Author: Ed Sum

I'm a freelance videographer and entertainment journalist (Absolute Underground Magazine, Two Hungry Blokes, and Otaku no Culture) with a wide range of interests. From archaeology to popular culture to paranormal studies, there's no stone unturned. Digging for the past and embracing "The Future" is my mantra.

Tony Stark is Back! Two more Avengers movies confirmed!

If the numbers are any indication, he has collected $80 million in total for both Avengers and Iron Man 3.

Tony-Stark-iron-man-2268535-605-872Actor Robert Downey Jr. will continue playing the multi-billionaire playboy industrialist character for two more Avengers sequels. That’s good news for those keeping tabs at the behind the scenes wrangling about his role in this expanding cinematic universe. Although nothing has been revealed as to whether or not his contract includes more Iron Man films, and fans can only hope.

At least they can breathe a collective sigh of relief because no other actor can replace Stark. And to even try may well cast doom for the entire Marvel movie universe. Unlike Doctor Doom, a man behind the mask, this character really needs a face, and the charm that only Downey Jr. can instill into the character.

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The Croods Go Crazy!

The Croods is more than a Flintstone Family conundrum, and it explores the problems siblings face with their parents.

The CroodsWriter/Creator Chris Sanders shows that he rarely strays far from what he knows is a good tale. In what he crafted for The Croods is more than a Flintstone Family conundrum, and it explores the problems siblings face with their parents.

But this movie is one tough rock to crack. It doesn’t have the same appeal as Sander’s breakout directorial hit, Lilo & Stitch, or his phenomenal adaptation of Cassandra Cowell’s How to Train Your Dragon. When the story has to deal with five characters attempting to share equal screen time, the problems of managing a cohesive family drama versus sit-com ala The Munsters is evident.

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It’s Amazing Spider-Man X Four!

Yes, there will most likely be a cross over with either Iron Man or the Avengers, and that would make for an Amazing Spider-Man series.

Amazing Spider-Man CROPSony Pictures has confirmed today that they are making two more movies to turn “Amazing Spider-Man” into a quadrilogy. The second film, already deep in production, will open May 2, 2014, with the third scheduled for June 10, 2016 and the fourth May 4th, 2018.

This announcement is no surprise when considering how well this reboot has done financially. As the pressure mounts to deliver a good product, with news of certain actors playing key villains, namely Electro and Rhino, maybe this film series is building up to a showdown with Spider-Man versus the Sinister Six. The founding members of this nefarious team consists of Sandman, Vulture, Electro, Kraven the Hunter and Mysterio. The question is, just how much will this team differ from its comic book counterpart?

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Man of Steel Delivers Plenty of Nolen-esque Appeal

Man of Steel has plenty of moments that will get fans past and present wondering about who this man embodying hope is.

Superman PosterFans of Christopher Nolan’s revisionist theory in redefining DC’s superheroes for the big screen—to explore the pathos behind the hero—will no doubt love Man of Steel. This movie is a bleaker product. Its post-modernist outlook on life and in who can forge their own destinies is at the heart of this film. This edgier type of storytelling is great, and to add-on top Zack Snyder’s testosterone based action-reaction mode of visual storytelling only reinforces the idea that this tale is a comic book product. This movie is more like something Grant Morrison or Alan Moore would write. But for the two filmmakers, Nolan and Snyder might have squared off a few times in deciding which parts of the film needed the whiz-bang action versus analysis of the life of what Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) aka Superman is meant to become.

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Escape from Planet Earth and; Hidden Messages, a Blu-Ray Review

Had Escape from Planet Earth have been more diligent with its message of mending fences then this movie might have fared better

Escape from Planet EarthFans of Brendan Fraser’s work will most likely find enjoyment with Escape from Planet Earth. He is the perfect fit to voice Scorch Supernova, a not-so bright hero from the planet Baab. This astronaut thinks might makes right when defending his world from mysterious forces from beyond his solar system. Most of the vocal talent like Jessica Alba,  George Lopez and Ricky Gervais fit in rather well to the character archetypes they are portraying in this film but this talent does not help save it from certain production problems. There is no clear target audience for Rainmaker Entertainment’s first foray into feature film development.

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“Thirst”-ing for more Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters

Watching this episode combines the best of several iconic films from this genre. Readers beware, spoilers are ahead.

Transformers Prime LogoSpoiler Alert

Not many Transformers Prime episodes are worth a full-on commentary after broadcast as the latest. “Thirst” brings back two favorites; one of them being Silus (voiced by Clancy Brown) who was unceremoniously dragged off to heaven knows where last season and presumably to be never mentioned again. Thankfully, the dangling plots are being addressed as this last season starts to wind down. As for this poor cybernaut, his transformation gets scarier and it harkens to many a product from horror movies.

Watching this episode combines the best of several iconic films from this genre. Readers beware, spoilers are ahead.

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