Comic Book Movie Round-Up #3: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

So, the third of our comic book movie round-ups is for the sequel to the highest-grossing movie reboot of all time (to date). It is...

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Director: Marc Webb
Writer: Screenplay by Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci and Jeff Pinkner from a story by James Vanderbilt
Provisional Release Date: April 18 2014 (UK); May 2 2014 (USA)

What We Know:

It was announced on July 5 2012 that The Amazing Spider-Man was the first in a new movie trilogy which would explore how Peter Parker's journey was 'shaped by the disappearance of his parents'.

The official synopsis for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was released on February 6 2013:

"In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, for Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), life is busy - between taking out the bad guys as Spider-Man and spending time with the person he loves, Gwen (Emma Stone), high school graduation can't come quickly enough. Peter hasn't forgotten about the promise he made to Gwen's father to protect her by staying away - but that's a promise he just can't keep. Things will change for Peter when a new villain, Electro (Jamie Foxx), emerges, an old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, and Peter uncovers new clues about his past."

Who's In?:

Andrew Garfield (Peter Parker/Spiderman), Emma Stone (Gwen Stacey) and Sally Field (Aunt May) will all reprise their original roles from The Amazing Spider-Man, along with Martin Sheen (Uncle Ben) who confirmed his return in December 2012.

New cast members for this instalment include- as stated above- Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx who is playing Electro and Dane DeHaan (Lawless, The Place Beyond The Fines) as Harry Osborn.

The Descendants actress Shailene Woodley will appear in the film as Mary Jane Watson.

Another Oscar-winning actor, Chris Cooper, has been cast as Norman Osborn. Whether he will make the transition to the Green Goblin is unclear.

Paul Giamatti (Sideways, Cinderella Man) will also appear as The Rhino, another of Spider-Man's comic-book adversaries

The Office actor BJ Novak will appear as an Oscorp employee whilst Colm Feore (Thor, Chicago) and Felicity Jones (The Tempest, Like Crazy) are also rumoured to appear in as-yet unspecified roles.

Marton Csokas (The Lord Of The Rings) has been cast. IMDb has him listed as Dr. Kafka which, in the comic-books, is a female character and founder of the Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane. It has not been officially confirmed who Csokas is playing.

Anything Else?

Sam Claflin (Snow White And The Huntsman), Eddie Redmayne (Les Miserables) and Douglas Booth (Christopher And His Kind) all screentested for the role of Harry Osborn before Dane DeHaan was confimed in the role in December 2012.

Writers Kurtzman and Orci have defended the use of multiple villains in the film, claiming that all are 'essential' to the film's plot. One of the main problems of Raimi's Spider-Man 3 was too many villains, not enough time. So long as they can be balanced and well-served by the script, I don't see a problem. However if they're just there 'just because' it's not going to work. We'll have to see what happens.

This will be the first Spider-Man film to be filmed entirely in New York State.

Filming started on February 4, 2013 (shooting on film rather than on digital) and several shots have been released, including those below:

Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn

Spider-Man in action

Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) meets Mary Jane Watson (Shailene Woodley)

Paul Giamatti as The Rhino

Jamie Foxx as Electro

Spider-Man's new suit

Several set photos that have emerged point to a major spoiler for the film's plot. Please click here to be redirected if you want to find out what it is.

Sony have recently denied rumours that they would sell the rights to the Spider-Man movie franchise to Marvel Studios; Sony co-chair Amy Pascal was quoted as saying it would 'never ever ever' happen. Spider-Man is the only Marvel creation whose movie rights are owned by Sony, so I can't see them wanting to relinquish them any time soon.

Footage from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will be shown at this year's San Diego Comic-Con International in July.

Review: Fast & Furious 6

Fast & Furious 6

First things first, a franchise of films that’s managed to not only make it part 6, but for the films to have missed the straight to rental market is impressive. On top of that these films still have the two main lead actors attached to them (of course not including Tokyo Drift – but watch part 6 and that instalment makes more sense!).

No matter your opinion on the Fast Franchise, the ridiculous imaginative sequel names and the then basic given up on naming them and just add 5 and 6 to the title! What you do have is a crime, action, car fuelled decade old story. The Fast and the Furious came out all the way back in 2001- which centred around the plot of an undercover cop (Paul Walker) who infiltrates an underworld subculture of Los Angeles street racers looking to bust a hijacking ring, and soon begins to question his loyalties when his new street racing friends (led by Vin Diesel) become the prime suspects. The original movie was a surprise hit that year, it tapped into the Max Power culture and delivered what is basicly a remake of Point Break with cars.

That film was the launchpad for Vin Diesel, he did not return for the sequels that followed, 2 Fast 2 Furious & Tokyo Drift (apart from a small cameo). The gear shift in this franchise was when in 2009 Fast & Furious (4) was released, with all the stars from the first film returning and the film was a following on of the story from that first film. This fourth film, but in many ways the first real sequel was a huge success and brought with it a follow up in Fast Five, which brought into the fold Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.

This brings us a decade or more on and we have Part 6 in the cinema – our heroes are living off the millions they acquired in film 5 during there Rio Heist. When Michelle Rodriguez' character believed dead is seen carrying out high speed Heist in Europe – a deal is made with the Rocks Federal Agent and gang are back together to track down Rodriguez and doing so they will be awarded pardons and a chance to return home to the USA.

Ludicrous plot, ridiculous premise – yes! But frankly who cares – the characters are so well oiled by now in this sixth adventure – the acting is superb, the chemistry between them all is awesome. Diesel is at his best in this film, Johnson is superb – proving why he’s become to be known as franchise saver (GI JOE?) - the entire cast get my hat off to them.

Luke Evans villain Shaw as an ex SAS gone crook – is slick, evil at its best. The action scenes in this film wouldn’t look out of place in a Bond movie – carried out to the absolute maximum – nothing this year will beat this film for real world set action set pieces. The scale is breath taking – scene after scene the film builds to what can only be described as the biggest action car action scene ever put to film.

This film is by far the best action movie in years – characters with depth, charm and wit portrayed by a great all round cast. The films style and direction is outstanding and frankly its a fun night out and a must have on a DVD shelf.

5 out of 5 – Rhys  

Programme 31 - Star Trek Special

The Watchers Film Show: Ep 31 - A Star Trek Special from The Watchers Film Show on Vimeo.

It's time to set phasers to stun and split those infinitives as we boldly go into the Star Trek movie franchise for our latest special programme.

Taking in every official movie, from Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) to the latest Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013), we chart the highs- and lows- of the franchise, ending with Rhys' assessment of JJ Abrams' latest.

Enjoy!

Programme 30: Iron Man 3, Olympus Has Fallen, Trance and 1970s Movies

The Watchers Film Show: Ep 30 from The Watchers Film Show on Vimeo.

Programme 30 is here to view!

In it, we discuss our favourite films of the 1970s- from seminal sci-fi to cult cross-dressing- as well as reviews of Danny Boyle's latest Trance and Olympus Has Fallen. 

We also take a look at Marvel's latest- the superhero romp Iron Man 3. But is it worthy of a gold medal- or should it be left to rust in peace?

Enjoy!

Withnail & I (1986)

I was deeply saddened at the death of Richard Griffiths, who sadly passed away at the end of March at the age of 65.

Griffiths was an accomplished stage actor, originating the role of Hector in Alan Bennett's The History Boys- for which he won an Olivier Award and a Tony for Best Actor- and appearing in The Sunshine Boys (opposite Danny DeVito) and Equus (with Daniel Radcliffe). On television, he appeared as Henry Crabbe in Pie In The Sky for five series and made guest appearances in The Vicar Of Dibley, Minder and Bergerac. On film, he took roles in films as diverse at The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), Superman II (1980), The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell Of Fear (1991), Stage Beauty (2004) and the film adaptation of The History Boys (2006). However, I think it's fair to say that Griffiths' film career can be defined by two roles: that of the snobbish Uncle Vernon in the Harry Potter franchise and as the lascivious Uncle Monty in Withnail & I.

Withnail & I is a true British cult classic. Written and directed by Bruce Robinson, it chronicles the misadventures of two dissolute actors (played by Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann) as they 'go on holiday by mistake'. Fed up of London, Withnail (Grant) sweet-talks his Uncle Monty (Griffiths) into letting them stay at his holiday cottage in Penrith. However, they have to contend with randy bulls and belligerent poachers... not to mention a surprise visit from Uncle Monty.

This was Richard E. Grant's first film role. Withnail (as written) is a dream character to play- pompous, flighty, indignant, theatrical and larger-than-life- and Grant's performance is truly memorable, railing against life's injustices and ejecting the eminently quotable dialogue with utter panache. Indeed, it was Grant's performance of the line 'FORK IT' which got him the role. Withnail is one of cinema's greatest and best-known drinkers but, famously, Grant is teetotal- only drinking once at the behest of Robinson and McGann so he could get an idea of what it felt like. Unsurprisingly, not a pleasant experience. There is a drinking game that can be played, where you match the characters drink for drink, but it's probably not advised (especially the lighter fluid!)

When you have a character as outrageous as Withnail, you need a more introspective counterbalance to stop things from going too far. McGann is indeed that balance as the anxious 'I' (known as Marwood in the published script; his surname can be seen briefly on the telegram delivered to Crow Crag). He provides the grounding to Withnail's fancifulness, but is not a boring cipher of a character. Indeed, his progression from 'resting actor' to 'leading man' shows the shift of the film from comedy to something more deep. The final scenes in Regents Park with Withnail and Marwood, now hair cut and suit worn, have a delicate poignancy to them.

Finally, the performance by Richard Griffiths as camp Uncle Monty is a pure delight from start to finish. Much like Grant's performance, Griffiths seems to delight in the dialogue, lines like 'as a youth, I used to weep in butchers' shops' dripping like honey from his mouth. Whilst Monty's attraction to Marwood is initially played for laughs, his unexpected gatecrashing of their holiday combined with an attempt to force himself on Marwood again switches the tone of the film from comedy to drama. There's an unexpected tenderness and sadness in Monty's plea for Marwood to 'give in' to his urges, reflecting the problems that gay men faced in the 1960s (homosexuality was only decriminalised in 1967). It's a truly bravura performance.

Withnail & I is a rarity in film in that every role is cast perfectly. Ralph Brown is hilarious as the philosophical Danny the Dealer and Michael Elphick is greatly menacing as Jake the poacher. Even minor roles- such as the belligerent Irishman who calls Marwood a 'ponce' or the uptight tea shop proprietor in Penrith- are brilliantly done. The tonal shift from broad comedy to drama is handled well; it's not a jarring turn from one to the other. From Monty's moving plea to Marwood, through to Danny's claim that 'the greatest decade in the history of mankind is over. And as Presuming Ed here has so consistently pointed out, we have failed to paint it black', the film ends with the feeling of an irrevocable change; Marwood has moved on from the shambolic life of Camden and things will not be the same again. It can easily be read as a metaphor for the fin-de-siecle feelings that accompanied the end of the 1960s.

If you've never seen this film, seek it out and watch it. If you have, it's certainly worth rewatching as a fitting tribute to the late, great Richard Griffiths who will be much missed.

Tez

Comic Book Movie Round-Up #2: Thor: The Dark World

Our second comic book movie round-up is on the second movie from Marvel's Phase Two collection (the first being Iron Man 3). It is...

Thor: The Dark World

Director: Alan Taylor
Writer: Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely from a story by Don Payne
Provisional Release Date: October 30 2013 (UK); November 8 2013 (US)

What We Know: The title of the Thor sequel was announced at Comic-Con in July 2012

Disney and Marvel Studios released the full synopsis for the film in October 2012.

"Marvel's Thor: The Dark World continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel's Thor and Marvel's The Avengers, Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos... but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all."

Who's In?: Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Anthony Hopkins (Odin), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), Kat Dennings (Darcy), Jaimie Alexander (Sif), Ray Stevenson (Volstagg), Idris Elba (Heimdall), Stellan Skarsgard (Dr Erik Selvig) and Rene Russo (Frigga) all reprise their roles from Thor.

New cast members include erstwhile Doctor Who Christopher Eccleston as Malekith The Accursed (leader of the Dark Elves) and Lost's Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje plays the dual role of Algrim The Strong who then becomes Kurse. Zachary Levi will play Fandrel, taking over the role from Joshua Dallas. Richard Brake and Clive Russell have also been cast.

Chris O'Dowd (Bridesmaids) has revealed he has recorded a single scene for the film.

Alice Krige, perhaps best known as the Borg Queen in Star Trek: First Contact, has been cast in a supporting role, with rumours she will be playing Alflyse, Queen of the Dark Elves.

It has been rumoured that Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale) was to play Malekith but was unable to take the role due to commitments on the Hannibal TV show.

Alan Taylor took over as director after original director Patty Jenkins left the project over 'creative differences'.

Anything Else?: Back in September, it was reported that the Marvel character Doctor Strange would appear in the film as a colleague of Jane Foster. Joel Edgerton was lined up for the role, but no follow up reports have emerged. There are plans for a Doctor Strange movie afoot so we'll just have to see if he turns up.

It was reported back in October 2012 that Natalie Portman was 'coerced' into returning to do the film. It was stated by TG Daily that Portman had no wish to be involved once Patty Jenkins withdrew but Marvel Studios exercised their right. 

Filming began in September 2012, with battle scenes filmed in Surrey:

Chris Hemsworth with his stunt double

Christopher Eccleston as Malekith 

At the start of April 2013, Marvel Studios offered a preview of the Phase Two films which included concept art and stills from Thor: The Dark World:

Programme 29: GI Joe: Retaliation, Welcome To The Punch, Stolen, Parker, Jack The Giant Killer, Premium Rush and Madagascar 3

The Watchers Film Show: Ep 29 from The Watchers Film Show on Vimeo.

Programme 29 is available to view!

In a veritable feast of film, we feature reviews of no less than SEVEN films: cinema releases G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Welcome To The Punch, Stolen, Parker and Jack The Giant Killer, and DVD releases Premium Rush and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted.

Enjoy!