Review: "Avengers: Infinity War" is the Marvel Movie Maximized

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 6 (of 2018) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Running time:  149 minutes (2 hours, 29 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action throughout, language and some crude references
DIRECTORS:  Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
WRITERS:  Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (based upon the comic book created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby)
PRODUCER: Kevin Feige
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Trent Opaloch
EDITORS:  Jeffrey Ford and Matthew Schmidt
COMPOSER:  Alan Silvestri

SUPERHERO/ACTION/DRAMA/FANTASY/SCI-FI

Starring:  Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Josh Brolin, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Idris Elba, Danai Gurira, Dave Bautista, Benecio del Toro, Stan Lee, Bradley Cooper (voice), Vin Diesel (voice), Kerry Condon (voice), and Letitia Wright ( with Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders)

Avengers: Infinity War is a 2018 superhero movie directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and produced by Marvel Studios. The film is based on the Avengers comic book created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.  This is also the 19th film in Marvel Studios' “Marvel Cinematic Universe.”  Avengers: Infinity War finds “Earth's Mightest Heroes” and their allies attempting to defeat the powerful Thanos before he puts an end to the universe.

Avengers: Infinity War opens after the destruction of Asgard, the home of the Avenger, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), who is also the King of Asgard.  Thor is powerless to stop the destroyer of his home, Thanos (Josh Brolin), an intergalactic despot from the planet, Titan

Thanos is on a quest to collect all of six Infinity Stones and attach them to a gauntlet (glove) on his left hand.  When he has all six of the stones, he can use their combined power to impose his will on all of reality, and Thanos plans on “re-balancing” the universe by killing half the beings in the universe.  Thanos now has the “Space Stone” and the “Power Stone.”

Thanos sends his forces to Earth to find the “Time Stone,” which is in the possession of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and the “Mind Stone,” which is connected to the Avenger known as “The Vision” (Paul Bettany).  Thanos travels through space to collect the other two stones, the “Reality Stone,” which is in the possession of The Collector (Benecio del Toro) and the “Soul Stone,” the whereabouts of which is known by someone close to Thanos.

In space, Thor finds allies in The Guardians of the Galaxy: Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Drax (Dave Bautista), Teen Groot (voice of Vin Diesel), and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) to battle Thanos.  They are joined by Gamora's sister, Nebula (Karen Gillan), and a small band of heroes from Earth:  Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Doctor Strange, but are they enough to stop Thanos who becomes more powerful with each stone he is able to obtain?

On Earth, Captain America (Chris Evans), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) fight the forces of Thanos to protect The Vision's “Mind Stone.”  It is a battle that will take them deep into Africa to the mysterious country of Wakanda.  There, that nation's king, Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), and his countrymen will join the Avengers in a battle that will bring a mad Titan to Earth.

I love Avengers: Infinity War, and there is so much to love.  I find myself describing it as “Awesome!”  That is a word I do not use very often; in fact, I don't like it.  However, I saw Avengers: Infinity War, and it made me wanna holler, and I hollered “Awesome!”

I think the element that makes this film so good is that directors, the Russo Bros., and the screenwriters, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, make Thanos a well-rounded character, one of pathos and depth that makes him more than a cartoonish intergalactic despot and world-beater slash world-destroyer.  I think the directors and writers succeed in making Thanos matter because they give him more than motivation; they give him something to lose.  Josh Brolin, an underrated actor, performs Thanos via motion-capture because Thanos is a computer-generated character, but Brolin turns Thanos into a fully realized character makes the computer-rendering used to create him easy to ignore.

Another surprise is Spider-Man and the rising star playing him, Tom Holland.  To me, the best version of Spider-Man is the high school version of him and the boy who wears the Spider-Man mask, Peter Parker.  Holland conveys such freshness and youth; even when he is performing Spider-Man as a voice actor, when the character is computer-generated, the newness comes through.  Like Brolin does with Thanos, Holland makes Spider-Man a fully-realized character, but in this case, Holland creates a lovable, endearing character that might be the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

For me, Avengers: Infinity War is the best Marvel Studios movie after Black Panther.  This movie is brand maximization, of course, the height of what Marvel Studios offers movie audiences, and that is just fine.  The Infinity War filmmakers worked hard, as have previous Marvel filmmakers, to deliver hugely entertaining films.  Besides, Infinity War is its own thing, without having to serve the stories of previous Marvel Studios films.  For movie audience who have come to expect the very best out of Marvel, I can simply say that Avengers: Infinity War is the very best of Marvel Studios.

9 of 10
A+

Sunday, April 29, 2018


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Review: "Spider-Man: Homecoming" Sparkly Fresh New

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 19 (of 2017) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Running time: 133 minutes (2 hour, 13 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi/action and violence
DIRECTOR: Jon Watts
WRITERS:  Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Jon Watts, Christopher Ford, Chris McKenna, and Erik Sommers; from a screen story by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (based upon the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko)
PRODUCERS: Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Salvatore Totino
EDITORS: Debbie Berman and Dan Lebental
COMPOSER: Michael Giacchino

SUPERHERO/ACTION/ADVENTURE/DRAMA

Starring:  Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey, Jr., Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Gwyneth Paltrow, Zendaya, Donald Glover, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Bokeem Woodbine, Tyne Daly, Abraham Attah, Hannibal Buress, Michael Chernus, Garcelle Beauvais, Chris Evans, Stan Lee, and Jennifer Connelly (voice)

Spider-Man: Homecoming is a 2017 superhero film and drama from director Jon Watts.  It is the sixth film in Columbia Picture's Spider-Man film franchise, but it is the first in a new film trilogy.  Spider-Man: Homecoming is also a co-production between Columbia and Marvel Studios, making it the sixteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Homecoming finds Peter Parker trying to balance his life as a new threat to the safety of New York City emerges.

Spider-Man: Homecoming focuses on Peter Parker (Tom Holland), who is the superhero, Spider-Man.  Peter quits his high school's academic decathlon team so that he can spend more time focusing on his crime-fighting activities as Spider-Man.  He tells his guardian, Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), his friend, Ned (Jacob Batalon), and his classmates that he needs to spend more time on the “Stark internship” given to him by Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.).

One night while patrolling his neighborhood, Spider-Man sees a group of criminals robbing an ATM.  Upon confronting them, Spider-Man discovers that they are using highly-advanced weapons to which they should not have access.  Through tenacious investigating, Peter learns that the weapons are being produced by Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton), who owns a salvage company, by using alien technology he scavenges and steals as necessary.  Peter is determined to stop Toomes, who wears a high-tech Vulture-like suit.  However, Peter's Spider-Man activities are causing friction between him and his mentor, Tony Stark, and threatens not only Peter's life, but also the life of everyone close to him.

I really liked Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in director's Sam Raimi's three Spider-Man films that started the Sony Pictures Spider-Man film franchise, although I thought that only Spider-Man 2 (2004) was really good.  I liked Andrew Garfield in 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man, which I thought, at the time, to be the best Spider-Man film.

I don't know if I am ready to give up on Tobey Maguire as the best Peter Parker, but I think that Spider-Man: Homecoming is the best Spider-Man feature film yet.  Homecoming really sells the idea that it is about a 15-year-old playing superhero, and the film feels like a teen movie as much as it does as a superhero movie.  It is lighthearted and angsty like one of those John Hughes movies from the 1980s (say Pretty in Pink or Sixteen Candles).

At the same time, Spider-Man: Homecoming reminds me of Marvel Studios' first Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Iron Man (2008).  It is not ironic or coincidental that Homecoming features the movie star (Robert Downey, Jr.) and character from that 2008 film.  Like Iron Man, Homecoming focuses on making Peter Parker the center of the story, making Spider-Man a role that Peter plays.  Spider-Man is not the most important role in Peter's life; Peter's most important role is being himself.  One could say that the first Iron Man movie was about about Tony Stark (as played by Downey) than it was about Iron Man.  So it makes sense for Downey/Stark/Iron Man to appear in Homecoming to help Peter Parker find himself as Spider-Man by first finding himself.

Tom Holland gives a superb performance as Peter Parker.  His performance seems to create a heroic arc in which Peter finds himself as Spider-Man, but most importantly, finds himself and learns what is most important – how to be the best Peter Parker so that he can be the most effective Spider-Man.  [Of note, Homecoming is not an origin story and Parker is already Spider-Man when the film begins.]

Late in life, Michael Keaton seems to be convincing more and more people of just how good an actor he is.  Keaton and his villainous role (“The Vulture,” although he is never called that in the film) turn out to be quite important to this film because Keaton's performance and the character he plays are a mirror of Peter Parker's situation in many ways.  Keaton is so good and effective in this movie that he has earned the right to return in a future film.

Homecoming also features a number of good supporting performances besides Robert Downey, Jr.  Jacob Batalon is just right as Peter's friend, Ned, who is the perfect sidekick and guy-back-at-the-base.  Disney Channel star, Zendaya, makes the most of her role as Michelle Jones, and left me wanting to see much more of her.  As Peter's Aunt May, Marisa Tomei also demands more screen time.

I love Spider-Man: Homecoming.  It is the Spider-Man movie that I have been wanting ever since I first saw Sam Raimi's 2002 Spider-Man.  Spider-Man: Homecoming captures the magic, the sense of wonder, the imagination, and the freshness of Spider-Man's first appearance, a 12-page story included in the comic book, Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962)

9 of 10
A+

Monday, July 17, 2017


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

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Halle Berry, Samuel L. Jackson Among Presents at 89th Oscars Telecast

HALLE BERRY, JAMIE DORNAN, CHRIS EVANS, GAEL GARCÍA BERNAL, SAMUEL L. JACKSON, SCARLETT JOHANSSON, DAKOTA JOHNSON, KATE MCKINNON, SHIRLEY MACLAINE, HAILEE STEINFELD WILL BE PRESENTERS ON OSCARS® STAGE

Producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd today announced the second slate of presenters for the 89th Oscars® telecast.  Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the Oscars will air live on Sunday, February 26, 2017 on the ABC Television Network.

"These actors are why we love to go to the movies," said De Luca and Todd.  "From blockbusters to art house films, these artists deliver every time and we’re thrilled to welcome them to the 89th Oscars stage."

The presenters, including past Oscar® winners and nominees, are Halle Berry, Jamie Dornan, Chris Evans, Gael García Bernal, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Dakota Johnson, Shirley MacLaine, Kate McKinnon and Hailee Steinfeld.

Berry won an Oscar for Actress in a Leading Role for "Monster’s Ball" (2001).  Her feature credits also include "X-Men: Days of Future Past" (2014), "Cloud Atlas" (2012), "Frankie & Alice" (2010), "X-Men The Last Stand" (2006), "X2" (2003), "Die Another Day" (2002) and "X-Men" (2000).  She will next appear in "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" and "Kings."

Dornan’s film credits include "Fifty Shades Darker" (2017), "Fifty Shades of Grey" (2015) and the Oscar-winning film "Marie Antoinette" (2006).  Additionally, he has appeared in "Anthropoid" (2016) and "The Siege of Jadotville" (2016).  His upcoming films include "Fifty Shades Freed," "Robin Hood" and "Untogether."

Evans is known for "Captain America: Civil War" (2016) and the Oscar-nominated features "Captain America: The Winter Solider" (2014) and "Marvel’s The Avengers" (2012).  His film credits also include "The Iceman" (2013), "Puncture" (2011), "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" (2010) and "Fantastic Four" (2005).  Evans will next appear in "Gifted," "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Jekyll."

García Bernal’s credits include the Oscar-winning films "Babel" (2006) and "The Motorcycle Diaries" (2004) as well as the Oscar-nominated films "Y Tu Mamá También" (2001) and "Amores Perros" (2000).  Additionally, he has appeared in "Neruda" (2016), "Desierto" (2016) and "Bad Education" (2004).  His upcoming films include "Z" and the animated feature "Coco."

Jackson earned an Oscar nomination for Actor in a Supporting Role for "Pulp Fiction" (1994).  Notably, he also appeared in the Oscar-winning films "The Hateful Eight" (2015), "Django Unchained" (2012) and "Inglourious Basterds" (2009).  Jackson will next appear in "Kong: Skull Island," "The Hitman’s Bodyguard," "Avengers: Infinity War," "The Incredibles 2" and "Inversion."

Johansson appeared in the Oscar-winning features "Her" (2013), "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (2008) and "Lost in Translation" (2003) as well as the Oscar-nominated films "Iron Man 2" (2010), "Match Point" (2005) and "Girl with a Pearl Earring" (2003).  Her credits also include "Captain America: Civil War" (2016) and "Lucy" (2014).  Johansson will next be seen in "Ghost in the Shell," "Rock That Body" and "Avengers: Infinity War."

Johnson’s credits include "Fifty Shades Darker" (2017), "Fifty Shades of Gray" (2015) and the Oscar-winning feature "The Social Network" (2010).  Her other credits include "How to Be Single" (2016), "A Bigger Splash" (2015) and "Black Mass" (2015).  Johnson will next appear in "Fifty Shades Freed" and "Suspiria."

MacLaine won an Oscar for Actress in a Leading Role for "Terms of Endearment" (1983).  Additionally, she garnered nominations for her leading roles in "The Turning Point" (1977), "Irma La Douce" (1963), "The Apartment" (1960) and "Some Came Running" (1958).  She also received a Documentary Feature nomination for "The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir" (1975).  Her notable credits also include "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (2013), "Bernie" (2012), "The Evening Star" (1996), "Postcards from the Edge" (1990) and "Steel Magnolias" (1989).  MacLaine will next appear in "The Last Word."

McKinnon’s feature credits include "Ghostbusters" (2016), "Masterminds" (2016), "Office Christmas Party" (2016) and the animated features "The Angry Birds Movie" (2016) and "Finding Dory" (2016).  In addition, she has appeared in "Sisters" (2015) and "Ted 2" (2015).  McKinnon will appear next in "Rock That Body."

Steinfeld received an Oscar nomination for Actress in a Supporting Role for "True Grit" (2010).  Her recent credits include "The Edge of Seventeen" (2016), "Ten Thousand Saints" (2015), "Barely Lethal" (2015), "Pitch Perfect 2" (2015), "Begin Again" (2014), "The Homesman" (2014) and "Ender’s Game" (2013).  Steinfeld will next appear in "Pitch Perfect 3."

The 89th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be broadcast live on the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.  The Oscars, produced by De Luca and Todd and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, also will be televised in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from December 11th to 17th, 2016 - Update #27

Support Leroy on Patreon.

POLITICS - From TheWrap:  Ambassardships if you can get A-listers to sing for Trump's inauguration.

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TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  NBC is developing a TV series based on the 1992 film, "Single White Female."  I still have not seen that movie.

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CRIME - From YahooNews:  On, Thursday, December 15, 2016, Dylann Storm Roof was convicted in federal court 33 counts, including the grisly murder of 9 people at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on June 17, 2015.

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MOVIES - From TheVillageVoice:  Alan Scherstuhl reviews "Collateral Beauty," the Will Smith starrer which looks like a mess.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  Julia Roberts starring in her first TV series, a miniseries based on the book, "Today Will Be Different."

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OBIT - From CNN:  Craig Sager, a sideline reporter for Turner Sports, has died at the age of 65, Thursday, December 15, 2016.  Sager was known for  his colorful and loud suits and ties.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:   Emma Stone is "Cruella" for Disney. Now, it needs a director.

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STAR TREK - From TVLine:  Sonequa Martin-Green has been announced about CBS' upcoming "Star Trek: Discovery."  Martin-Green is currently playing Sasha on "The Walking Dead."

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OBIT - From NYDailyNews:  Popular TV funny man and actor, Bernard Fox, has died at the age of 89, Wednesday, December 14, 2016.  He was known for playing "Dr. Bombay" on the classic fantasy sitcom, "Bewitched."  My favorite memories of him are his appearances on "The Andy Griffith Show" as Malcom Merriweather.

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OSCARS - From YahooMovies:  Jimmy Kimmel reveals that he will be paid $15,000 to host the Oscars.

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OBIT - From YahooCelebrity:  The actor and singer, Alan Thicke, has died at the age of 69, Tuesday, December 13, 2016.  Thicke is best known for two things.  First is his role as Dr. Jason Seaver in the ABC sitcom, "Growing Pains."  Second is that he is the father of singer-songwriter, Robin Thicke.

From YahooMusic:  Robin Thicke remembers his father, the actor Alan Thicke, who died suddenly yesterday.

From YahooCelebrity:  Alan Thicke's final moments.  Yeah, that sound tawdry.

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AWARDS - From THR:  "Birth of a Nation" finally gets major awards recognition with the release of the NAACP Image Awards nominations.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Ruben Fleischer ("Zombieland") to direct Chris Evans ("Captain America" films) in "Jekyll."

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MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  Warner preps all-female villains DC Comics movie with director David Ayer and hot actress, Margot Robbie, who played Harley Quinn in Ayer's "Suicide Squad."

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Margot Robbie is Tonya Harding in "I, Tonya."

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MOVIES - From Variety:  2016 "Black List" scripts revealed.

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AWARDS - From TheWrap:  The 2017 Golden Globe nominations have been revealed.

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From YahooTV:  Viola Davis offers a powerful speech in accepting the first-ever "#SeeHer" Award at the Critics Choice Awards, Sunday, December 11, 2016.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 12/9 to 12/11/2016 weekend box office is Disney's "Moana" with an estimated take of $18.8 million.  This is its third week at #1.

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CELEBRITY - From YahooNews:  Comedian T.J. Miller hosts Critics Choice Awards  3 days after being arrested.

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GENDER - From IndieWire:  Which blockbusters passed or failed the Bechdel-Wallace Test?

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AWARDS - From THR:  The film "Toni Erdman" dominates 2016 European Film Awards.

From Deadline:   Full winners list for the 2016 EFAs.

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MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Samuel L. Jackson talks politics and Oscar-bait movies at Dubai Film Festival.

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COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap:    The sequel to "Spider-Man: Homecoming" is slotted for Independence Day weekend 2019.  "Bad Boys 4," which was originally slated for this weekend moves up to May 2019.

TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  New trailer for the Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn comedy, "Snatched."

From YouTube:  First trailer for Christopher Nolan's WWII film, "Dunkirk," which is due Summer 2017.

Review: "Captain America: Civil War" Could Be the Best Superhero Movie Ever

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 15 (of 2016) by Leroy Douresseaux

[A version of this review originally appeared on Patreon.]

Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Running time:  147 minutes (2 hours, 27 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for extended sequences of violence, action and mayhem
DIRECTORS:  Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
WRITERS:  Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely; (based upon the comic book written by Mark Millar and the characters created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby)
PRODUCER:  Kevin Feige
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Trent Opaloch (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Jeffrey Ford and Matthew Schmidt
COMPOSER:  Henry Jackman

SUPERHERO/SCI-FI/ACTION/THRILLER

Starring:  Chris Evans, Robert Downey, Jr., Scartlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland, Daniel Bruhl, William Hurt, Martin Freeman, Marisa Tomei, John Kani, John Slatterly, Hope Davis, Alfre Wooodard, Frank Grillo, and Stan Lee

Captain America: Civil War is a 2016 superhero film from Marvel Studios and is directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo.  The film stars Marvel Comics character, Captain America.  It is a direct sequel to the 2014 film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier (which was also directed by the Russo Brothers), and is also a follow-up to 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.  Civil War the movie finds the Avengers suddenly having to contend with political interference in the their activities, which causes a rift between teammates, Captain America and Iron Man.

Early in Captain America: Civil War, Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Sam Wilson/The Falcon (Anthony Mackie), and Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) travel to Lagos, Nigeria.  There, they are on a mission to stop Hydra agent, Crossbones/Brock Rumlow (Frank Grillo), from stealing a biological weapon from a lab in Lagos.  Just when the Avengers' mission seems successful, an unexpected, although not quite unavoidable, disaster occurs.

In the aftermath, U.S. Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt) informs the Avengers that the United Nations wants to oversee and control the Avengers in the wake of the events of New York City (as seen in Marvel's The Avengers), Washington D.C. (depicted in Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and in the nation of Sokovia (shown in Avengers: Age of Ultron), as well as in Lagos.  The United Nations is preparing to pass the “Sokovia Accords,” which will establish a UN panel to decide if and when the Avengers can go into action.  Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.) supports the accords, but Steve Rogers does not.

That divides the team and pits Avengers who agree with Stark (“team” Iron Man) against the Avengers who support Rogers position (“team” Captain America).  Soon the Avengers are fighting one another, which draws in new costumed superheroes.  Meanwhile, a sinister, yet unseen force plots to take advantage of the Avengers' “civil war.”

I am not one of those people who believes that a movie is ruined for them if they read or hear “spoilers” about the contents of the movie.  Before I saw the original Star Wars film, I had read the official novelization of the movie countless times, and I do mean countless.  I was reading the thing about four or five times a year.  When I finally saw Star Wars (two years after first seeing The Empire Strikes Back, I felt like I had experienced the story for the first time, although I had a fairly good idea about the film's course of events.

However, I assiduously avoided finding out what happened in Captain America: Civil War.  That may be why I love the movie so much; every shocking reveal was indeed surprising to me.  A day after seeing Civil War (as I write this review), I still cannot believe that I liked it so much.  Here goes...

Captain America: Civil War is the best superhero movie that I have every seen.  It is the best film adaptation of a comic book that I have ever seen.  I am loathe to spoil it for you, dear reader, but if you have ever seen a superhero movie, you owe it to yourself to see Captain America: Civil War.   If you have seen a superhero movie from Pixar (The Incredibles), Warner Bros. Pictures (its numerous films based on DC Comics characters like Superman and Batman), Sony Pictures (its Spider-Man movies), Twentieth Century Fox (its movies based on Marvel Comics characters like the X-Men), or even one from Marvel Studios itself (the Iron Man and Avengers movies), then, you have to see Captain America: Civil War.  You have too, dammit!  It is now the gold standard for superhero movies.

I think the secret to the success of Marvel Studios' movies involves several elements.  Marvel movies have big action set pieces, and this one has enough to match the behemoth action scenes and sequences from both Avengers movies.  Each movie has great character drama that involves some kind of conflict.  It is not just man vs. man, man vs. himself, man vs. the world, or man vs. nature.  It's man vs. man, man vs. himself, man vs. the world, AND man vs. nature.

Most of all, the characters have engaging, cool, and even alluring personalities and personal stories.  Whether it is Steve Rogers' man-out-of-time tale or Tony Stark's duel between his out-sized ego and his desire to be the man who uplifts the human race, Marvel characters work on a personal level.  Steve Rogers and Tony Stark are just as amazing in or out of their costumes.

Captain America: Civil War is not only good because it has a riveting plot and narrative.  It is also good because Marvel Comics characters are simply great characters.  With each Marvel Studios movie or movie featuring Marvel characters produced by other studios, the world is discovering what comic book fans already know.  Go see Captain America: Civil War.  It will probably end up being better than 90 percent of the films that receive Oscar nominations this year.

10 of 10

Saturday, May 14, 2016


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint or syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 7th to 13th, 2016 - Update #51

Support Leroy on Patreon.

OBIT - From Deadline:  The actor Kenny Baker has died at the age of 81 (although some reports are listing him at 82 or 83).  The 3-foot, 8-inch actor is best known for playing R2-D2 in six Star Wars movies.  Baker also appeared in "The Elephant Man," "Time Bandits," and "The Goonies."

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ANIME-FILM - From TheTrackingBoard:  One of my favorite anime, "Tiger & Bunny, is being developed as a live-action American film.  "Tiger & Bunny" follows a veteran hero and his partner, the hot new thing.

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TELEVISION - From TheTrackingBoard:  The creators of the long-running CBS TV series, "How I Met Your Mother," is developing a family comedy for the network.

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MOVIES - From YahooNews:  On the set of "Fast 8," Vin Diesel and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson are greatly at odds with one another.

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SPORTS - From CTVNews:  Brazil receives its first gold medal of the Rio Olympics.  Brazilian Rafaela Silva won gold in judo (57 kiogram division).  Born in a favela (slum), Silva had been the target of horrible racists taunts.  She has also come out as gay.

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BOX OFFICE - From Variety:  "Suicide Squad" looks to hold onto first place at the weekend box office, despite a seeming big debut from the animated "Sausage Party."

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Patty Jenkins, who is directing 2017's "Wonder Woman" movie, does not like this open letter that calls her film a mess.

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SPORTS - From YahooSports:  The United States' unlikeliest gold medal is a comeback story about swimmer, Anthony Ervin.

MOVIES - From Polygon:  "Suicide Squad" has a problem that may also be a problem for other films based on DC Comics characters.

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SPORTS - From YahooSports:  Michelle Carter becomes the first U.S. woman to win gold in the Olympic shot put.

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TELEVISION - From DeadlineTV:  Long-time "Criminal Minds" cast member, Thomas Gibson, is no longer with the series, following a suspension for an on-set confrontation.

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MOVIES - From Vulture:  Former employee sends an open letter to top Warner Bros. executives and is highly critical to say the least.

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SPORTS - From YahooSports:  Simone Manuel becomes the first African-American woman to win an Olympic gold medal for an individual swimming event (100 meter freestyle).  She tied for the gold with Canadian Penny Oleksiak - the first tie for a gold medal since 2000.  In fact, the last time an American woman won gold in the 100 meter freestyle, it was a tie involving 2 Americans.

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COMICS - From EntertainmentWeekly:  In celebration of the birthday of Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Captain America) posts a gag video featuring Hemsworth having trouble with a hammer.

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MOVIES - From EntertainmentWeekly:  Hugh Jackman posts a photo on social media that has fans talking about how old he looks.  "Old Man Logan" anyone?

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TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  Classic Nickelodeon cartoon, "Rocko's Modern Life" will return in a special.

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MOVIES - From WeGotThisCovered:  "Bad Boys 3" is now called "Bad Boys for Life."  The release date has also been removed from 2017 to 2018.

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STAR WARS - From BleedingCool:  Lando Calrissian reportedly to appear in the Han Solo spinoff movie in which Alden Ehrenreich.

From TheWrap:  7 actors who would be great as young Lando Calrissian.

----------
TELEVISION - From IGN:  Gabriel Luna is the new "Ghost Rider," who will appear on the fourth season on ABC's "Marvel's Agents of SHIELD.  Nicolas Cage played the character in two films.

----------
TELEVISION - From YahooTV:  Ousted "Saturday Night Live" cast members, Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah, have new gigs at Showtime.

----------
CELEBRITY - From YahooCelebrity:  Mel Gibson escapes settlement payments with is baby mama, Oksana Grigorieva.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Dammit.  Angelina Jolie has decided not to appear in Kenneth Branagh's remake of "Murder on the Orient Express."

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Brad Pitt is courting David Fincher to direct the "World War Z" sequel.  Fincher and Pitt worked together on "Se7ev," "Fight Club," and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

----------
STAR TREK - From Variety:  CBS' new "Star Trek" series, "Star Trek: Discovery" will have a female lead, who will not be the captain.

From IndieWire:  More details on "Discovery" including the show having a larger contingent of aliens and a gay character.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Speaking of all-girl reboots, there is "Ocean's 8," an all-female reboot of "Oceans Eleven."  Rihanna and Anne Hathaway are in talks to join a cast that already includes Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett.

----------
MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  So the all-female "Ghostbusters" reboot looks to be a box office flop.

----------
OBITS - From YahooSports:  John Saunders, longtime ESPN anchor, died today, Wednesday, August 10, 2016.  He was 61.

----------
TELEVISION - From Variety:  Three cast members, including Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah, are leaving "Saturday Night Live" (SNL) or were fired.  One of them, Killam, is not sure why.

----------
MOVIES - From HitFix:  There is a planned remake of the classic horror film, "Suspiria."  The director of the original, Dario Argento, isn't impressed by those plans, although he is not against the film.

----------
POLITICS - From BostonGlobe:  Louisiana's new Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards has saved lives since he accepted the Medicaid expansion under "Obamacare."

----------
OLYMPICS - From YahooSports:  U.S. women make history in capturing Rio Olympic gymnastics team gold, the remarkable Simone Biles.

----------
BLACK LIVES MATTER - From YahooNews:  In Ferguson, Michael Brown's parents are still waiting for secret files in their lawsuit against his killer, former police officer Darren Wilson, the city, and it former police chief.

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  Tri-Star is leading the revival of "The Chronicles of Narnia" film series.  The new will film be based on "The Silver Chair."

----------
MOVIES - From YahooCelebrity:  Dwayne Johnson calls some of his "Fast 8" male co-stars "candyasses."

----------
MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Breck Eisner is in talks to direct a new Friday the 13th film.

----------
BLACK LIVES MATTER - From TheRoot:  High fives and orders to make sure the body camera are off after Chicago pigs... I mean... cops shot an unarmed Black teen.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  The Tom Cruise-Doug Liman film previously known as "Mena" is now entitled "American Made."  It also moves from Jan. 2017 to a Sept. 2017 release date.

---------
TELEVISION - From DeadlineTV:  Director David O. Russell ("Silver Linings Playbook," "American Hustle") is prepping a TV series starring Robert De Niro and Julianne Moore.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From  WeGotThisCovered:  Set photos from "Spider-Man: Homecoming" shows off Spider-Man's web-shooters.

----------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  Woody Allen's series for Amazon has a name, "Crisis in Six Scenes."  The series debut on Amazon Prime Video on September 30th and will be comprised of six episodes.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Joseph David-Jones has been cast in Kathryn Bigelow's untitled 1967 Detroit Riots film.  David-Jones plays "Connor Hawke" in "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" for The CW.

----------
CULTURE - From RSN:  Renee Zellwegger on against her: "We can do better."

----------
POLITICS - From NYMag:  Former Fox News boss, Roger Ailes, used Fox's budget to finance a "Black Room" campaign against his personal enemies.  He may have used the network's budget and profits to pay off sexual harassment claims against him.

----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 8/5 to 8/7/2016 weekend box office is "Suicide Squad" with an estimated take of $135.1 million.

From YahooMovies:  "Suicide Squad" sets three August box office records - largest opening weekend ($135.1 million) and largest single day ($65.2 million) and largest Thursday preview ($20.5 million), which is part of the Friday haul

----------
BOOKS-FILM - From RollingStone:  George R.R. Martin's books are the source material for HBO's Emmy-winning hit, "Game of Thrones."  Now, his anthology series, "Wild Cards," which he shares with other writers, is being developed for television.

----------
CELEBRITY - From PopSugar:  Angelina Jolie will be a visiting professor at the London School of Economics next year.

----------
OBIT - From YahooCelebrity:  Ricci Martin, the youngest son of legendary actor and singer, Dean Martin, has died at the age of 62, Wednesday, August 3, 2016.  Ricci was a musician and also a singer, and he toured a tribute show to his late father (who died in 1995).

----------
BLACK LIVES MATTER - From IBT:  I have heard it said that America is driving Black people crazy.  Here, is some proof or at least an article about it.

TRAILERS-VIDEO CLIPS:

From YouTube:  First teaser trailer for "Allied," a new film from Robert Zemeckis, starring Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard.

From YouTube:  Marvel's Captain America: Civil War - Black Panther Featurette

From YouTube:  From the "Ben-Hur" remake, "You Should Have Killed Me."

From YouTube:  "Office Christmas Party" trailer.

Marvel Movie Stars to Appear at 2016 Wizard World Philadelphia

Marvel Stars Unite in Philadelphia! Evans, Hemsworth, Hiddleston among Wizard World Guests, June 4-5

Only 2016 Appearance for Hiddleston As Marvel Universe Standouts Anthony Mackie, Hayley Atwell, Dominic Cooper, Stanley Tucci, Sebastian Stan, Frank Grillo Also To Appear At Pennsylvania Convention Center

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Marvel blockbuster films such as Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Avengers and Thor and hit TV programs such as "Agent Carter" and "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." have attracted millions of fans, with megastars Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston among the main attractions. Now, those three plus popular supporting actors Anthony Mackie, Hayley Atwell, Dominic Cooper, Stanley Tucci, Sebastian Stan and Frank Grillo will gather for the first time at Wizard World Philadelphia on Saturday and Sunday, June 4-5, 2016 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, it was announced today by Wizard World (OTCBB:WIZD), producer of the largest comic con and pop culture convention series.

All are scheduled to appear on both days, except Hiddleston, who will attend on Saturday only. All will greet fans, sign autographs, pose for photo ops (solo and in several different themed combinations) and conduct interactive Q&A panels.

"This will be the greatest collection of Marvel stars in one convention setting," said John Macaluso, Wizard World CEO. "As if it weren't enough to have Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth return to the Tour, the addition of Tom Hiddleston in his only appearance all year is a huge coup for fans. When you combine that with Michael J. Fox, David Duchovny, Stephen Amell and Norman Reedus, among the many others already attending, this will be one show fans won't want to miss."

A wide variety of VIP admission packages for individual and groups of the Marvel stars are now available. Fans can visit wizd.me/PhiladelphiaMarvel for options.

Evans, who has emerged as one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors for both big budget and independent features, can next be seen in Captain America: Civil War, the third installment of Marvel’s Captain America franchise. In each film, Evans, who attended his first Wizard World event in New Orleans in January, reprises his role as the famed Marvel Comics character, “Steve Rogers,” who transforms into Captain America after volunteering for a top secret research project in hopes of defending America’s ideals. Both films grossed over $713 million each at box offices worldwide.

Hemsworth, a big hit at last weekend's Wizard World Cleveland show, was first introduced to U.S. audiences in Star Trek in 2009. Three years later, Hemsworth also starred in Universal’s big revisionist fairy tale Snow White And The Huntsman opposite Charlize Theron and Kristen Stewart and in the horror feature The Cabin in the Woods. As prolific as 2012 was for the Melbourne, Australia, native, 2015 was even bigger, with four feature films including The Avengers: Age of Ultron, In the Heart of the Sea, Vacation and Blackhat. He also will play the lead in the sequel The Huntsman Winter's War and a key role in the reboot of Ghostbusters, both scheduled for release this year.

Hiddleston, who played "Loki" in Thor: The Dark World, The Avengers and Thor, will also be featured in the lead role this month's I Saw the Light, about the life of country-western singer Hank Williams. The London-born star has top billing in the series "The Night Manager" and had a co-starring role in last year's hit film Crimson Peak.

The Marvel stars join an already standout Wizard World Philadelphia celebrity field which includes David Duchovny ("The X-Files"), the Back to the Future trio of Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson and "The Walking Dead" standout Norman Reedus, with many more to be announced.

Wizard World comic con and gaming events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, cosplay, comics, television, sci-fi, toys, video gaming, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. Philadelphia show hours are Thursday, June 2, 3-8 p.m.; Friday, June 3, noon-7 p.m.; Saturday, June 4, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, June 5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

For more on the 2016 Wizard World Philadelphia, visit http://wizd.me/PhiladelphiaPR.


About Wizard World (OTCBB: WIZD)
Wizard World, Inc. (www.wizardworld.com) produces comic cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, television, cosplay, comics, graphic novels, toys, video gaming, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A's, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Wizard World has also launched Wizard World Store (www.shopwizardworld.com), CONtv, a digital media channel in partnership with leading independent content distributor Cinedigm™ (NASDAQ: CIDM), and ComicConBox™ (www.comicconbox.com), a premium subscription-based monthly box service. Fans can interact with Wizard World on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media services.

The Wizard World 2016 schedule is available at: http://wizardworld.com/searchby/city/.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve certain risks and uncertainties. The actual results or outcomes of Wizard World, Inc. may differ materially from those anticipated. Although Wizard World, Inc. believes that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable, any such assumptions could prove to be inaccurate. Therefore, Wizard World, Inc. can provide no assurance that any of the forward-looking statements contained in this letter will prove to be accurate.

In light of the significant uncertainties and risks inherent in the forward-looking statements included in this letter, such information should not be regarded as a representation by Wizard World, Inc. that its objectives or plans will be achieved. Included in these uncertainties and risks are, among other things, fluctuations in operating results, general economic conditions, uncertainty regarding the results of certain legal proceedings and competition. Forward-looking statements consist of statements other than a recitation of historical fact and can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "intend," "expect," "will," "anticipate," "estimate" or "continue" or the negatives thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. Because they are forward-looking, such statements should be evaluated in light of important risk factors and uncertainties. These risk factors and uncertainties are more fully described in Wizard World, Inc.'s most recent Annual and Quarterly Reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under the heading entitled "Risk Factors." Wizard World, Inc. does not undertake an obligation to update publicly any of its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. 

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Third Wave of 2016 Oscar Presenters Announced; Daisy Ridley Among New Names

STARS TO LIGHT UP OSCAR NIGHT

Six Oscar Winners Join Presenter Line Up

Oscars producers David Hill and Reginald Hudlin announced today a third slate of presenters for the 88th Oscars telecast. The Oscars, hosted by Chris Rock, will air live Oscar® Sunday, February 28, 2016 on ABC. 

The presenters, including several Oscar winners, are:

Patricia Arquette

Abraham Attah

Cate Blanchett

Emily Blunt

Louis C.K.

Common

Russell Crowe

Chris Evans

Jennifer Garner

Louis Gossett, Jr.

Michael B. Jordan

Rachel McAdams

Dev Patel

Eddie Redmayne

Daisy Ridley

Sarah Silverman

Sofia Vergara

"Through their work, these artists have shown us the unique, transformative power of cinema,” said Hill and Hudlin. “We are delighted they will be joining us on the Oscars stage this year.”   

The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 28, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.    

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Chris Evans (Captain America) to Appear at Wizard World New Orleans

"Captain America" Chris Evans to Make Wizard World Comic Con Debut in New Orleans, January 9, 2015

Fellow ‘Cap’ Standouts Jeremy Renner, Hayley Atwell, Frank Grillo, Directors Anthony And Joe Russo Also To Appear; ‘First Avenger,’ ‘Avengers’ Star To Meet Fans, Sign Autographs, Pose For Photo Ops, Conduct Live Q&A In Rare Appearance At Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Chris Evans, who has emerged as one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors for both big budget and independent features, will make his Wizard World Comic Con debut at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on Saturday, January 9, 2015. The Hollywood heavyweight will greet fans, sign autographs, pose for photo ops and conduct a live Q&A session in this extremely rare appearance.

    'Cap' stars @ChrisEvans, @Renner4Real, @HayleyAtwell, @FrankGrillo, Russo brothers to attend #wizardworld New Orleans, Jan. 9-10

Evans will be joined at the event by fellow Captain America franchise stars Jeremy Renner (“Clint Barton/Hawkeye”), Hayley Atwell (“Peggy Carter”), and Frank Grillo (“Brock Rumlow”), as well as directors Anthony and Joe Russo. Renner will also attend on Saturday, while Atwell, Grillo and the Russos are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 9-10, 2015.

Evans can next be seen in Captain America: Civil War, the third installment of Marvel’s Captain America franchise. He also starred in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the sequel to the highly successful Captain America: The First Avenger which was released in 2011. In each film, Evans reprises his role as the famed Marvel Comics character, “Steve Rogers,” who transforms into Captain America after volunteering for a top secret research project in hopes of defending America’s ideals. Both films grossed over $713 million each at box offices worldwide.

Recently, Evans starred in Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer opposite Octavia Spencer, Tilda Swinton, John Hurt and Ed Harris. Set in a world covered in snow and ice, the film follows a train full of travelers who struggle to co-exist.

“The addition of Chris Evans brings the already stacked Wizard World Comic Con New Orleans guest list to a new level for our attendees,” said John Macaluso, Wizard World CEO. “Captain America is one of the world’s great franchises, and Chris has been its face for several huge blockbusters. Fans will want to take advantage of this extremely rare opportunity to meet this superstar.”

“We are excited to head down to New Orleans to meet our fans,” said directors Anthony and Joe Russo, “and are incredibly proud to be able to share the stage with the film’s talented stars Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Hayley Atwell and Frank Grillo."

Two-time Academy Award® nominee Renner also reprised his role as William Brandt in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. His nominations have come as Best Actor for The Hurt Locker in 2008 and Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Town.

Atwell, who plays the lead in the ABC TV series "Agent Carter," a spin-off featuring her role in the Captain America franchise, has appeared in numerous other TV shows both in the U.S. and U.K., and is an accomplished stage actress, having completed several long runs in leading British theatres.

Grillo is also known for his roles in Warrior, The Grey, End of Watch and The Purge: Anarchy. His TV work includes recurring spots in "The Shield," "Prison Break," "The Gates" and "Blind Justice."

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo have produced and directed many critically acclaimed TV shows including “Arrested Development,” “Community,” and “Happy Endings.” They received an Emmy for helming the “Arrested Development” pilot. The Brothers most recently directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier for Marvel. They are currently in post-production on Captain America: Civil War and will direct Avengers Infinity War Part I and II after that.

Wizard World, Inc. (OTCBB:WIZD) opens its 2016 schedule with its sixth trip to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center at Wizard World Comic Con New Orleans, January 8-10. In addition to Evans, Renner, Atwell and Grillo, other headliners on the celebrity roster include the “Doctor Who” trio of Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Jenna Coleman, “The Walking Dead” standouts Chandler Riggs and Steven Yeun, Ben McKenzie (“Gotham,” “The O.C.”) and William Shatner (“Star Trek,” “Boston Legal”).

Wizard World Comic Con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, cosplay, comics, television, sci-fi, toys, video gaming, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. The first event scheduled on the 2016 Wizard World calendar, New Orleans show hours are Friday, January 8, 3-8 p.m.; Saturday, January 9, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, January 10, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Wizard World Comic Con New Orleans is also the place for cosplay, with fans young and old showing off their best costumes throughout the event. Fans dressed as every imaginable character – and some never before dreamed – will roam the convention floor and participate in the famed Wizard World Costume Contest on Saturday night.

For more on the 2016 Wizard World Comic Con New Orleans, visit http://wizd.me/NewOrleansPR.


About Wizard World (OTCBB:WIZD)
Wizard World, Inc. (http://www.wizardworld.com) produces Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, television, cosplay, comics, graphic novels, toys, video gaming, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A's, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Wizard World has also launched CONtv, a digital media channel in partnership with leading independent content distributor Cinedigm™ (NASDAQ:CIDM), and ComicConBox™, a premium subscription-based monthly box service. Fans can interact with Wizard World on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media services.

The 2015-16 Wizard World Comic Con schedule is available at: www.wizardworld.com/wizcon.html.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve certain risks and uncertainties. The actual results or outcomes of Wizard World, Inc. may differ materially from those anticipated. Although Wizard World, Inc. believes that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable, any such assumptions could prove to be inaccurate. Therefore, Wizard World, Inc. can provide no assurance that any of the forward-looking statements contained in this letter will prove to be accurate.

In light of the significant uncertainties and risks inherent in the forward-looking statements included in this letter, such information should not be regarded as a representation by Wizard World, Inc. that its objectives or plans will be achieved. Included in these uncertainties and risks are, among other things, fluctuations in operating results, general economic conditions, uncertainty regarding the results of certain legal proceedings and competition. Forward-looking statements consist of statements other than a recitation of historical fact and can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "intend," "expect," "will," "anticipate," "estimate" or "continue" or the negatives thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. Because they are forward-looking, such statements should be evaluated in light of important risk factors and uncertainties. These risk factors and uncertainties are more fully described in Wizard World, Inc.'s most recent Annual and Quarterly Reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under the heading entitled "Risk Factors." Wizard World, Inc. does not undertake an obligation to update publicly any of its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

----------------------

Chris Evans-Captain America to Attend 2015 Salt Lake Comic Con

“Avengers Assemble": Chris Evans Is Coming to Salt Lake Comic Con

- Captain America will be at Salt Lake Comic Con on September 26, 2015, and he “wants you” to be there -

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Salt Lake Comic Con (http://saltlakecomiccon.com/) announced today that actor Chris Evans will be at Salt Lake Comic Con on September 26, 2015, at the Salt Palace Convention Center, and he “wants you” to be there too.

    “Salt Lake Comic Con has become a premier venue for all celebrities, and it’s due to our fans and the incredible support they give us”

Evans is best known for his roles as Captain America in Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Johnny Storm/Human Torch in Fantastic Four. Captain America: Civil War is currently being filmed and is scheduled for release in 2016.

“In polling our fans, we know that Chris is a fan favorite, especially after the blockbuster success of Avengers: Age of Ultron and in anticipation of the soon-to-be-released Captain America: Civil War,” said Dan Farr, Salt Lake Comic Con Founder and Show Producer. “Captain America is such an iconic hero, and Chris does such a wonderful job playing him. We feel lucky to have him and know that our fans will be absolutely ecstatic to meet him.”

Salt Lake Comic Con will be the first comic con event done by Evans that will include opportunities for fans to get photo ops and autographs from him at the show. He’ll also be doing a panel with more than 5,000 attendees.

“Salt Lake Comic Con has become a premier venue for all celebrities, and it’s due to our fans and the incredible support they give us,” said Bryan Brandenburg, Salt Lake Comic Con Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer. “Having Chris Evans as a guest is not only an extreme honor, but it’s a huge win for us and those that attend our show. Word has spread quickly around the comic con circuit, and we hear all the time from celebrities, their agents, artists, authors and vendors how well we and our fans treat them. Salt Lake City has become one of their favorite destinations.”

In addition to Evans, Salt Lake Comic Con 2015 will feature Sean Astin, Morena Baccarin, John Barrowman, Felicia Day, Alex Kingston, Scott Wilson, Linda Blair, Kristin Bauer, Ian Somerhalder, Robbie Amell, Daniel Cudmore, Walter Koenig, Vic Mignogna, Austin St, John, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Joel Hodgson, Christopher Gorham, Bill Corbett and Trace Beaulieu. More guests will be announced before the show in September.

Tickets to Salt Lake Comic Con 2015 are available on the Salt Lake Comic Con website. For more information about Salt Lake Comic Con visit their website at http://saltlakecomiccon.com/.


ABOUT SALT LAKE COMIC CON:
Salt Lake Comic Con is organized by Dan Farr Productions (DFP) in partnership with ABC4/CW30 of the Nexstar Broadcasting Group. DFP is an event and marketing group devoted to organizing events, launching and acquiring new shows, and partnering with premium celebrities and brands in the pop culture arena. DFP is dedicated to producing spectacular celebrations of popular culture that lead the market in providing exceptional and rewarding experiences for our consumers, fans, celebrity guests, vendors and partners. Find out more at: www.SaltLakeComicCon.com, www.abc4.com/.

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Marvel Studios Begins Production on 2016's "Captain America: Civil War"

Marvel Studios Begins Production on Marvel's 'Captain America: Civil War'

Learn more about the upcoming film in theaters May 6, 2016

Marvel Studios has commenced principal photography at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta, Georgia on “Captain America: Civil War,” the third installment of its Super Hero franchise. The production will shoot on location in Atlanta, Georgia, which serves as the base for the film’s production, as well as locations in Germany, Puerto Rico and Iceland.

Set for release in the United States on May 6, 2016, “Captain America: Civil War” is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo (Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Community”) from a screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (“Captain America: The Winter Solider,” Marvel’s “Captain America: The First Avenger”). The film returns Chris Evans (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron”) as the iconic Super Hero character Steve Rogers/Captain America along with Robert Downey Jr. (“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” Marvel’s “Iron Man 3”) as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Scarlett Johansson (“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”) as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Sebastian Stan (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”) as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Anthony Mackie (“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”) as Sam Wilson/Falcon, Paul Bettany (“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Iron Man 3”) as The Vision, Jeremy Renner (“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” Marvel’s “The Avengers”) as Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Don Cheadle (“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Iron Man 3”) as Jim Rhodes/War Machine and Elizabeth Olsen (“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Godzilla”) as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch.

After his debut in Marvel’s “Ant-Man” on July 17, 2015, Paul Rudd (“Ant-Man,” ”Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues”) will make his first appearance alongside the Avengers as Scott Lang/Ant-Man in “Captain America: Civil War.”

The film also includes outstanding additional cast, including Chadwick Boseman (“42,” “Get on Up”) as T’Challa/Black Panther, Emily VanCamp (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Revenge”) as Sharon Carter/Agent 13, Daniel Brühl (“Inglourious Basterds,” “Bourne Ultimatum”), Frank Grillo (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Warrior”) as Brock Rumlow/Crossbones, William Hurt (“A History of Violence,” Marvel’s “The Incredible Hulk”) as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross and Martin Freeman (“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”). 

“Captain America: Civil War” picks up where “Avengers: Age of Ultron” left off, as Steve Rogers leads the new team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. After another international incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to enlist the services of the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers while they try to protect the world from a new and nefarious villain.

Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” is produced by Marvel Studios’ president, Kevin Feige, with Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Victoria Alonso, Patricia Whitcher, Nate Moore and Stan Lee serving as executive producers.

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo’s creative team also includes director of photography Trent Opaloch (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Elysium”), production designer Owen Paterson (“Godzilla,” “Matrix”), and three time Oscar®-nominated costume designer Judianna Makovsky (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”).

Based on the Marvel comic character first published in 1941, “Captain America: Civil War ” continues the lineage of epic big-screen adventures chronicled in  “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Marvel's The Avengers,” “Iron Man 3,” “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and the upcoming release schedule, which includes Marvel’s “Ant-Man” on July 17, 2015, Marvel’s “Doctor Strange,” on November 4, 2016, Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy 2,” on May 5, 2017, and Marvel’s “Thor: Ragnarok,” on November 3, 2017.

Marvel Studios most recently continued its unprecedented success with the release of “Avengers: Age of Ultron” on May 1, 2015. The film recorded the second biggest opening weekend of all time with a $191.3 million box office. It has also been the #1 release in every country where it has been released.

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Review: "Avengers: Age of Ultron" is Bigger and Better

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 20 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux (support on Patreon)

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Running time: 141 minutes (2 hours, 21 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action, violence and destruction, and for some suggestive comments
DIRECTOR: Joss Whedon
WRITER: Joss Whedon (based upon the comic book created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby)
PRODUCER: Kevin Feige
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ben Davis
EDITORS: Jeffrey Ford and Lisa Lassek
COMPOSERS: Brian Tyler and Danny Elfman

SUPERHERO/ACTION/DRAMA/FANTASY/SCI-FI

Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Don Cheadle, Anthony Mackie, Idris Elba, Stellan Skarsgard, Claudia Kim, Linda Cardellini, Andy Serkis, Thomas Kretschman, Stan Lee, Henry Goodman, Julie Delpy, Haley Atwell, Kerry Condon (voice), and James Spader (voice), and Samuel L. Jackson

The answer to your likely first question is a resounding “Yes!”  It is good and even better than the first  movie, which was itself quite good.  I want to see this movie again.  Now, on to the formal review...

Avengers: Age of Ultron is a 2015 superhero movie written and directed by Joss Whedon and produced by Marvel Studios. The film, which is based upon the comic book created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, is the sequel to 2012's Marvel's The Avengers.  Jon Favreau and Stan Lee are among the executive producers of this film

Avengers: Age of Ultron features the comic book superheroes, the Avengers:  Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner).  In this new film, a well-meaning peacekeeping program inadvertently creates a powerful artificial intelligence, which decides to destroy the Avengers before destroying all of humanity.

Avengers: Age of Ultron opens in the Eastern European country of Sokovia.  There, The Avengers are in the midst of raiding a Hydra outpost led by Baron Wolfgang von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann).  The Baron has been experimenting on humans using the scepter of Loki, Thor's villainous brother.  The Avengers retrieve Loki's scepter, but encounter the results of von Struker's experimentation, a twin brother and sister who now both possess super powers.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) a.k.a. Iron Man and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) a.k.a. the Hulk discover an artificial intelligence (A.I.) inside the scepter's gem.  They decide to use that A.I. to complete Stark's global defense project, but they don't tell their fellow Avengers about their experimentation.  The result is a dangerous new being calling itself “Ultron” (voice of James Spader) that decides to exterminate humanity and has the power to match the Avengers.

My summary of Avengers: Age of Ultron is wimpy compared to the actual size and scale of this movie.  Avengers: Age of Ultron, in terms of action, is as massive as one of Michael Bay's Transformers movies, but Age of Ultron is more entertaining than any Transformers movie by far.  In terms of story, this movie is big, encompassing multiple settings, enough characters for three movies, and a plot surrounded by multiple sub-plots.  Age of Ultron, however, does not collapse under its own weight, and it is not hard to follow.  Because the story has so much... well, story, I find myself ruminating over it still, two and a half days after I saw it.

Writer-director Joss Whedon is beloved by fans because the story writing and storytelling he brought to his television series, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”  Whedon takes fantasy seriously enough to be serious about crafting a story about vampire hunters and superheroes with all the careful consideration that other writers give to such Oscar winners as Terms of Endearment and A Beautiful Mind.  Concerning the parts of the script that deal with the personalities, motivations, and interior lives of the Avengers, Whedon makes Age of Ultron intimate, probing, and surprisingly individualized.

As I wrap up this review, Age of Ultron lingers in my mind.  I could talk about the eye-popping effects and the fantastic superhero action that are true to the comic book while simultaneously breaking free of the confines of the comic book page.  I could talk about the high-quality acting; the performers take these characters seriously, also.  However, I will say that with Avengers: Age of Ultron, Marvel Studios delivers again... and again... and again...  This is one of the best superhero films ever made.

9 of 10
A+

Sunday, May 3, 2015


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: "Snowpiercer" is Unique and Thrilling

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 11 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

Snowpiercer (2013)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  South Korea
Running time:  126 minutes (2 hours, 6 minutes)
MPAA – R for violence, language and drug content
DIRECTOR:  Bong Joon Ho
WRITERS: Joon-ho Bong and Kelly Masterson; from a screen story by Joon-ho Bong (based on the comic book,  Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand, and Jean-Marc Rochette)
PRODUCERS:  Tae-sung Jeong, Wonjo Jeong, Miky Lee, Tae-hun Lee, Steven Nam, and Chan-wook Park
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Kyung-pyo Hong
EDITORS:  Steve M. Choe and Changju Kim
COMPOSER:  Marco Beltrami

SCI-FI/DRAMA/ACTION

Starring:  Chris Evans, Song Kang Ho, Tilda Swinton, Ko Asung, Octavia Spencer, Jamie Bell, John Hurt, Ewen Bremner, Vlad Ivanov, Marcanthonee Jon Reis, Emma Levie, Allison Pill, and Ed Harris

Snowpiercer is a 2013 South Korean science fiction film from director Bong Joon Ho.  The film is based on a series of French graphic novels that began in 1982 with the first book, Le Transperceneige (Snowpiercer).  Snowpiercer the movie takes place on a class strife-ridden train that is the only home of the last humans alive on Earth.

At the beginning of Snowpiercer, we learn that humans made an attempt to halt global warming by spraying the chemical, CW-7, into the atmosphere.  That backfired, and the result was the start of an ice age so severe that almost all life on Earth was destroyed.

The only human survivors are now living in Snowpiercer, a massive train that travels on a globe-spanning train track.  However, a rigid class system pervades Snowpiercer with the elites living in the front of the train; people useful to the elites occupying in the middle; and the utterly poor and destitute inhabiting the tail of the train.

In the year 2031, the tail inhabitants prepare to launch another rebellion against the elites.  Although past rebellions have failed, this new rebellion may have finally found the one man who can lead the poor people to the very front door of Wilford (Ed Harris), the creator of the train.  This new leader's name is Curtis Everett (Chris Evans), and he has a plan to get past Snowpiercer's security system and its armed guards.  In order for his plan to work, however, Curt must rely on Nam Kung Min Soo (Song Kang Ho), a drug addict who doesn't speak a word of English, and also on his kooky daughter, Yona (Ko Asung).

Snowpiercer is one of the best films of 2014.  Everything about it is high-quality, especially its beautiful cinematography and its production design, which is both imaginative and inventive.  Considering the narrow spaces with which production designer Ondrej Nekvasil had to work, he managed to recreate a diverse cross section of modern humanity's interior living environments in a way that is almost too impressive for words.

The ensemble cast is also excellent, with Tilda Swinton delivering a splendid performance as Mason.  This is a character that is so odd that anyone other than a highly-talented and skilled actor would fumble.  My favorite performance, however, is that of Chris Evans as Curtis Everett.

Evans began his rise as a movie star by showing his ability to be funny or to deliver light comic flourishes whenever a film in which he appeared desperately needed some genuine humor.  He was often the saving grace of 20th Century Fox's 2005-2007 Fantastic Four film franchise.  Evans then showed that he could be an action movie star in Marvel Studio's Captain America films by bring dramatic heft and gravitas to both Captain America films and to Marvel's The Avengers, in which he also appeared as Captain America.

In Snowpiercer, Evans puts a lock on leading man status.  He looks like a leader, and, in this performance, he carries and embodies this film's social commentary in Curtis Everett's physicality and his emotions, and especially in his spirit.  Evans leaves no doubt that he is not only the real deal as a movie star, but also as an actor.

Co-writer and director Bong Joon Ho (or Joon-ho Bong) gives Snowpiercer visual scope, creating a big picture in a setting that is both intimate and claustrophobic.  Bong shows that science fiction can be more than just imaginative and speculative about the future.  It can and should speak to the modern condition; the genre wants to be more than just escapism.  I still wish that Snowpiercer had spent more time with more of its amazing cast of characters.  That does not keep me from declaring that this is a unique science fiction film because its themes and ideas are both non-fiction and important.

8 of 10
A

Tuesday, February 24, 2015


NOTES:
2015 Black Reel Awards:  1 nomination: “Outstanding Supporting Actress, Motion Picture” (Octavia Spencer)


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

"Avengers: Age of Ultron" Team Poster

The sequel to Marvels The Avengers opens Thursday, April, 23, 2015

Chiwetel Ejiofor, Eddie Murphy Among Presents at 87th Oscars

Chiwetel Ejiofor, Chris Evans, Dakota Johnson, Jennifer Lopez, Chloë Grace Moretz, Eddie Murphy and Margot Robbie to Present At 87th Oscars®

Chiwetel Ejiofor, Chris Evans, Dakota Johnson, Jennifer Lopez, Chloë Grace Moretz, Eddie Murphy and Margot Robbie will be presenters at this year’s Oscars, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today. The Oscars, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will air on Sunday, February 22, 2015 live on ABC.

Ejiofor received his first Oscar® nomination last year for his lead performance in “12 Years a Slave.” He previously appeared in such features as “Salt” (2010), “American Gangster” (2007), “Children of Men” (2006) and “Dirty Pretty Things” (2003). His upcoming films include “Z for Zachariah” and “Triple Nine.”

Evans made his directorial debut in Toronto this year with “Before We Go.”  He starred in 2014’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” reprising the role of the patriotic superhero he played in “Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011) and “Marvel’s The Avengers” (2012). His other film credits include “Snowpiercer” (2014), “Puncture” (2011), “Sunshine” (2007) and “Fantastic Four” (2005). He will appear next in “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”

Johnson will star in “Fifty Shades of Grey,” which opens this month. She’s appeared in such hits as “The Five-Year Engagement,” “21 Jump Street” and “The Social Network.” Johnson will next be seen in the upcoming films “A Bigger Splash” and “Black Mass.”

Lopez can currently be seen in the thriller “The Boy Next Door.” Her other feature credits include “An Unfinished Life” (2005), “Monster in Law” (2005), “The Wedding Planner” (2001) and “Out of Sight” (1998). She stars opposite Viola Davis in “Lila & Eve,” which premiered last month at the Sundance Film Festival and she will voice ‘Lucy’ in the upcoming animated film “Home.”

Moretz most recently starred in “Dark Shadows” (2012), “The Equalizer” (2014) and “If I Stay” (2014). She previously appeared in such features as “Carrie” (2013), “Hugo” (2011), “Kick-Ass” (2010) and “Let Me In” (2010).   She will next appear in “The Fifth Wave.”

Murphy received an Oscar nomination for his supporting role in the 2006 film “Dreamgirls.” He has starred in such features as “Bowfinger” (1999), “The Nutty Professor” (1996), “Coming to America” (1988), “Beverly Hills Cop” (1984) and “48 Hrs.” (1982), and has lent his voice talents to all four of the “Shrek” animated features to date. He will next be seen in the independent drama “Cook.”

Robbie is best known for her breakout role in “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013) and can next be seen starring in Warner Bros' “Focus.” She is currently in production on Paramount's “Untitled Tina Fey Project." Her upcoming films include “Z for Zachariah,” “Tarzan" and “Suicide Squad."

The 87th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscars, produced by Zadan and Meron, also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

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Disney and Marvel Studios Release "Avengers: Age of Ultron" Synopsis

Disney/Marvel has released the official synopsis of Avengers: Age of Ultron, the sequel to its blockbuster film, Marvel's The Avengers.

The synopsis is as follows:

Marvel Studios presents “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.

Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” stars Robert Downey Jr., who returns as Iron Man, along with Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk.  Together with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and with the additional support of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, the team must reassemble to defeat James Spader as Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell-bent on human extinction. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen, and Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision. Written and directed by Joss Whedon and produced by Kevin Feige, Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963. Get set for an action-packed thrill ride when The Avengers return in Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” on May 1, 2015.

End of synopsis.