Marvel makes it look easy. That’s what kept running through my head while watching Iron Man 3 Thursday night. Pumping out one solid standalone film after another with the overall goal of creating a whole that is equally, if not more, entertaining than its formidable parts can’t be that easy. And yet, Marvel makes it seem that way. In a medium outside of their native reach no less. Granted, Iron Man 3 isn’t without its flaws. But it doesn’t have to be. It succeeds on the exact level it’s meant to: in moving both the individual character and universal stories ahead in an entertaining and logical way. If “Marvel makes it looks easy” was my primary takeaway from IM3, “DC has their work cut out for them” isn’t far behind.

But enough Marvel love for one opening paragraph. In this week’s Top 5 we’ve got Iron Man 3 interviews with director Shane Black and more, a video blog review for Star Trek Into Darkness, the Pacific Rim trailer from WonderCon, Fox’s courting of Michael B. Jordan the the role of Human Torch in its upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, and the new trailer for Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx‘s White House Down. A brief recap and link to each is a “Continue Reading” click away.

With writer-director Shane Black‘s Iron Man 3 now playing around the world and opening in America this weekend, I recently got to speak with the cast and filmmakers here in Los Angeles.  During my video interview with Guy Pearce and Rebecca Hall, we talked about how their families reacted when they were cast, script changes during production, how it’s hard to talk about the movie without giving away some of the twists and turns, what it was like working with Shane Black, and more.  In addition, I tried to get Hall to talk about Wally Pfister‘s Transcendence (it didn’t work), and Pearce talks briefly about The Rover with Robert Pattinson.  Hit the jump to watch.

Kicking off the blockbuster movie season, Marvel Studios is releasing Iron Man 3 on May 3^rd.  This time out, brilliant billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.), aka Iron Man, faces a terrifying enemy, known as The Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley), whose reach knows no bounds, and he must rely on his own instincts to protect those that he loves.  From director Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang), the film also stars Gwyneth Paltrow (“Pepper Potts”), Don Cheadle (“James Rhodes”), Guy Pearce (“Aldrich Killian”), Rebecca Hall (“Maya Hansen”) and Jon Favreau (“Happy Hogan”).

During this press conference at the film’s Los Angeles junket, co-stars Guy Pearce and Rebecca Hall, along with Shane Black, talked about the ambitions for Iron Man 3, the version that will be shown in China with additional footage, giving up the use of the F-word for the PG-13 film, why Christmas was the right setting for the story, what made this version of The Mandarin the perfect villain, and working with co-star Robert Downey, Jr.  Check out what they had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers.

Although Iron Man 3 has already had its world premiere, we here in the States have to wait a little over a week before we get to see it.  In the meantime, a new TV spot and 10 new images feature not only the principal cast of Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow, but new looks at the supporting cast.  We get new looks at James Badge Dale, Jon Favreau, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, Guy Pearce and Ty Simpkins, plus a TV spot takes us inside the surprisingly rustic cabin retreat of Tony Stark.

Also starring Don Cheadle and Ben Kingsley,  Iron Man 3 opens in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D on May 3rd.  Hit the jump to watch the TV spot and check out the new images.

A new international TV spot has been released for Iron Man 3, and MTV just aired a clip from the upcoming superhero flick.  Thankfully, neither the clip nor the TV spot are big on spoilers.  It’s just selling the hell out of the action, and that really can’t be spoiled since it’s going to be far more effective on the big screen than it is on your computer monitor or television.  My larger concern is if the 3D will help or hinder the picture.

Hit the jump to check out the clip and the TV spot.  The film stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, Jon Favreau, and Ben Kingsley.  Iron Man 3 opens in 3D on May 3rd.

Marvel has released a new featurette for director Shane Black’s sequel Iron Man 3, and this one focuses on the film’s large cast of characters.  In addition to a fair amount of new footage, we get to see nearly the entire cast (including Jon Favreau) discuss their characters and how the film stacks up against the first two Iron Man pics.  Naturally everyone has great things to say about the film, but Ben Kingsley appears genuinely enthused about tackling The Mandarin and Robert Downey Jr. claims that it’s the most emotionally satisfying and entertaining Iron Man film yet.

Hit the jump to watch the new featurette and click here if you missed the first clip from the pic.  The film also stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, and Rebecca Hall.  Iron Man 3 opens in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D on May 3rd.

An international TV spot for Iron Man 3 has gone online.  The spot still has the grim tone of almost everything we’ve seen so far, but it also has the same amount of action.  It also has a very cool ending, and fans of the comics will enjoy the reference even if the reference will probably be unnamed in the actual film.  That’s all I’m going to say because some might consider what happens to be a minor spoiler.

Hit the jump to check out the TV spot, but again be warned that it contains a minor spoiler.  The film stars he film stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, and Ben Kingsley.  Iron Man 3 opens in 3D on May 3rd.

Yesterday, a bounty of Iron Man 3 goodness made its way online.  In addition to a rather intense new trailer, we shared a video blog after having seen 15 minutes of footage from the movie as well as interviews with Robert Downey Jr. and director Shane Black & Marvel’s Kevin Feige.  The trailer is packed with so much new footage, that we’ve gone back and taken some high-resolution screengrabs from the clip that are now available for your perusing pleasure.

Hit the jump to take a look at the images, and let us know what secrets you think can be gleaned from some of these new photos.  The film also stars Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, and Ben Kingsley. Iron Man 3 opens in 3D on May 3rd.

The new trailer for Iron Man 3 has gone online.  The previous trailer presented a much darker tone for the franchise, and that’s still what we’re getting.  That’s fine.  Again, writer-director Shane Black has my full trust even if we’re not seeing his trademark snappy dialogue (although I love Ben Kingsley‘s delivery of the line, “You’ll never see me coming.”).  What this new trailer does show is action that looks absolutely insane.  I would love to see this trailer on the big screen, but I’ll probably have to wait until I see the finished film to check out these blockbuster set pieces.  I can live with that.

Hit the jump to check out the new trailer. The film also stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, and Rebecca Hall.  Iron Man 3 opens May 3rd. 

Christopher Nolan’s long-time cinematographer Wally Pfister is set to make his directorial debut with Transcendence, a secretive sci-fi project that already has Johnny Depp and Paul Bettany on board.  You may now add The Town’s Rebecca Hall to that enticing cast.  Transcendence opens on April 25, 2014.  Hit the jump for full details on Hall’s casting announcement. 

Parade’s End, a new five-part miniseries adaptation by Tom Stoppard (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead) of Ford Maddox Ford’s novels, is everything viewers wanted from Downton Abbey‘s second season, but didn’t get.  Whereas Downton Abbey shunted the First World War to the side (and created it as a place where one could just jaunt home every weekend or whenever one felt like it),Parade’s End uses it as a centerpiece dramatically and emotionally.  The Edwardian period has regained a huge amount of popularity lately, mostly thanks to Downton, but even if you’re growing tired of costume dramas and staid portrayals of a bygone era of England, whose opulance is beyond anything we could imagine, don’t overlook Parade’s End.  It will absolutely not let you down.  Hit the jump for more about the adaptation, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), Rebecca Hall (The Town) and Adelaide Clemens (The Great Gatsby).

Set against a backdrop of impending catastrophe in the early 20^th century, the five-part mini-series Parade’s End (airing on HBO from February 26^th through 28^th) tells the story of English aristocrat Christopher Tietjens (Benedict Cumberbatch), who is trapped in a marriage to an unfaithful wife while being torn over his unspoken love for a fearless, young suffragette.  Sylvia (Rebecca Hall) is a callous socialite who has given birth to a child that may not be his while Valentine Wannop (Adelaide Clemens) is a fearless young woman who unexpectedly turns Christopher’s world upside down.  As the First World War breaks out across Europe, Christopher struggles to adapt to his new life as an army officer and attempts to hold onto sanity and meaning, as the old world order collapses amidst tremendous upheaval, marking the end of Edwardian ideals and bridging the gap between feudal England and the dawn of modernism.

During this recent exclusive interview with Collider, actress Rebecca Hall talked about why she wanted to play the complex and complicated Sylvia, what she thinks of her extreme character, how invigorating the role was to play, how encouraging it was to have screenwriter Tom Stoppard on set, how she sees the relationship between Sylvia and Christopher, working with Benedict Cumberbatch who she’s been friends with for over 10 years, and how challenging it is to find roles this meaty.  She also talked about what she looks for in a script, and the experience of being on a big Hollywood production like Iron Man 3 (she plays scientist Maya Hansen).  Check out what she had to say after the jump. 

We’ve enjoyed an influx in strong horror movies in the past year or so, spearheaded by The Cabin in the Woods, but also including the likes of The Innkeepers, The Woman in Black and Sinister, just for starters.  The Awakening definitely constitutes a step down from those efforts, but it also demonstrates the ways the genre as a whole has benefitted from them.  After years of cynical torture porn and empty shock tactics, horror movies have finally remembered what it means to properly scare people. The Awakening does far better than it might solely by keeping that equation in mind. Hit the jump for my full review.

Marvel has released a new image from Iron Man 3, and this one doesn’t involve Tony Stark or explosions of any kind.  Instead, we get a look at the scientist character played by Rebecca Hall sporting a minor head wound and hanging out in what looks to be a lab of some sort.  We don’t know much about who Hall plays, but I’m happy to see that director Shane Black has fleshed the cast out with another (hopefully) strong female character.  Whether she’s friend or foe, we’ll find out soon enough.

Hit the jump to take a look at the image and to catch up on the recent barrage of Iron Man 3 news.  The film opens in 3D on May 3rd.

A new trailer for the upcoming HBO miniseries Parade’s End is now available.  We recently posted a teaser for the five-part adaptation of the Madox Ford novels starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Rebecca Hall, and Adelaide Clemens, but this new trailer informs on the plot a bit more.  The WWI-era story centers on a love triangle of sorts between Christoper Tietjens (Cumberbatch), his adulterous wife Sylvia (Hall) and the alluring Valentine Wannop (Clemens).  Tietjens holds to an increasingly outdated moral code which complicates matters quite severely.  While many will draw comparisons between Parade’s End and the similarly-themed Downton Abbey, Cumberbatch is quick to make a rather brusque distinction.  Hit the jump to watch the new trailer and see what Cumberbatch had to say.