Newsarama: August 26th

Newsarama: 26th August

New feature alert! Here are 10 interesting nuggets of movie news from over the last week. 

10 - Former Lost actor joins the cast of Thor: The Dark World 

Adewale-Akinnuoye-Adbaje (yes, I knew that off by heart) has signed on to play the secondary villain in Marvel's upcoming sequel, Thor 2. Adbaje, who played Mr Eko for a brief time in Lost, will take on the dual role of Algrim the Strong and Kurse.

When Malekith the Accursed sends Algrim the Strong to battle Thor, he loses and develops amnesia as a result of his defeat. He soon re-emerges as Kurse. 

Thor: The Dark World opens worldwide on November 8th 2013 with Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston and Natalie Portman reprising their roles from the first installment.

The Avengers: Phase 2 Round-Up 

9 - Billy Crystal reveals plot points for Monsters Inc. prequel, Monsters University.

The voice of Mike Wazowski himself has spilled the beans on what we can expect from Pixar's prequel to Monsters Inc, saying that the film will follow a rivalry storyline.

“Mike and Sulley end up in the same fraternity where they have this scare competition — like Greek Games in college,” he said. “They have to mobilize a group, sort of like Revenge Of The Nerds-monsters, and get them ready to be scary.” It's no secret that Mike and Sully weren't the best of friends during their college years, so it looks like we'll be seeing the peak of their rivalry.

Monsters University is released on July 12th 2013.

8 -  Chuck Norris will not be returning for The Expendables 3.

Despite his brilliant cameo in The Expendables 2, Chuck Norris has stated it was nothing more than a one time thing. The action icon says he has no intention of returning for the (currently unofficial) third helping of the gun-ho franchise.

"This is it for me," he said at the premiere of The Expendables 2 last week. "Just number two. To be able to do the film with guys I've known for many years, and to have the chance to get together and fight with them was a lot of fun though."

The Expendables 2 is out in cinemas now, and you can my read my full review by clicking here:

Review: The Expendables 2

 7 - The Hobbit will not charge extra for 48fps screenings.

While cinemas always charge more for 3D films, Warner Bros. has recieved assurances from exhibitors that audiences will not be charged extra to watch The Hobbit in the new 48 frames-per-second format.

Director Peter Jackson has chosen to shoot the trilogy at a rate of 48fps, which is double the usual rate of 24fps. According to him, this gives a much more authentic picture that pulls the audience further into the movie. 

When The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens on December 14, most theaters will play the movie at 24 fps. A 3D 48 fps version of the movie will be made available in all major markets, but only select theaters are expected to offer the option. IMAX will also have a number of theaters playing a 48 fps 3D version of the film. 

Opinion: Why 3D Is Unnecessary 

6 - Hugh Laurie won't be appearing in Robocop after all.

The House actor has pulled out of playing the chief villain in MGM's remake of Robocop.

According to Variety, Hugh Laurie will definitely not be in the movie, despite all the hype surrounding his appearance. Instead, Sin City star Clive Owen may be taking the role instead. The Robocop reboot starts shooting in September and currently stars Samuel L. Jackson and Gary Oldman. It is slated for an August 9th 2013 release date.

5 - Uncharted adaptation gains two new writers, loses one director.

The film adaptation of Uncharted, the popular Playstation 3 game which follows the globe-trotting, treasure hunting adventures of Nathan Drake, has had a pretty hectic week. First, director Neil Burger left the project behind. Then through the revolving doors came Marianne and Cormac Wibberley, who will be taking a stab at rewriting the screenplay.

The Wibberleys (tee hee) have previously worked on the likes of I Spy, G-Force and National Treasure starring Nicolas Cage.

Identifying a cast and a new director is up in the air until the script is finally complete. 

4 - Ben Affleck denies rumours he is working on the Justice League movie...

The actor-director, star of Dogma and director of The Town, has denied reports that he has entered talks to direct DC's comic-book adaptation of Justice League.

Speaking with 24 Hours Vancouver, Affleck said "I'm not working on the Justice League. One of the problems with entertainment web sites is that they need to fill pages, and that's how rumours get started," adding "Justice League sounds really exciting, but it's not something I'm working on."

3 - ...Wachowski brothers may begin working on the Justice League movie.

The creators of The Matrix movies are currently rumoured to helm the long awaited Justice League movie. Warner Bros. are now very actively looking for a director, having already slated the film for a 2015 release date. The studio is now looking to the Wachowski brothers. The Wachowskis have adapted comics to the big screen before, having produced the excellent V for Vendetta.

Casting news is still nothing but rumours for Justice League at the moment, however it has been confirmed that Christian Bale's version of Batman will have no connection to the franchise.

Opinion: The Dark Knight's Next Steps 

2 - Ellen Degeneres in talks to reprise her role as Dory in Finding Nemo 2.

The second highest grossing Pixar movie is getting a sequel, and Ellen Degeneres has expressed her desire to return as fan favourite Dory, the unforgettable forgetful fish.
The American talk show host has been in discussions this week regarding the possibility of return for the SEAquel (sorry), and writer/director Andrew Stanton has also confirmed he is returning to helm the animated flick.

The original Finding Nemo came out in 2003, and went on to win an Academy award for best animated feature, grossing $868 million worldwide in the process. This number is likely to grow next month, when the film is due to be re-released in cinemas as Finding Nemo 3D.

Finding Nemo 2 will be released in 2016. 

 1 - Director Tony Scott commits suicide at 68.

Tony Scott, most famous for his directorial work on 1985's Top Gun, has died this week.

After Top Gun launched the careers of both Scott and Tom Cruise, Scott would go on to direct such films as Beverly Hills Cop II, Enemy of the State, True Romance, The Taking of Pelham 123 and, most recently, Unstoppable.

Along with his directing career, Scott and his brother became prolific producers in both film and television, helping a raft of younger filmmakers get their projects out into the world. At the time of his death, he was juggling several projects, including a planned Top Gun sequel, real-life drama Shadow Divers, biker pic Hell’s Angels and action drama Lucky Strike.

That's newsarama over for this week, check back to Movies Under The Microscope for more movie news, previews and reviews.

Review: The Watch

Review: The Watch

Oh dear.

They had all the ingredients. The recipe was flawless. The leading man Ben Stiller, his long-time comedy sidekick Vince Vaughn, the Oscar nominated funnyman Jonah Hill and British sitcom sensation Richard Ayoade were all thrown into the boiling pot to ensure a scrumptious feast of comic hilarity. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, frankly...everything. 

Comedy spliced with sci-fi has been done before with varying results. Edgar Wright pulled it off brilliantly with Paul in 2011. Joe Cornish also managed to tickle the funny bones and exude some science fiction excellence with Attack The Block. The Watch, however, spits in the face of comedy and grounds it into the dirt with gags that even the American Pie movies would wince at, directing those gags towards the subject of alien genetalia. 

Ben Stiller plays Evan. Wow. Looks hilarious, right?

For aliens are the chief enemy in The Watch, although that doesn't become apparent until frustratingly late into the proceedings despite the film's marketing campaign consistently drawing attention to it. In the early stages of the 102 minute running time, we are introduced to Evan (played with no particular enthusiasm by Ben Stiller), a Costco manager who forms a neighbourhood watch after one of his friends is brutally murdered.

Evan recruits Bob (Vince Vaughn), a middle aged man bored of his mundane suburban existance, Franklin (Jonah Hill), a resident who recently found himself rejected from the police force and Jamarcus (Richard Ayoade), a divorcee whose only ambition is seemingly to get laid. At first the group only use The Watch to sit around drinking beer and slap each other's backs in a typical manly fashion. Later, however, it soon becomes occurent that an alien invasion is imminent upon their planet beginning with their small neighbourhood. Instead of notifying the government or any superior protective authority like a normal person would do, The Watch decide to take the aliens on alone.

The plot isn't exactly hard to follow, and the characters themselves are rather shallow and one-dimensional. A bizarre sub-plot involving Evan facing up to the fact that he is infertile is never really given more than a fleeting glimpse compared to the overwhelmingly frequent fart and urination jokes.

Richard Ayoade brings some, and I quote, 'British balls'.

That's about as good as it gets though. Director Akiva Schaffer, whose previous credits include music videos for the likes of We Are Scientists as well as stints on America's Saturday Night Live shows a complete unwillingness to have any intelligent fun. When the film begins to delve into the territory of character development, it slams the brakes and throws us some more grotesque comedy.
"It's not really irreversible..." Evan says, explaining his infertility to an annoyingly confused Bob. "But it's 2012," he retorts. "Can't you just get a ball transplant?" Oh. Ha. Ha. If female romantic comedies are brilliant at making men look ridiculously stupid (See: anything starring Katherine Heigl), The Watch takes that formula and triples it. A hundred times.

Jonah Hill delayed a role in Django Unchained to appear. Ouch.

As for the performances from the actors involved, the impression that they're simply trying to pick up a bit of extra cash instead of contributing to what could have been a comedy classic is very prominent indeed. Ben Stiller is lacking the enthusiasm of his Dodgeball days, while Vince Vaughn, as usual, manages to bag the sidekick role despite showing no emotion or particularly prominent comic timing. Fresh from his Oscar-nominated success in Moneyball and his hilarious turn in 21 Jump Street, Jonah Hill effortlessly manages to steal every scene he's in despite his character's annoying nature, while British star of The IT Crowd Richard Ayoade does the best he can with a shoddy script void of any intelligent comedy. Funnily enough, The Watch was rewritten multiple times to appeal to an 'older audience' as previous drafts were deemed too immature and too 'teen'. How ironic.

They're crimefighters though, right? There's got to be some action to break up the monotonously bad jokes about balls and faeces and oral sex?

Well, yes, but it's nothing spectacular. Which is fine - this is hardly Die Hard. There is one particularly thrilling scene (probably the only scene worth watching) in which Ayoade gets to pull off some badass slow-motion gun-toting action, but other than that the action is pretty stale. The scenes are nothing we haven't seen before in a sci-fi comedy, and it certainly doesn't come anywhere close to the thrilling excitement of Paul or any of the Ghostbusters or Back to the Future movies.

Redemption surely lies for Stiller and Vaughn in Anchorman 2 next year, whereas Jonah Hill will follow his Oscar-worthy career path and star opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Django Unchained. Richard Ayoade must be experiencing a wrongfooted first step into major Hollywood acting and can hopefully find himself in better, more intelligent comedic company before long.

Summary

The Watch throws together some of comedy's biggest and boldest stars in the hope that their chemistry will stir up something worth, er, "watch"ing. What transpires, however, is simply an easily forgettable mess of bad jokes, a stupid story and characters so see through you can practically witness the ghosts of the actors' former selves hiding behind them hoping that their past reputations will carry this awful movie.

However, despite its cast of comedy greats, this movie itself is hugely disappointing. Forgettable, pointless, stupid and immature with no satisfaction to be found save from one or two scenes, The Watch is definitely not a movie you want to watch. 

 2/10

See it if you liked: American Pie: Reunion (2012), Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), Meet The Fockers (2004)

By Dean Johnstone

Review: The Expendables 2

Review: The Expendables 2

"I'm back." Yes you are, Arnie. Oh, I get it! Because you said that you will be back in Terminator! Aha, that's funny. Okay, let's move on.
"Yippee-kai-ey." Oh, hello Bruce Willis. I remember you saying that in Die Hard. Wow, isn't that great? I wonder if the actual Expendables 2 movie itself will have any memorable quotes of its own without relying on the cast's previous films? Oh. Okay.

For that is exactly the problem here. The movie is really just an excuse to pull together this huge ensemble 'action-hero' cast just for the sake of it. The plot is silly, the action is way over the top and unbelievable and the script is really a compilation of nods to the stars' previous roles in their action classics.

And yet...I loved it.

Two years ago, we were introduced to a group called "The Expendables," a ragtag band of freebooting soldiers who enjoy blowing stuff up and killing people. They're good guys though, honest. This time, Church (Bruce Willis) has a job for them, claiming that Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) owes him for the destruction caused during their previous mission. Things don't go according to plan, however, and one of their own is killed by rival mercenary Jean Vilain (Jean-Claude Van Damme). Vowing to take revenge for their fallen comrade (severely reducing the population of Nepal in the process), Ross rallies his Expendables team together including the likes of Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews and new recruit Liam Hemsworth, a soon-to-be-married sniper who may as well have a gigantic target on his back. Their quest for vengeance uncovers a more sinister plot at work, thursting them into the firing line. Arnold Schwarzenneger also provides assistance in the second act (almost like a care package), whilst Chuck Norris, the star of the most famous internet meme of all time has the most victorious cameo known to film.

"I'm Chuck Norris and I approve this review." ...is what I'm sure he'd say...I hope.

Okay, so it's not an Oscar-winning script and the story is hardly going to jerk any tears or wide-eyed confusion from audiences. There's cheese everywhere; the dialogue is just littered with margherita. Yet there's something childlike and cheeky about the way the film presents itself: it knows it's a little bit of a farce. It doesn't try to take itself too seriously, instead acting more like a shoot-em-up game featuring all your favourite larger than life characters. The absurdity is off the scale - it's hard to believe that 3 blokes standing still shooting at hundreds of armed foes can walk away unscathed.

Van Damme stars as the appropriately named villain Jean 'Vilain'

That's all part of the fun though - this is nostalgia at its best (short of dusting off your SNES and playing Super Mario Bros. 3). Those old punch ups and shootouts at the peaks of those action packed 80s films are given a true tribute here, particularly in the nailbiting hero vs. villain climax of the movie. The long awaited battle between Stallone and Van-Damme is brilliantly choreographed and the stars clearly still love what they do. Watching Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenneger bounce off each other, and Stallone, is worth the ticket price alone, even if Stallone is still more incomprehensible than a drunk version of Bane from The Dark Knight Rises.

The fire-fest must also be praised for its refusal to over-use CGI, instead favouring the more respectable route of filming real stunts and pyrotechnics - and yes, there are many. Even in the opening moments it is clear that dull moments are going to be few, apart from some unnecessary scenes involving Stallone and his sudden love interest Maggie, as the gang skids into action on what appears to be an urgent mission (no spoilers here!). "I now pronounce you...man and knife," grins Jason Statham, whipping out his weapons in the first act and dishing out some punishment. That's punny, Jason. "Rest in pieces," mumbles Stallone after the team shoots one bad guy into smithereens. Oh, the puns!

Summary

Bigger, better, badass. The Expendables 2 knows what it has to offer and utilizes its best assets to give us nothing short of an action packed thrill ride from start to finish. Oscar-winning script it is not, and many of the jokes fall flat on their face, however the film keeps up its pace relatively well and the nostalgia level is at an all time high. Even though, as Willis says, most of the cast "belong in a museum", Stallone and crew have shown that they're not quite ready for their pension yet as the authentic explosions, action and stunts never fail to impress.

It's ridiculous, it's corny, it's hilariously self-depricating, it's loud and proud. At a time where superheroes have become darkly brooding and every new cinematic release is scrutinized to its core, The Expendables 2 proves that classic action movies full of escapism are not dead yet and that the cinema can still be a fun-filled hoot. Isn't that why we go in the first place?

8/10

See it if you liked: The Expendables (2010), Die Hard 4.0 (2007), Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011)

By Dean Johnstone

Review: The Bourne Legacy

Review: The Bourne Legacy

The Bourne Legacy arrives during an interesting cinematic era. Where the original thrilling Bourne series left us speechless with its new take on the CIA and secret agents - making James Bond look old fashioned - Legacy pops its head up at a time where superheroic action and audience pleasing comedy are the blockbusting elite. It's like an unwelcome guest at a party who has one or two neat tricks but nothing particularly special. Perhaps, while struggling for titles for the film, the movie executives were juggling 'The Bourne Sustainability' or 'The Bourne Less Shooty More Talky.'

So where are we with the story so far? The Bourne Ultimatum's conclusion saw Jason Bourne expose the conspiracies behind the CIA's Treadstone Operation and head underground into hiding. The task falls to Avengers star Jeremy Renner to take the reigns of the franchise as we follow events occuring simultaneously to the original trilogy. 

Aaron Cross (Renner) is a member of Operation Outcome, one of the Department of Defense's black ops programs which provides its agents with green pills that enhance physical abilities and blue pills that enhance mental abilities. While Cross is assigned on a mission to Alaska, Eric Byer (Edward Norton), the leader of the programme, is told that Jason Bourne has exposed the Treadstone Operation. Byer decides to eliminate Operation Outcome and all of its agents in order to maintain its secrecy and tie up all loose ends that could be traced back to the CIA. After a failed assassination attempt on his life, Aaron goes on the run with scientist Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz) who claims she can renew his supply of green and blue pills to avoid his body going into meltdown.

Article Archive: Summer Preview (Part Two)

The fourth movie in the Bourne franchise is Bourne without Bourne; it's almost like having Mission Impossible without Tom Cruise. The hand just doesn't fit the glove naturally, and the movie feels more like a cheesy spin-off rather than a definite sequel to the series. The films overlap ever so slightly - the last hour of The Bourne Ultimatum slots in perfectly alongside the first hour of The Bourne Legacy. Yet Legacy is completely unnecessary, and that feeling is persistent all the way through its stupendously long 134 minute running time. The film takes a frustratingly long time to get going. 'You think Jason Bourne was the whole story? There's much more going on here,' says Byer. Okay, cool. Let's see what you've got. 'Jason Bourne was just the tip of the iceberg,' repeats Byer soon after. Yes, you've said that already. We get it. Move on. 'Aaron Cross is like Jason Bourne without the inconsistency,' Byer mumbles. Sigh.

Jeremy Renner and Edward Norton are really the stars of the show. Where the wheels of the plot take an age to start spinning, their bitter rivalry is a fiercely resistant force driving the movie forward. Renner, who already faces the heavily uphill task of replacing Matt Damon, gives a brilliant performance as Aaron Cross despite the lame script. He can do the action, sure. His previous endeavours in The Avengers and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol have proved that. His character, however, is never truly fleshed out, and the fact that Cross needs to take pills to avoid his brain and body going into crisis makes him feel like an emotionless superhuman. The race against time to take medicine is heavily reminiscent of the movie Crank, in which Jason Statham was forced to keep his heart rate up to stop his body shutting down. At least Crank knew its own position as a tongue-in-cheek comedy thriller - Legacy does everything with a straight face where the audience is laughing.

As for the action, director Tony Gilroy refuses to do anything honestly. The Bourne Ultimatum featured an incredible stunt where Matt Damon's character jumped from a rooftop and crashed through a closed window - all in one shot. Gilroy, however, is satisfied with allowing Renner to leap from rooftop to rooftop, cutting the shot pre or mid-jump on too many occasions. Also, where the original trilogy's shaky-cam action scenes were annoying enough as we struggled to see who was hitting who, Legacy's camera work is even more unsettling. As Aaron fights wolves bare handed in the wilderness, we get the impression that the cameraman is standing on top of an enormous giant rubber ball and he's struggling to keep his balance. Shaky-cam creates excitement, sure, but Legacy ensures that excitement is overpowered by pure confusion and frustration.

Summary

The Bourne Legacy uses the original trilogy as a launch pad into new territory, however the film just doesn't jump high enough. Frustratingly, it lacks the excitement of the previous installments, and the plot revolving around taking pills in the nick of the time is rather laughable for a franchise so grounded in reality. Unless this is simply a test-run for the new series and we've yet to see what the writers really have planned for Jeremy Renner's excellent portrayal of Aaron Cross, it's sadly clear that The Bourne Legacy should have left Bourne's legacy well enough alone. 

4/10

See it if you liked: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011)

The Avengers - Phase 2

The Avengers - Phase 2

If there's one quality I don't pride myself on, it's impatience. Over the past six years, Marvel has teased us with epic movies of stunning proportions. From the introduction into the Marvel universe in the form of 2008's Iron Man all the way to this year's ultimate crossover smash The Avengers, the comic-book creators have offered us movies of unequal scale and ambition. Now they're making us wait even longer, with a rumoured Avengers 2 release date of May 2015 - my patience is surely about to be tested.

Yet, there is hope...

2012's Comic-Con saw various teasers and announcements for 'Phase 2' of 'The Avengers Initiative': that is to say, the next batch of movies that Marvel will release in the run-up to The Avengers 2. So, here's a round-up of what to expect from the Avenging superheroes.

Iron Man 3

Director: Shane Black

Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Kingsley 

Release Date: May 3rd 2013

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) went through something of a transformation during The Avengers. From a genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist (his words, not mine) to a man willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the world, Iron Man has realised he may not always be the most important person in every room. The movie left Tony heading back to rebuild Stark tower, with his girlfriend and assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) ready to pick up the pieces and rebuild New York after Loki's rampage.

Concept art shows Tony caught with his iron pants down.

Iron Man 3 will see Tony stripped of his tools, however. The footage at Comic-Con (which has thus far not made its way online) showed his Malibu penthouse (where he keeps his iron suits) under attack from mysterious military aircraft - is the government now attempting to seize his technology by force for their military gains? Or is something more sinister at work?

Rumours are abound that the storyline will follow the 'Extremis' storyline from the comic books, which dealt with Tony's personal conflicts regarding his past life as a weapons manufacturer. Marvel Studios executive Kevin Fiege has discussed the fact that Tony will be on his own, bringing him full circle back to his origin story in the first instalment. "He's stripped of everything, he's backed up against a wall, and he's gotta use his intelligence to get out of it. He can't rely on Thor, he can't call Captain America and he can't look for the hellicarrier in the sky." Basically, all ties are going to be severed from his buddies in The Avengers, and now that we know that Iron Man's arch nemesis The Mandarin will be involved, Tony could be in some deep trouble indeed.

Thor: The Dark World

Director: Alan Taylor

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Christopher Eccleston

Release Date: 8th November 2013

Possibly the best origin movie in 'Phase One' of The Avengers build up, Thor introduced us to the mighty God of Thunder. After being cast out from his home planet of Asgard and landing on Earth, Thor bumps into Jane, a scientist who longs to know more about other worlds and constellations out there. After realising his arrogance and selfish quest for power has hurt the ones he loves most, Thor travels back to Asgard and reclaims his father's place as King of the realm, defeating his spiteful brother Loki.

Christopher Eccleston cast as Malekith - the resemblance is uncanny.

The original was brilliant simply because, instead of focusing on the evil beasts and monsters in outer space, Thor introduced us to the real characters who would form the stepping stones for us to walk into this intergalactic universe. Giving Thor a real character-arc and making his adopted brother Loki the chief villain made the movie a very character-driven affair, and it was definitely pulled off with style.

So what's in store for Thor 2? Having caused mischief on Earth and destroyed New York, Loki was defeated by The Avengers and Thor transported him home to Asgard. However, Marvel have stated that Loki is at the lowest of lows and will not be the chief villain in Thor 2 - instead revealing that former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston will play Malekith the Accursed.

Not much else is known about the plot, however with Natalie Portman reprising her role as Jane Foster it can be assumed that some of the action will take place on Earth - or perhaps Jane will be coming to Asgard? With Game of Thrones director Alan Taylor taking the reigns of the production, it can be assumed that Thor 2 will be an excellently majestic affair.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Director: Unnanounced.

Cast: Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan
Release Date: April 4th 2014

Steve Rogers was something of a teacher's pet in The Avengers, wasn't he? "We have orders. We should follow them," he preached, constantly a counter to Tony Stark's self absorbed hero. Still, he showed great leadership skills in the final battle, true to his comic-book style. Quite rightly too, as you'd expect a super soldier built for combat during the Second World War to be an expert in battle. 

So, after The Avengers, Steve rode off into the sunset on his motorbike with no clear indication of where he'll be heading next. The smart money would be on him heading back to S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters to act as an agent for commander Nick Fury - but against who exactly? Captain America has no shortage of comic-book villains, but personally I'd like to see him fight something a little more real. Rather than fighting an alien race, how about a war lord, terrorising civilians in Eastern countries? Or perhaps modern terrorists? Something tells me this kind of territory is a little too dark (and possibly too political) for Marvel to tackle, but whatever happens there's no doubt Captain America 2 will be exciting and thrilling to watch as Steve struggles to find his place in the modern world.

Ant-Man

Director: Edgar Wright

Cast: Unnanounced.
Release Date: Unnanounced.

The second biggest reveal at Comic-Con was the announcement of Edgar Wright's Ant-Man movie. For those who don't know, Ant-Man (real name Henry Pym) is yet another superhero from the Marvel comics. Ant-Man can, by definition, shrink himself to a tiny size, a skill which he uses to solve mysteries.

While this doesn't exactly sound like something that would be useful in a fight against Loki's army, Ant-Man's armour allows him to command hordes of insects against his enemies.
Still not convinced? Well, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz director Edgar Wright has signed on to direct the project, and he promises a much more lighthearted take on the miniscule man. There have been no casting confirmations as of yet, however Lee Pace, Bradley Cooper, Josh Holloway and of course Simon Pegg have all been rumoured to bag the lead role.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Director: Unnanounced

Cast: Unnanounced

Release Date: August 1st 2014

The number one super mega ultra spectacular reveal at Comic-Con was that Guardians of the Galaxy will enter production at the end of this year. Guardians is the story of an intergalactic band of superheroes who vow to keep balance in the universe and keep evil at bay.

The group consists of Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Raccoon (yes, a talking Raccoon with a gun) and Groot (yes, a talking tree). Throughout the comics, their main enemy is Thanos, the enormous titan warrior who was introduced cinematically at the end of The Avengers.

Thanos could be the major villain in Guardians

So basically if it seemed that incorporating Thor's other-worldly elements into the grounded reality of Iron Man was a bit of a stretch, a talking raccoon and a fighting tree might possibly stretch that too far. Still, Guardians of the Galaxy takes place in space, not Earth, and for all we know Iron Man, Cap, Hulk and Hawkeye may find themselves catapulted into the big wide universe come Avengers 2.

The Avengers 2

Director: Joss Whedon

Cast: (rumoured) Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo

Release Date: 1st May 2015

This week, news hit the internet that Joss Whedon, the superb writer/director of The Avengers, will return to script and direct the sequel. So far the plot is anyone's guess, as it will only be the result of the conclusions of all the Phase 2 movies. However, it's rumoured that Whedon has a general outline of what he would like to happen, and if it's anywhere near as good as the original it will be yet another triumph.

Still, too many cooks can spoil the broth and Marvel may unfortunately find that the cast from the original instalment may be short-changed in favour of the new additions to the team. Nobody can overshadow Tony Stark, but there's no doubt a talking raccoon would certainly give it a good bash.

Motion-captured by Danny DeVito...surely?

So Marvel have their hands full for the next three years at least: six movies from their cinematic universe are coming together by 2015. Add to that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 which will be released in 2014, as well as reboots of both Daredevil and The Fantastic Four, and it's fair to say we won't be short of superhero smashes to entertain us.

At least until Phase 3.

Review: Brave

Review: Brave

In a time where British patriotism is at its peak thanks to some little sports event known as The Olympics, Disney/Pixar's new animated flick Brave casts its spotlight upon Scotland. The land of the free and home of the - appropriate adjective alert! - brave is given a classic fairytale within its stunning setting, yet Disney's takeover of Pixar is more painfully clear than ever as Brave feels much more like a classic 90s princess movie than one of Pixar Studio's finest.

Set in medieval Scotland, Brave follows the coming-of-age story of Princess Merida, a skilled archer who desires to break free from her overbearing mother's bonds. Queen Elinor has Merida's life all planned out - marry a handsome warrior and rule the kingdom professionally. Merida, however, has other plans - breaking an age old tradition between tribes and running away from home, she encounters a witch who claims she can 'change her fate.' Unfortunately this doesn't all go to plan, and Merida finds herself desperately attempting to undo a curse upon her family before it's too late.

"A princess does not wield a weapon."

It sounds like a Disney movie, and primarily it is. It's a credit to the diversity of Pixar that Brave is a million miles away from, say, Cars or Monsters Inc, however the Scottish fairytale feels like one of those classic princess films that a lot of people still cherish with age. This type of narrative may be a first for Pixar, but it is the latest in a very long line of animated flicks.

Still, let's look at Brave objectively. The story itself is fairly predictable - but that's not to say it isn't enjoyable to watch. While a princess, Merida is a hugely relateable character: she is a modern girl in an ancient world, fighting for her freedom from underneath her mother's thumb. The mother-daughter relationship is played out well (with some magical intervention), and the ever-present moral of the story is realised with genuinely heartfelt emotion at the film's climax. However, the backbone of the tale (a young girl, a witch and a princess fighting to escape from her mother) is nothing new and while Pixar have been praised for originality in the past, Brave simply feels...well, not "brave" enough to leap new bounds. Perhaps this slip in originality is what has led to Pixar's current sequel projects, Monsters Inc. 2 and Finding Nemo 2 - and the day Pixar runs out of fresh ideas will be a very dark day indeed.

Article Archive: Pixar's Top 10 Films

Voiced by the Supreme Scot, Billy Connolly.

Meanwhile, the side characters such as Julie Walters' well-meaning witch and Robbie Coltrane's Lord Dingwall provide the comic relief that reminds us Pixar's comedy team are still present behind the scenes, however the boisterous character of King Fergus threatens to steal the entire show. Billy Connolly is on top form as the one-legged liege with vengeance on his mind against the bear who made him so, and while kids will appreciate Merida's triplet brothers causing mischief in the royal family, adults will find themselves chuckling at Connolly's hilarious Scottish tones attempting to find order in the chaos caused by Merida's actions.

Scotland, however, is given a voice of its own within the beautifully realised artwork of the movie. Whereas a few minor components of the voice acting feel patronisingly 'too' Scottish, the architecture and landscape Merida finds herself riding through are nothing short of stunning and a true tribute to the heart of Scottish history. In an early scene, Merida departs the castle with her bow, claiming that today she 'doesn't have to be a princess.' Mounting her horse and disappearing into the wild, we watch as she climbs a mountain and drinks from a fabled waterfall and for once, this is a film worth watching in 3D. The scenery is beautifully rendered and the graphics department can certainly feel proud of their efforts for bringing the land to life in such a colourful, vibrant way.

As for the soundtrack, composer Patrick Doyle (known for his astounding work on Thor) captures the rich spirit of Scotland's musical prowess with flair, providing toe-tapping themes and heroic motifs for the characters. Jigs, reels and strathspeys are all thrown in, serving to pump up the action whilst keeping us constantly in mind of the film's setting. I'm pretty sure I heard one of those bagpipe things somewhere in there too.

Also, as is customary with every Pixar movie, a short film precedes the feature. In this case, 'La Luna' offers us a brilliantly sweet film about a boy who sweeps stars with his father and grandfather on the moon. The short was nominated for an Academy Award, which is no surprise as it is Pixar's best, most smile-inducing short film yet - except, perhaps, the hilarious 'For The Birds' film which entertained us before Monsters Inc.

 Summary

Brave doesn't quite live up to its name, instead choosing the safe option of a princess-grows-up narrative that has been told countless times before. Kudos must be given to Patrick Doyle for providing such a quintessentially Scottish soundtrack, whilst the guys behind the graphics should certainly be given a pat on the back for providing such a beautifully presented setting for the story to take place in. The tale is a charming, beautifully presented movie with plenty of heart and a strong, relatable female protagonist, but while kids are sure to find the film suitably entertaining and enjoyable, adults may be disappointed that Pixar's latest isn't a classic - it's just another animated film. Brave is great, but it's just not Pixar great.

7/10