Iron Man 2

Promo Poster for THE AVENGERS from THE ART OF MARVEL STUDIOS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 28th, 2011 at 2:39 pm

Today, Marvel Studios released their new book The Art of Marvel Studios and they sent me a copy. The surprisingly heavy box set collects the previously-released hard-cover art books for Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger. These books are really a treat for anyone who wants to go through the concept art of these movies and see all the costume and make-up designs that weren’t used (there are some particularly horrific Red Skull designs that didn’t make the final cut). The box set also includes a promo poster for The Avengers. It’s simply the cover art to the box set with The Avengers logo, but since the cover art is nice, it’s a neat poster to have. Consider it a cool bonus to a box set that has the MSRP of $150.00. I don’t think I’d buy the set, but I also don’t have a spare 150 bucks lying around. If I did, I would consider getting it for my coffee table or a brick wall I needed to prop-up (seriously, this thing weighs almost 13 pounds).

Hit the jump to check out the poster. Click here to buy The Art of Marvel Studios from Amazon where it’s currently going for $94.50. And if you missed it, here’s a first look at the toy packaging for The Avengers movie.

Editorial: What Did Marvel Disassemble to Make THE AVENGERS?

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 29th, 2011 at 2:36 pm

There’s never quite been a movie constructed like The Avengers.  No major mainstream movie (or at least none I can think of) has ever been both the sequel to and the cross over of three different franchises.    Furthermore, this vision has not come from a single writer or director but rather from a studio who wants to translate their business model for comics on to the big screen.  That model demands that characters and plotlines carry over between different stories and therefore the consumer must draw from multiple products in order to understand the larger narrative.  However, each story contributing to the collaboration must also stand on its own.

But there’s been a cost to this ambition and that cost has been felt in the plotting of Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger.  We normally feel miffed if a film provides a presumptuous cliffhanger but these three films have gone one step further by gearing elements of their plot towards a final product.  Has Marvel damaged three movies in order to build the biggest superhero movie of all-time?  Hit the jump for more.

Hero Complex 2011 Recap: Warren Beatty (DICK TRACY), Richard Donner (SUPERMAN), Jon Favreau & Robert Downey Jr. (IRON MAN), More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: June 12th, 2011 at 9:55 pm

For the past few days at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood, Geoff Boucher of The Los Angeles Times hosted the second annual Hero Complex Film Festival.  In attendance were Warren Beatty for Dick Tracy, director Nicholas Meyer for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, writers/producers Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof for Star Trek (2009), Richard Donner for Superman and Superman II (with an appearance by Geoff Johns), Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. (who was a surprise guest) for Iron Man and Iron Man 2.  Of course they both talked a bit about Iron Man 3, The Avengers and Magic Kingdom.

In addition to the previously announced guests, Captain America: The First Avenger screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely premiered the new trailer and talked about the movie, and Mike Mignola talked about going back to Hellboy.  For more on the Festival, hit the jump.

Update: Added some video of Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr.

Weekend Box Office – Lightning Strikes Twice for THOR; BRIDESMAIDS a Strong Second

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: May 15th, 2011 at 9:33 am

The summer movie season is only two weeks old and, here it is, napping on the job. The respite did give Thor another opportunity to flex his muscles before the blockbusters of May get back to work next weekend, however.  The Marvel hero easily conquered his competition to take first place for the second week in a row with an estimated $34.5 million.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Thor	$34,500,000	$119.3
2	Bridesmaids	$22,400,000	$22.4
3	Fast Five	$19,500,000	$168.8
4	Priest	$14,500,000	$14.5
5	Rio	$8,000,000	$124.9
6	Jumping the Broom	$7,300,000	$25.9
7	Something Borrowed	$7,000,000	$25.7
8	Water for Elephants	$4,100,000	$48.4
9	Madea’s Big Happy Family	$2,200,000	$50.2
10	Soul Surfer	$1,800,000	$39.2

Weekend Box Office – THOR Dominates with $66 Million Opening

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: May 8th, 2011 at 9:34 am

The mighty, mighty Thor brought his blondeness to a theatre near you this weekend: earning an estimated $66 million from 3,955 locations.  That might seem kind of low for a superhero movie destined to lead off the summer season but, actually, it was right about where the God of Thunder was expected to land… being a “lesser superhero” and all.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Thor	$66,000,000	$66
2	Fast Five	$32,500,000	$139.9
3	Jumping the Broom	$13,700,000	$13.7
4	Something Borrowed	$13,200,000	$13.2
5	Rio	$9,500,000	$116.2
6	Water for Elephants	$5,700,000	$41.7
7	Madea’s Big Happy Family	$3,800,000	$46.7
8	Prom	$2,500,000	$7.9
9	Hoodwinked Too!	$2,200,000	$7
10	Soul Surfer	$2,100,000	$36.7

DICK TRACY to Open 2011 Hero Complex Film Festival; Full Line-Up and Guests Announced

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 4th, 2011 at 4:12 pm

Details on The Los Angeles Times’ Hero Complex Film Festival are starting to emerge. Today Hero Complex announced that Warren Beatty and his 1990 film Dick Tracy will open the festival. The celebrated director and actor will be on hand to discuss the film and its legacy following a screening. Additionally, the line-up of films and talent that will be featured at the festival has been released. One of the sure-to-be highlights of the festival is Richard Donner discussing the making of Superman and Superman II, with an appearance by Geoff Johns.

The festival will also feature the pairing of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and 2009’s Star Trek. Khan director Nicholas Meyer and Trek writers/producers Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof will be present for the post-screening discussion. Additionally, Jon Favreau will screen Iron Man and Iron Man 2, and footage from Cars 2 will be shown, with supervising animator Shawn Mullins on hand to chat about making the flick. Geoff Boucher is hosting the event which takes place June 9^th-12^th at the Chinese Six Theater.

Shane Black Talks IRON MAN 3; Confirms He’ll Write the Script

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 7th, 2011 at 7:39 am

Last month we learned that Shane Black (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang) had been hired to direct Iron Man 3.  However, Marvel “hadn’t figured out” if Black would also write the script.  Now it looks like they’ve solved that problem and come to the correct answer: Black will direct and write Iron Man 3.  Black, whose previous screenplays include Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout, confirmed he would write Iron Man 3‘s screenplay to an audience at the Omaha Film Festival.  He also revealed other interesting aspects about the film, which you can find out after the jump.

Oscar Visual Effects Shortlist Includes INCEPTION, SCOTT PILGRIM, TRON: LEGACY and Four More

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: January 5th, 2011 at 8:06 pm

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has narrowed down the contenders for the Visual Effects category to seven: Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, Hereafter, Inception, Iron Man 2, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and Tron: Legacy.  Given the face replace magic and impending Oscar dominance of The Social Network, I’m a bit surprised David Fincher’s movie didn’t get a nod.  But I’m glad Scott Pilgrim has the chance represent the relatively smaller-scale films in a big-budget category.  (Basically Scott must battle six evil FXes to win the heart of Oscar.)

The voting members will be invited to view 15-minute segments from each film on January 20th, then vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.  Hit the jump for the press release.

Jon Favreau Will NOT Direct IRON MAN 3 – UPDATED

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 14th, 2010 at 12:47 pm

In sad but not surprising news, Jon Favreau will not return to direct Iron Man 3.  His departure from the franchise makes sense in light of reported difficulties between Favreau and Marvel over his salary for Iron Man 2 and the creative control over that film.  Vulture reports that Favreau’s fee for directing Iron Man 3 would have been too high for Marvel and that the studio began the search for a replacement last night.  A source also tells Vulture that Marvel may have been attempting to dissuade Favreau by “pushing a confusing and packed vision of the third film.”  Favreau recently said that the story for Iron Man 3 (which currently has no script) would follow the events of Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Avengers.

Hit the jump for more.  Iron Man 3 is currently set for May 3, 2013.  Favreau’s new film, Cowboys & Aliens, is due out July 29, 2011.

UPDATE: Favreau has just tweeted:

It’s true, I’m directing Magic Kingdom, not Iron Man 3. I’ve had a great run with Marvel and wish them the best.

Let the speculation begin over who will direct Iron Man 3.  Original story continues after the jump:

Weekend Box Office – HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 1 Scores a Franchise-Best Opening with $125.1 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: November 21st, 2010 at 8:52 am

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 1 is the Hagrid-sized hit everyone expected it to be; although its three day estimate – at this point – won’t put it into the top five All-Time releases as was previously projected. They really missed the mark and came in sixth instead. Warner Brothers will have to be content in the knowledge that they have topped their previous Harry Potter record and bide their time until Part 2 comes out in July.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Harry Potter 7A	$125,100,000	$125.1
2	Megamind	$16,175,000	$109.4
3	Unstoppable	$13,100,000	$41.9
4	Due Date	$9,150,000	$72.6
5	The Next Three Days	$6,750,000	$6.7
6	Morning Glory	$5,430,000	$19.8
7	Skyline	$3,430,000	$17.6
8	Red	$2,467,000	$83.5
9	For Colored Girls	$2,400,000	$34.5
10	Fair Game	$1,470,000	$3.7

Geek Gifts: IRON MAN 2 Tony Stark Mark V Briefcase Replica

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 7th, 2010 at 9:30 am

Have you ever been pinned down by an angry Russian supervillain at a racetrack and thought, “Man, I really wish I had a portable suit of armor to defend myself,”?  Now you can (kind of)!  Big Bad Toy Store is selling the briefcase that held Tony Stark’s popular Mark V Iron Man armor.  The briefcase that’s on sale doesn’t actually have the armor since that technology doesn’t exist, but the briefcase itself is fully functional so it will still hold pens and important business papers, which is almost as good.  At every business meeting, you could bring this bad boy with you, throw it on the conference table, and get all your co-workers wondering, “Oh, does he have the armor or is it just that stupid freaking laptop again?”  The answer will always be the stupid laptop, but it’s fun to keep people guessing.  The replica costs $459.99 and is limited to 1,000 pieces so pre-order yours today!

Hit the jump to check out the official listing and an image of the briefcase.

IRON MAN 2 Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: September 28th, 2010 at 11:40 am

In 2008 Iron Man was not a sure thing. It had the first week of May as its launching point and looked to be a sharp, polished super hero movie, but though Robert Downey Jr. was always a critical favorite there was no sense that he could open a movie. But one hundred million dollar opening weekend later and Downey was back in the good graces of Hollywood, and a bona-fide movie star. Iron Man was a franchise-starter.

Iron Man 2 was then fast tracked to come out two years later. One of the main cast was replaced (Terrence Howard out, Don Cheadle in), and Justin Theroux was tasked with screenplay duties. Having announced himself to the world as Iron Man, Tony Stark (Downey) now has to face Whiplash/Ivan Danko (Mickey Rourke), whose father worked with Tony’s dad, and whose father instilled in him bitterness and resentment for all things Stark. After confronting Tony – who is being poisoned by the power source that keeps him alive – Ivan is arrested, but then rescued, given shelter and a workshop by Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), Tony’s competition in the arms race. This is the drive of Jon Favreau’s Iron Man 2, and my review follows after the jump.

Alternate Opening for IRON MAN 2

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 23rd, 2010 at 1:18 pm

If you’re wondering what happened to that moment in the trailer where Pepper Potts kisses the Iron Man helmet and throws it out the airplane hangar door went, we have your answer.  The alternate opening for Iron Man 2 has gone online and it’s definitely a more humorous intro to the film than the somber tone struck by Mickey Rourke building his Whiplash armor surrounded by Tony Stark news clippings.

Hit the jump to check out the alternate opening.  Iron Man 2 hits DVD and Blu-ray on September 28th.

Target is Selling an Exclusive Limited Edition IRON MAN 2 Blu-ray; Cover Art and Info Here

by David Lane    Posted: September 7th, 2010 at 12:37 pm

With director Jon Favreau’s Iron Man 2 hitting Blu-ray September 28th, Target has released the cover art and info for their exclusive Blu-ray that’s limited to 30,000 copies.  According to the info we were given, the exclusive metal case holds 3 discs and it comes with these features:

• Each case is individually numbered, with printing stamped into the metal on the top right corner
• 3D Lenticular cover image features the MARK VI Iron Man suit
• Interior image is Target’s exclusive image of Tony Stark’s “Hall of Armor”
• The back of the case includes both Iron Man and War Machine
• Blu-ray sized metal case, from MetalPak, holds all 3 discs

Hit the jump for the full picture and if you want a copy, you can buy it online now.

Dominic Cooper CONFIRMED to Play Howard Stark in CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 29th, 2010 at 2:39 pm

Yesterday, we received the official press release that Tommy Lee Jones will play General Chester Phillips in Captain America: The First Avenger.  Today, Marvel has sent us another press release confirmation announcing that Dominic Cooper (An Education) will play Howard Stark.  We reported back in May that Cooper had secured the part.  It was also rumored that he would play Fandral (one of the Warriors Three) in Thor so it looks like Cooper still found his way into the Marvel Universe.  As those who saw Iron Man 2 (or read comics) know, Howard Stark is the father of Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) and was played in that film by John Slattery (Mad Men). However, since Captain America takes place during World War II, a younger Howard Stark is required.  I assume that Stark’s engineering genius will factor into the creation of Captain America’s equipment.

The film stars Chris Evans as Captain America and co-stars Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, Neal McDonough, and Hugo Weaving.  Hit the jump for the press release.  Captain America: The First Avenger is slated to open on July 22, 2011.

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