The Many Faces of Nick Fury

The Many Faces of Nick Fury

The Many Faces of Hulk

The Many Faces of Hulk

The Many Faces of Hawkeye

The Many Faces of Hawkeye

The Many Faces of Black Widow

The Many Faces of Black Widow

Ultron-athon on DisneyXD

Last night, DisneyXD had their Marvel's Avengers Assemble Ultron-athon. As you might have guessed, it was all about Ultron. The story arc in the episodes featured the break-up of the Avengers, the inclusion of Spider-Man, and the return of Ant-Man.

If you missed the Ultron-athon last night, you can tune in on Sunday morning on DisneyXD to experience if for the first time or again!

The marathon included 4 episodes:

S2: Episode 40 "Crack in the System"
Ultron takes control of Arsenal and Iron Man works to destroy him with malware. But Stark is keeping secrets from his team, leading to the loss of an Avenger.

S2: Episode 41 "Avengers Disassembled"
Super-Adaptoid, now controlled by Ultron, attacks a tech company called Roxxon and the Avengers, with the help of Spider-Man, arrive to stop him. Starks secrets get in the way again, leading to distrust amongst the team, ultimately concluding with the break-up of the Avengers. 

S2: Episode 42 "Small Time Heroes"
AIM steals Pym particles from Ant-Man so that M.O.D.O.K can avoid his cybernetics being taken over by Ultron. Ant-Man lends a hand as Starks inability to lead a team becomes more apparent.

S2: Episode 43 "The Ultron Outbreak"
Ultron returns, but this time he is turning humans into Ultron Sentinels with a nano-virus. Iron Man's team and Captain America's team join forces with Ant-Man to stop Ultron before he infects the world. The Avengers Assemble once more . . . with a welcome addition.

It was great to see these four episodes back to back. It was especially nice to see Spider-Man and Ant-Man play larger roles, or at least laying the foundation of what looks like a lead-in to Civil War storylines. Even M.O.D.O.K had a nice return to the show. What was important about these episodes though was the disagreement between Captain America and Iron Man and the idea of heroes.

The Many Faces of Thor

The Many Faces of Thor

The Many Faces of Captain America

The Many Faces of Captain America

Godzilla VS. The Hotel Guest

Luxury Hotel. Kabukicho nightlife district. Godzilla.

It's hard to imagine this didn't already exist in Japan, but at long last, the Godzilla themed hotel (Hotel Gracery Shinjuku) opened last Friday. The theatre attached to the hotel has a life-sized Heisei Godzilla appearing at the top of the building, breaking through the roof. There are Godzilla-view rooms (6 designated as such0 that are already booked months in advance. Godzilla themed rooms are also available, as seen in the pictures below, along with Godzilla desserts, food, gifts, memorabilia, and smaller statues throughout the hotel. It looks like I'll have to do some traveling and experience this for myself!

The Many Faces of Iron Man

The Many Faces of  . . .

As we count down to The Avengers: Age of Ultron, we'll showcase the characters as they have been seen over the past few years outside of the comic book form. Their appearances are varied and change in style.  It's always fun to see our favorite heroes in different styles! 

The Many Faces of Iron Man

The Muppets go Mockumentary

Following the news that ABC is producing a new Muppet Show, Entertainment weekly has released more details about the revival. EW states that the show will be a mockumentary-style show in the style of The Office and Parks & Rec. It is also described as having the same feel as 30 Rock. Interestingly enough, Tina Fey said she loosely based 30 Rock off the Muppets and The Muppet Show, which brings the whole cycle full circle.

The concept so far is that the Muppets are trying to launch a new show and do what they do best, a variety show. The official statement from ABC is as follows:
ABC’s official new logline reads: “

The Muppets return to prime time with a contemporary, documentary-style show that—for the first time ever—will explore the Muppets’ personal lives and relationships, both at home and at work, as well as romances, break-ups, achievements, disappointments, wants and desires; a more adult Muppet show, for kids of all ages.”

One can only speculate what "adult" issues the Muppets would tackle in their new show. We already know Walter's history from Disney's The Muppets. Kermit's life is pretty well documented, from his early years in Kermit's Swamp Years to how he became the famous frog he is today in The Muppet Movie. We met Fozzie's family in A Muppet Family Christmas. Gonzo had is own movie in Muppets from Space and he is the Prince of Plungers. Piggy, well, we don't know a ton about Miss Piggy besides she is a model, speaks French (somewhat), UN interpreter, perfume expert, etc.

We'll just have to wait and see what ABC has in store but hopefully they will return the Muppets back to their roots as a variety show breaking bounds and appropriate for all ages.

Disney Descendants Poster Reveal

Disney Channel is taking a chance and bringing the Disney universe together in Disney Descendants, the Disney Channel original movie that may be the precursor to a new series. Above is the newly revealed poster.

Here's the description:
In a present day idyllic kingdom, the benevolent teenaged son of the King and Queen (Beast and Belle from Disney’s iconic "Beauty and the Beast") is poised to take the throne. His first proclamation: offer a chance at redemption to the trouble-making offspring of Cruella De Vil, Maleficent, The Evil Queen and Jafar who have been imprisoned on a forbidden island with all the other villains, sidekicks, evil step-mothers and step-sisters.

These villainous descendants are allowed into the kingdom to attend prep school alongside the offspring of iconic Disney heroes. However, the evil teens face a dilemma. Should they follow in their nefarious parents’ footsteps and help all the villains regain power or embrace their innate goodness and save the kingdom?


Should be interesting to say the least. The cast includes Dove Cameron (Liv & Maddie) as Mal, daughter of Maleficent (Ummmm . . . who's the father? Maleficent died in a fiery death). Cameron Boyce (Jessie) as Carlos, the son of Cruella De Vil (And the father is . . .?). We also have Kristen Chenoweth as Maleficent and Kathy Najimy as the Evil Queen. Other Disney villains and heroes represented include Fa Mulan, Aurora, Cinderella, Jafar, the Fairy Godmother, and others. It seems any adult character in the Disney films may have a child.

I'm mostly curious about the explanation that will be given to tie all of the Disney properties together. Besides the idea that a kingdom exists with all the characters existing at the same time, it's all very fun sounding but it raises a lot of questions. I'm curious to see the island the villains and such are banished to. Is it like Monster Island?

No release date has been set yet, so stay tuned for more information!

The Doctor is in . . . on DisneyXD!

That's right Doctor, you're on Disney!

We are huge fans of "Doctor Who" here at the blog and boy do we have exciting news! The David Tennant seasons of "Doctor Who" will be airing on DisneyXD! The news comes from Variety.

DisneyXD will air seasons two through four starting with "New Earth" preview on May 9. The series will continue to roll out daily starting June 13.

“Disney XD is recognized for its family-friendly programming, making the channel a great partner to introduce the David Tennant seasons of ‘Doctor Who’ to a new generation of viewers,” said Matt Forde, exec VP of sales and co-productions in TV at BBC Worldwide North America, in a statement.

The Doctor has been through almost all of time and space and now he's landing on DisneyXD for a new generation. It's hard not to fall in love with the Doctor. The Doctor will be a wonderful addition to the DisneyXD line-up which is currently crowded with comedies that remain a little lackluster. Doctor Who will bring some much needed action, adventure, and timey-wimeyness to the channel. The brilliant stories (Blink, for instance), wit, and intelligence will inspire viewers and maybe even challenge their conceptions of time and space . . . and statues. 

So tune in and whatever you do . . . don't blink!

Ant-Man Trailer 1 - Sweet like a honey ant!

The second Ant-Man trailer was released today! This time around we get a much better idea of the tone of the film and get to see more of the characters.

Let's start with my favorite thing about this trailer - the ants. I'm already a fan of the Formicidae, but it was way cool to see different species of ants get starring roles in this trailer. What looked like red, black, and potentially honey ants will grace the big screen in July. Something like this probably hasn't been seen since Them! (Kill one and two take its place!) in the 1950s. The red ants even exhibit rafting behavior to protect Scott!

Yellowjacket is seen in all of his gold and black glory. The suit he wears is way cool for a villain. Not only tech but has a very arthropod look and feel to it. Yellow jackets are mean insects to begin with and this villain seems no different. It appears that we have a man who does not understand power, but craves money and respect above all else, no matter the cost.

I'm really excited about the fight sequences, too. Changing size in the middle of a punch, running up a gun barrel, it all seems fresh and new and will hopefully be as astounding and fun as we see here. 

We also get a good sense of the tone of Ant-Man. It's fun and quirky, much like Guardians of the Galaxy, but still retains a serious tone about powers and what that means for the individual and for the public. Powers like these must be used responsibly. Especially after Age of Ultron hits, it'll be a different MCU.

I also love the color palette in this film, the reds, blues, and yellows. We also get to see more of Hank Pym and Hope Van Dyne. I really like seeing Michael Douglas as Pym. He brings a lot of wisdom to the role that seems to have been learned through mistakes. Evangeline Lily as Hope Van Dyne appears to be quite the ally and she alludes to being Wasp perhaps? I mean, she does seem to know a lot about the suit and its powers.

Overall, great trailer and I am beyond excited for this film that will end Phase 2 of the MCU!

Spider-Man and Kingpin in the MCU

Ever since it was announced that Spider-Man will join the MCU and have his own reboot film, there has been speculation about whether or not Spidey will be Peter Parker or Miles Morales or some other version from the Spider-verse. Especially with the idea of the Civil War storyline looming in the third Captain America film, where will Peter be in his life?

Kevin Feige, the man who is overseeing the MCU, had this to say:

“We want to play with Spider-Man in the high school years because frankly there’ve been five Spider-Man films and the amazing thing about it is, even though there’ve been five Spider-Man films, there are so many things from the comics that haven’t been done yet. Not just characters or villains or supporting characters, but sides to his character. The most obvious being the ‘young, doesn’t quite fit in’ kid before his powers, and then the fella that puts on a mask and swings around and fights bad guys and doesn’t shut up, which is something we want to play with and we’re excited about.”

     -Collider.com 

I am quite thrilled that the MCU will see Spider-Man as the one and only Peter Parker. He'll be brought back to his origins, which will put him in an interesting place in the universe. In all the film versions, Peter has been at the end of his high school career. Tobey Maguire played him as the lovable geek and Andrew Garfield played him as the smart, somewhat angsty, popular kid (maybe popular is a strong word but he sure wasn't a geek). Both versions got the smart part right, but what about the smart-aleck? Where were the quips and puns and witty banter that is one of Spider-Mans greatest powers? I guess that's the writers fault. I can't wait to see how the Avengers, Doctor Strange, and Daredevil handle this kid who swings through New York and delivers the one-liners like a vaudeville act.

What is also interesting now is the  introduction of Wilson Fisk, or Kingpin, in Marvel's Daredevil on Netflix. This MCU Kingpin is ruthless and violent. Fisk will prove to be a formidable foe for our teenage hero, giving rise to a dynamic that will surely fit right in. The introduction of Kingpin will hopefully open up some wonderful villains and storylines in the MCU. 

Here's what wikipedia reminds us about Civil War and Spider-Man:

Fisk appears in the Civil War War Crimes one-shot, in which he offers information about Captain America's Resistance base to Iron Man, the leader of the pro-Registration forces in exchange for a reduced sentence. However, as his status in prison is threatened for collaborating with Stark, he betrays him. He then puts out a hit on Spider-Man and his loved ones after Iron Man convinced Spider-Man to publicly reveal his identity as a means of demonstrating his support for the Superhuman Registration Act. This results Spider-Man's Aunt May gravely wounded by a sniper's attempt to kill Spider-Man. After tracing the event back to Kingpin, Spider-Man confronts Kingpin in prison and badly beats in front of his fellow inmates. He decides to let the Kingpin live with the humiliation of his defeat, news of which will quickly spread through the Underworld. He vows, however, to kill the Kingpin if May dies.

Remember MCU creative folks, with great power comes great responsibility. I trust you can do it!

Daredevil - Episode 1 "Into the Ring" Review

Netflix Originals and Marvel Studios have teamed up to give the Marvel Cinematic Universe Daredevil. The series premiered today on Netflix with the first 13 episodes available for binge watching. Dark and gritty, Daredevil brings new a fresh feel to the MCU that is real and unpleasant. This isn't your hammer wielding Norse god or wise-cracking teenage superhero, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) is a masked vigilante looking to uphold the saying, "Justice is blind."

The series opens dramatically with Murdock's origin story taking center stage and being told in a matter of minutes. A horrific car crash, Murdock as a young boy saves a life, and an unknown chemical from the crash has left him blind. Fast forward to the present and Murdock is a lawyer starting is own practice with best friend Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson). 

The first episode is all set-up for the character of Matt Murdock but doesn't get tied-up in his origin story, but rather begins to establish the universe in which Daredevil inhabits. No incredible technology like Tony Stark, no Asgard, no Goblins, and certainly no mutants, Murdock inhabits the very real and grounded setting of Hell's Kitchen, New York. Crime lords reign, violent murders are present, and corporations are corrupt. We are introduced to all of these things and more as the underbelly of New York crawls from the sewers and tests the skills of Murdock as both vigilante and lawyer.

The color scheme reminds me of a Guillermo del Toro movie, a very earthly, dark palette, with reds, yellows, and browns making up most of what we see on screen. Very different from the heightened reality that the Avengers or Spider-Man movies create. However, Daredevil does not ignore the Chitauri invasion, which actually builds the foundation for the plot of the first episode. It is nice to see continuity is present in the MCU. Daredevil also is dressed in the very classic black costume in the first episode. Eventually he will move to the trademark horned-red costume, but it is yet to be seen. 

Violence plays a large role in Daredevil, showing wonderfully choreographed fight sequences. they are generally dark since most take place at night, but you can clearly see the action. Also, they camera is not shy to continue to show the violence rather than let your imagination fill in the holes. You will see blood, you will see death, and you will see the unexpected and cringe worthy. But it all adds to this unique atmosphere being created for Hell's Kitchen. It is unpleasant, ruthless, and unjust. Daredevil takes care of what The Avengers, the X-Men, and Spider-Man do not, the everyday normal crimes, murders, and gang wars that seize control of the common man and leaves him helpless. 

While Daredevil has never been one of my favorite superheros, I think Netflix has brought justice to this vigilante and I look forward to watching the rest of the series. I was actually hoping to be disappointed in this series to prove my point as to why I dislike Daredevil, but I have been happily proved wrong and will continue to watch as the Kingpin tries to take over Hell's Kitchen. 

On to episode 2!

The Hatbox ghost Reappears!

Disney has announced that the Hatbox Ghost will reappear in May at the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland Park! 

The Hatbox ghost was last visible in the Mansion in 1969 when the attraction first opened. But due to the hatbox effect not working as well as intended, the Hatbox Ghost disappeared into the Mansion not to be seen until now.

This news comes right off the heels of the announcement of Ryan Gosling in talks to star in the new Haunted Mansion film by Guillermo Del Toro. The film has been in development for some years now. It was announced at Comic-Con in 2010. The script is being written by D.V. DeVincentis ("High Fidelity"). At the blog, we are long time fans of Del Toro and can't wait to see what he has in store for this legendary attraction.

It will be amazing to see the Hatbox Ghost back in the Mansion. Not only will the Disney legend reappear for fans but a whole new generation of fans can get acquainted with the hardest of the happy haunts to find! Who knows, maybe he's been following park guests home all these years.

How long will the Hatbox ghost reappear? That is undetermined. Let's hope this is a sign of more film news to follow.

Godzilla VS. PS4

It looks like PS4 will get another Godzilla game this summer, Godzilla VS. As the title suggests, Godzilla VS. will be an online multiplayer versus experience following on the tail of the Godzilla game (Bandai Namco) that was previously released in Japan and is now is being released this summer for PS3 and PS4. All the kaiju will be available, including Space Godzilla. Notice in the video MechaGodzilla II is decked out with his additional weapons pack. The character models look great and hopefully the game will be monstrously fun! Stay tuned for more news when it arrives!

Funkos - Brought to you by the Letters P-O-P!

The wonderful folks at Funko have done it again! In case you didn't think that the Sesame Street Muppets could look any cuter, POP! releases their line of Sesame characters. The first series includes Ernie, Bert, Super Grover, Cookie Monster, Oscar, Count von Count, Elmo, Grover, Snuffy, and Big Bird. Take a look at all of that cuteness. C'mon, even Oscar seems happy! That's ten, ten amazing vinyls, ah ah ah!

Snuffy is a 6" POP! vinyl and so is Big Bird. They all look so great!

Entertainment Earth has a number of them up for pre-order with an estimated delivery date of June 2015. The regular sized figures are $9.99 and the 6" figures are $14.99.

It's Time to Get Things Started with the Muppet Show Revival

The Muppets and Bill Prady (inset)

In case you've been walled up in a basement by pigs with only a spoon to make your escape, you may have missed the amazing news - The Muppets are getting a revival on ABC!

The Hollywood Reporter and other news sources tell us that the new series will be filming a pilot that could go straight to series. The new pilot is being co-written by Bill Prady of The Big Bang Theory and Bob Kushell of Anger Managment and 3rd Rock from the Sun and will be executive produced and directed by Randall Einhorn of Wilfred.

The show be a variety format with old and probably new characters alike. A mention of Fozzie and his girlfriend seems interesting. The pilot episode is said to have the Muppets meeting at ABC studios to discuss the new Muppet Show, but Miss Piggy is holding things up.

I certainly hope the show will be picked up. We had a close call a few years back when a pilot was being shopped around but was ultimately passed on. As Muppet Moments premieres on Disney Junior today, let's hope we get Muppets in more than just interstitial and short clips. Let's also hope that we get a full cast of characters. It seems that past characters, like Robin, Sweetums, and the crew of the Swinetrek, have been pushed aside for the creation of new characters like Walter and Constantine.

Buzzfeed also has an interview full of amazing gifs of Kermit answering 29 questions. He tells all about karaoke, divas, Miss Piggy, and One Direction. Check it out!

Disney Junior premiered Muppet Moments today on Disney Junior. You can check out a few of them on Disney Junior's Youtube page! Muppets and kids talk about counting, silly faces, hugs, and singing. And Rowlf's there!

Now go watch some Muppets!

Review: Star Vs. the Forces of Evil

Star Vs. the Forces of Evil

DisneyXD

Monday night saw the premiere of Star Vs. the Forces of Evil, created by Daron Nefcy on DisneyXD.  I have to admit that the theme song is quite catchy and easily gets stuck in your head. The opening is manic, bright, and filled with rainbows and puppies. The show is 22 minutes with two eleven minute episodes with single plots.

The show is about Star Butterfly (voiced by Eden Sher) a princess from another dimension called Mewni. She is exiled to Earth by her parents and quickly falls in with Marco Diaz (voiced by Adam McArthur). Star wields a magical wand, one with powers she has yet to master, and Marco is a safety nut who knows karate. Also, there are puppies with laser eyes.

The first episode introduces the main characters, the main settings, and the main plot. For some reason, a little bird like creature named Ludo (voiced by Alan Tudyk) wants to take over the universe, and to do so he needs Star's wand. He has a bunch of animal lackeys that help carry out his misdeeds. Of course, the villains are completely inept.

In the second episode, we are introduced to the rather brash Flying Princess Pony Head (voiced by Jenny Slate). She is basically a floating unicorn head with dimensional scissors - scissors that can cut into any dimension. Pony Head is full of bad advice, jealousy, and is rather selfish. Star just wants her two besties, Pony Head and Marco, to be friends which leads to dimensional travel with some minor consequences. 

The show is colorful, has some fun art design, and has a cute end credits sequence. I'm hoping there is more of a story arc to the episodes that tie them all together. I like that magic is readily acceptable in the Earthly dimension, rather than something that needs to be feared or hidden. With only the first episode, it's hard to make any judgement calls now. But my first impression is that of a fun, cute show that goes for big visual jokes. Let's hope this show will be a star in the DisneyXD line-up as it grows.

Should you tune-in for episodes? That's up to you. I'm a little indifferent after the first episode. I wasn't impressed or turned-off to it. It just needs to grow a little, just like it's main character.

Godzilla 2016 Accouncement

It looks like Toho has discovered the footprint of a new species of Godzilla. This is the only known image to surface from the anticipated Godzilla 2016 movie produced by Toho Studios, the original creators of Godzilla. According to Variety, Toho has also stated that Japanese filmmakers Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi will co-direct the new Godzilla flick. The directors previously worked on God Warrior Appears in Tokyo.

“Ever since Hollywood announced that Godzilla was to be resurrected, the expectation for another Japanese Godzilla grew. And if we were to newly produce, we looked into Japanese creators who were the most knowledgeable and who had the most passion for Godzilla” according to a statement from Toho.

Looking at the image of the foot, it appears that Godzilla will have more in common with 'Zilla than any precious incarnation of the Big-G. Notice the five toes and what looks like almost a vestigial toe on the right. It is also more dinosaur looking in appearance with long curved nails and thing long toes. Godzilla 2014 had trunk link legs and toes with squat nails. Looks like 2016 will be lean and fast. Lets hope this Godzilla can live up to the iconic creation Gareth Edwards unleashed last year.