeph Loeb, who also announced that Adrian Pasdar (Natan Petrelli) will play Tony Stark in the IRON MAN anime.
Both heroes exploits will take place largely in Japan, with Wolverine battle the Japanese undeworld, while Stark and Iron Man take on the Zodiac Organization.

'The Avengers' in Kree-Skrull War?

Posted on December 27, 2010 by Tom Powers

AintItCool reports that according to to New Mexico newspaper The Albuquerque Journal:

“THE AVENGERS script will blend IRON MAN, THOR, and CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER storylines as the Avengers battle two alien races, the Skrulls and the Kree.”

THE AVENGERS will film on location in New Mexico, although previous items suggested they will also film at sound stages at the Grumman facilities on Long Island, New York.

None of this is as yet confirmed.

UPDATE: SuperHero Hype says its confirmed that the article’s information didn’t come Marvel Studios, and may simply be an error on the part of the newspaper. The Kree-Skrull war would be a pretty big story for a mutli-hero team origin film. Perhaps we’ll see some hints of the major conflict to come. Some form of the Cosmic Cube will apparently be seen in CAPTAIN AMERICA.

Favreau Confirms: Off 'Iron Man 3'

Posted on December 15, 2010 by Tom Powers

Via his Twitter Page, Jon Favreau confrimed the rumors that he will not be directing IRON MAN 3.

“It’s true, I’m directing MAGIC KINGDOM, not IRON MAN 3. I’ve had a great run with Marvel and wish them the best.”

It’s not known exactly why Jon Favreau left the project, though there were some signs that he was less than thrilled with Marvel Studios pland for the film. Earlier this week he was quoted at MTV.com as saying:

“In theory, IRON MAN 3 is going to be a sequel or continuation of THOR, HULL, CAPTAIN AMERICA and AVENGERS. That whole world … I have no idea what it is. I don’t think they do either, from conversations I’ve had with those guys.”

NY Magazine’s Vulture, which broke the story, speculated it could also be about salary. It suggests that Marvel/Disney didn’t want to pay the $12-15 Million director’s fee (plus percentage points) Favreau would likely demand, after providing two big hits for Marvel.
Of course, Hollywood being a business, Jon Favreau’s next project, MAGIC KINGDOM, is a family adventure film for Walt Disney Pictures (who now own Marvel), which apparently will feature the Disney Studio’s characters and theme park.
Maybe Favreau simply wants to do something different, rather than another go-round with comic book superheroes. He’s been there, done that, and probably has the tee-shirt as well.

Whedon Reveals AVENGERS Details

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Tom Powers

Touring Austrialia, writer/director Joss Whedon told the newspaper The Sunday Herald-Sun that THE AVENGERS movie will not be based on any single comic book, but rather a synthesis of sources.

“It will be a new story that has many things from different arcs of the comics in it. There is no one Avengers story that you can just do the way that you can do the origin of Spider-Man. You really have to cull from the original and The Ultimates, which is one of The Avengers titles.”

Whedon also revealed that Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow will not be the only woman in the movie.

“It is true that the movie is only going to have one female Avenger… But she will not be the only female character“.

These leads one to speculate what female characters might been seen. IRON MAN ‘s Pepper Pots (Gwyneth Paltrow)? THE INCREDIBLE HULK’s Betty Ross (Liv Tyler)? A much older version of Captain America’s Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) — or perhaps Shield agent Sharon Carter?
A big cast that seems to be growing for the Marvel Studios / Paramount Pictures superhero film. Production is slated to begin in February, 2011.
Via Australia’s Moviehole.net

G4 TV's 4 MARVEL Anime Shows

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Tom Powers

It was revealed at Comic Con that the cable channel G4 will be the exclusive American TV network to air Marvel Entertainment’s four new Anime series.
IRON MAN, X-MEN, WOLVERINE, and BLADE will all be getting 12 episode arc, 30 minute length animated programs. The shows will be largely set in Japan and the Far East, and done in an Anime style.
Award-winning comics writer Warren Ellis oversaw the animated productions, produced by Madhouse and Marvel Entertainment in association with Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan.
They will make their exclusive U.S. TV Premiere on G4 in 2011.
Sony Pictures Television will be the distributor.
Read more at G4TV.com

New Iron Man 2 Clip Released

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Dennis Routledge Tizzard

With the IRON MAN sequel only a month away it’s a surprise to be given any more footage from the film, especially since we’ve already been given so much, but here is a new clip from IRON MAN 2. The clip’s a short one but shows us a complete scene in which Robert Downey Jr. (SHERLOCK HOLMES, A SCANNER DARKLY) as the titular Iron Man, flies down to the ‘Stark Expo’.
IRON MAN 2 takes off where the first left us, the world now knows Iron Man’s identity while the US government demands Tony Stark hand over the Iron Man suit and numerous villains plot to take him out. The clip comes just after director Jon Favreau announced on his Twitter that he’s finished the final cut of the film and has handed it over to Marvel.
IRON MAN 2 is released on May 7th, but be sure to check out Cinefantastique Online’s review of the film on May 2nd.
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