Three more actors are set to join the already star studded cast in Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven and Juno Temple. According to the Playlist, details on the characters are being kept under wraps. This trio will be joining Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Jamie King, Dennis Haysbert and the previously mentioned Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Josh Brolin and Chris Meloni.

Ray Liotta is enjoying a bit of a resurgence in recent months, having starred alongside Brad Pitt in Killing The Softly and several new films landing in theaters this year. Temple was most recently seen in The Dark Knight Rises as Selina Kyle’s accomplice and will also be featured in numerous films this year.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For  will arrive in theaters October 4th, 2013

Josh "ecksmanfan" Johnson, Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven and Juno Temple Join Sin City Sequel

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Brad Bird Shows Off An Amazing Unused Incredibles Poster

• It’s off to Jotunheim, the land of the Frost Giants as Bruce Banner and his lab team embark on an all-new secret mission for S.H.I.E.L.D! Caught trespassing by the local natives, they’re going to need the help of the mighty Avenger, Thor!

Waid is excited to get Simonson on the book and having the legendary artist draw Thor again. While Thor will be showing up, the question should be which Thor is showing up? Waid makes an interesting  statement about the Thor we’ll be seeing:

Why on Earth would you have the amazing Walt Simonson aboard and NOT ask him to draw Thor? The teasing question is–which Thor will we be seeing? Banner and his team of assistants build a portal to Jotunheim, land of the Frost Giants, in order to obtain a rare metal there–but in doing so, they may have accomplished something totally unforeseen!

While we’ll have to wait and see exactly what Waid means, Simonson touched on revisiting the world of Thor and how he goes about tackling the Hulk:

It’s been interesting drawing Thor and not writing him. (laughs) I like what Mark’s been asking me to draw a lot, and he has kindly allowed me to kibitz a little. My earliest work on Thor was done pretty much the same way when I did layouts for Len Wein to write on the Thor title in the 70s. I also got to draw Thor in some of the Brian Bendis Avengers recently. I’ve found it’s been a lot of fun for me to go back and revisit the old boy again.

Regarding the drawing the Hulk and Thor, there’s an essential difference in their natures I try to reflect in the figure work.
I’ve approached drawing the Hulk with a certain ‘wildness’, since he is essentially a ‘monster’ who is the unfettered version of a mortal. The shapes that make up his figure as well as the actual lines used to define those shapes can be far less restrained that they might otherwise be for a more ordinary character. In other words, the drawing technique itself is meant to suggest the limitless quality of the Hulk’s fury and power. And because of his ‘monstrous’ nature, the Hulk’s figure and face don’t require the kind of symmetry that a character like Thor needs in order to be handsome within the context of the comic. I’m also inspired by the earliest versions of the Hulk by Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko where there seems to me to have been a nod to the Karloff Frankenstein monster of the early Universal horror films. All of which means I can pack a lot into my drawings to try to capture some reflection of the Hulk’s wild nature.

If you want to check out the full interview with Waid and Simonson click here. It will be exciting to see Simonson taking on Thor again. The artist did some incredibly work with the thunder god back in the day, so having him return to draw again mixed in with it being a Hulk book makes this a must get. What do you think about Simonson’s return? From what Mark Waid said do you think we’ll get a big twist with the Thor story?

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Waid And Simonson Talk Indestructible Hulk

Ralph is a very simple movie at heart, but has plenty of deeper messages.  Kids will see what they want, and so will adults.  Kids will see a man who thinks he is bad be a good person.  Adults will see a complex film about heroes and their somewhat ambiguous morality.  It’s amazing how easily the movie balances these two extremes.  Never does the audience feel like these plot twists are forced or shoved in for the sake of it.  Everything feels natural for the story.  The plot does a great job of giving the audience to care for each and every character.  Even a character like King Candy, who turns out to be a villain for the movie.  The rules of the world are also stated nicely.  The audience doesn’t have to sit through some long exposition scene about how and why they game jump.  The rules are brought up naturally, or in a funny way.

Yes, there are video game references a plenty.  They go from obscure arcade games like Tappers, to main stream characters like Sonic.  The majority of Ralph takes place in a Mario Kart knock off, with plenty of jokes at that series.  It should take a couple viewings to get all of the hints and nods to games.  While many movies have tried to have their setting be a video game, none have succeeded.  But Ralph soars in this setting.  It’s clear the creators have a love for video games, and know what they are about.  There are plenty of jokes at modern and classic video games, but there is a respect behind those jokes.

The special effects are on the same level of Pixar.  8-bit characters move in quick motions, as they would when playing the game.  If something in an 8-bit game splashes, the puddles are squares.  It’s a small thing, but goes a long way to help sell the world that these characters are in.  Another big thing is having every character react as they would in their game.  On a small scale, this is to be expected.  But when there is a huge scene, filled with hundreds of characters, every character acts accordingly.  Sonic is in the background of one of these scenes, and we see him get hit with debris.  Naturally, he starts blinking and shoots out coins.  He was so far in the background, I almost missed it.

Wreck-It Ralph isn’t perfect though.  While the writing is great in most scenes, occasionally the writing gets a little on the nose with their message.  The movie treads the line well of adult and kid content, but the script creeps into preachy territory every so often.  It’s jarring, considering there are a few scenes that are quite dark emotionally, and filled with subtlety.  Then we go to a scene that lays everything out on the table.  It doesn’t ruin the movie by any means, but it could have been changed.

The voice actors create a great team.  No one steals the show, but they all work together to create a better movie.  John C. Riley makes Ralph lovable, and instantly the audience feels for the guy.  Sarah Silverman makes Vanellope annoying as hell, then the audience’s heart just breaks for her.  Her voice is one of the few who can’t be picked out right away.  Jane Lynch plays the tough as nails commander well, in a tongue-in-cheek fashion.  Jack McBryer was hysterical as Fix It Felix.  But the biggest surprise was that Alan Tudyk played King Candy.  He sounds nothing like Tudyk’s normal voice.  And as I have always said, “Putting Alan Tudyk in your movie ALWAYS makes it better.”

If Wreck-It Ralph proves one thing, it’s that kids don’t need a movie that coddles them.  Ralph deals with some heavy emotions that are accentuated by some perfectly voiced scenes.  It seemed almost un-Disney to have these characters so sad.  But it works.  Kids loved the movie, and many were screaming that they wanted to see it again.

Wreck-It Ralph gets 4/5.

MrComicBook, Wreck-It Ralph Review

Dark Country is a film that starred Thomas Jane as well as featured Jane’s directorial debut that has been made into a graphic novel with art by Thomas Ott through RAW studios founded by Thomas Jane and Eisner award nominated illustrator and production designer Tim Bradstreet.

Reading through the graphic novel I was immediately taken in by the art of not only Ott, but by how telling the story is without a word being printed within the page. You get to find out a lot about a story with no real words in it, and that art that is used. It’s a dark story, with a noir like feel and a twist that has the same feel as some of the great stories told.

Already a fan of the motion picture and the ride it takes you as a reader on I jumped at the chance to review this graphic novel and knew that I wouldn’t be disappointed. With 70 pages of Ott’s amazing scratch art, and with almost 50 pages of behind the scenes extras from the film, and the original short story that inspired the film by Tab Murphy it’s a definite must have. The graphic novel is now in hardback and available at a comic book store near you, or online to purchase as well!

A little about RAW Studios: RAW Studios, founded by actor Thomas Jane (The Punisher, The Mist, Hung) and in partnership with Eisner Award nominated illustrator/production designer Tim Bradstreet (The Punisher, Hellblazer, Criminal Macabre) and their able crew of talented creators. RAW Studios is the comics and book publishing arm of RAW Entertainment. The subjects of our books reflect our love for the heady days of EC Comics, with a dash of Creepy and Eerie, and a heavy dose of today’s top talented creators. Horror, Sci-Fi, Crime, and Fantasy. What we offer is an ALTERNATIVE to the spandex and cape-wearing creations of big publishers. But ultimately, we’re here to remind folks how good comics can be.

Michael Worthan, Dark Country Graphic Novel Review

Up for day 2 is the film Paranormal Activity 2. Last year we only spoke of the first one, so this year we’ll get to the rest of the franchise. I’ll attempt to keep spoilers to a minimum. The film is 2 years old after all.

The film opens with the main protagonist, Kristi, talking with her sister Katie (yes, the Katie from the first Paranormal Activity) about experiences they had when they were kids. This shows that the beginning of PA2 is actually taking place before the first part of the franchise. When the main plot of the movie kicks in, the events of the first movie are already happening. We see Kristi’s family (a husband, a step-daughter, and a new born baby) living in a house in California. One night the family comes back to their home that has been broken into and to prevent it from happening again, they install a security camera system.  After the security system is installed the family starts to notice odd things happening around the home. From the nanny quitting because of a bad vide the house gave, to moving objects, to shadowy figures creeping about. When the film ends, it ends after the first film ends.

Personally, this is my favorite installment of the franchise. I think it did everything a good sequel should do. It continued the story if the first film and it built on the mythos that the first film introduced while providing great scares. This one is high on my rewatch list.

Happy Hauntings!

JordanGhastly, 31 in 31 V.2 Day 2

Is that time again and Mitch has 2 movie reviews for you all. Magic Mike and Ted. Lets see what Mitch has to say about them and if you should go see these flicks:

Agent Burgos, Movies With Mitch: Magic Mike & Ted

“The Expendables 2″ – CLIP – “Sniper”

Here’s the synopsis:

The Expendables are back and this time it’s personal… Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), Yin Yang (Jet Li), Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren),Toll Road (Randy Couture) and Hale Caesar (Terry Crews) — with newest members Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth) and Maggie (Yu Nan) aboard — are reunited when Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) enlists the Expendables to take on a seemingly simple job. The task looks like an easy paycheck for Barney and his band of old-school mercenaries. But when things go wrong and one of their own is viciously killed, the Expendables are compelled to seek revenge in hostile territory where the odds are stacked against them. Hell-bent on payback, the crew cuts a swath of destruction through opposing forces, wreaking havoc and shutting down an unexpected threat in the nick of time — six pounds of weapons-grade plutonium; enough to change the balance of power in the world. But that’s nothing compared to the justice they serve against the villainous adversary who savagely murdered their brother. That is done the Expendables way….

The film will not be directed by Sylvester Stallone but by Simon West (“Lara Croft: Tomb Raider”) who directs the film from a script written by the duo Ken Kaufman and David Agosto.

The Expendables 2 is scheduled to debut Aug. 17, 2012.

wolverinept, First Clip For The Expendables 2 Arrives

DC Entertainment and comic book retailers across North America are declaring Thursday, July 19 “The Dark Knight Rises” Day to celebrate the arrival of this summer’s most anticipated film opening in theaters and IMAX ® on Friday, July 20.   Fans who visit their local comic book retailer on July 19 will receive a free, special edition comic book featuring several exclusive previews of current and upcoming Batman comic books and graphic novels. More than 500,000 copies of the free Batman comic book will be handed out that day on a first-come, first-served basis.
The free Batman: Earth One Special Preview Edition comic book features the first chapter of the highly anticipated graphic novel Batman Earth One written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Gary Frank, as well as a preview of Batman Vol. 1 The Court of Owls, the New York Times #1 best-selling graphic novel collection of the hit series written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Greg Capullo.

“The arrival of The Dark Knight Rises in theaters is a seminal moment for comic book readers and moviegoers; what better way to mark the occasion than with a free Batman comic book that rewards a broad range of fans and taps into the unprecedented excitement surrounding this film,” stated DC Entertainment Vice President of Marketing, John Cunningham.

Well, not sure about being the MOST anticipated movie hehehe. I really enjoyed Superman Earth One, so lets see how good this one is.

Fans can find a comic book retailer in their area by visiting Comic Shop Locator.

Agent Burgos, COMIC BOOK SHOPS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA TO CELEBRATE “THE DARK KNIGHT RISES” DAY

Has it been that long already on this one? Wow, who would ever thought an innocent family move into a new sprawling suburban community could be such a horror? Heheh… Yes, its blockbuster season for the movies and Comic Book Therapy takes another nostalgic lookback at a blockbuster classic from years past! On June 4th, 1982, we were taken into a new level of haunted house problems more than ever before.  Steven Spielberg and director Toby Hooper’s nightmare masterpiece and one of Hollywood’s most celebrated films on paranormal invasion: POLTERGEIST!

Poltergeist Original 1982 Trailer

Spielberg, still coming off the success of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND back in 1977, and his direction masterwork on RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK in 1981,  took his own writing and producing craft up another notch into the great beyond of the spirit realm.  POLTERGEIST was directed by none other than horror master Toby Hooper (TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974)) and starred and kickstarted the movie careers of ’80s film stars Craig T. Nelson, and JoBeth Williams.

What resulted, was an ghostly epic beyond other haunted house films at the time, and grossed over $120 million in box office receipts alone and made watching the static of an end-of-broadcast day screen on the TV all the more frightening to this day. It was also a film that brought to light the technology and phenomena of paranormal investigators and psychic mediums at work in their search for the truth in alleged ghost sightings. It also brought to public fascination, the wonders of what is on the “other side” when one lost soul ventures into the afterlife, and brought the phrase “Carol Ann, don’t go into the light” into popularity for years on.

Heather O’Rourke – Poltergeist 1982 / Part – “They’re here.”

Eric Schock, head of EVIL ROBO PRODUCTIONS comic book studios, offers his controversial view on the dark history of this amazing ghost fright flick as well:

According to reports accumulated in Wikipedia(Read “The Poltergeist curse” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poltergeist_(film_series) from various media research, POLTERGEIST was plagued by the deaths of several actors that appeared in the series of the first and third movies of the POLTERGEIST trilogy. Further note from this wiki, states the legendary curse of the film was fueled by the fact they used real cadavers in several scenes in the film. What made the curse and tragedy so notorius afterward was to the fact that two of the deceased actors from the films were of the main Freeling family (the character family from the first and second movies); that being both daughters in the story, Heather O’Rourke as Carol Anne Freeling(from illness) and Dominique Dunne as Dana Freeling (murdered).

Eric’s own view of the film:

“It was pretty experimental for its time. The overall movie had such a pull for the viewers. It made me think about the darkness that might be out there, and the respect that you need to have for the dead. Don’t build anything over a graveyard to save on cash, cause you will not like what will happen.”

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At the just beginnings of the films’ popularity from over the summer and a subsequent Halloween release that first year, Dominique Dunne’s murder occured on November 4, 1982, the most publicized as the movie had just been out only five months in. Just with that, the first death alone added more for the film’s notoriety from its own popularity the first year and onward.

Original Film Release poster

All in all, Spielberg and  Hooper gave us a haunt classic that seats itself right next to other legends like THE EXORCIST in giving us the creeps on all things supernatural.

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Stay tuned for next week…when we salute thirty years of Spielberg’s more happier and wondrous side of film classics: another 1982 hit about a lovable alien being from far off who only wants to get home….E.T., THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL! (Note: It was a matter of fact released ONE WEEK after POLTERGEIST too!)  See you all then!

DocBBanner, 30 Years Of NEVER Heading Into The Light, Comic Book Therapy Salutes POLTERGEIST!

I saw some interesting movies this week. What did I think of the last Harry Potter film and True Grit? Watch and find out.

ZenithWillRule, Movie Log: Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2 and True Grit (Part 1)