Captain America: The First Avenger
The 10 Best Films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Ever since Samuel L. Jackson first popped up at the end of Iron Man (2008) ten years ago and revealed to Tony Stark that he was a part of a bigger universe, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has sat on top of the film landscape that every movie studio envies. There are currently 18 MCU films, with this week’s Avengers: Infinity War (2018) marking the nineteenth entry in the series, and the most ...[Read More]
Examining Iron Man 3 and its Place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
The release of Iron Man 3 starring Robert Downey Jr. is significant for a number of reasons. The first and most obvious reason is that it stands to make Marvel and it’s new parent company, Disney, a boatload of money (the movie opened internationally to $195.3 million, more than The Avengers did the previous summer, and that went on to gross $1.5 billion worldwide). Another is that the Iron Man th...[Read More]
How Marvel Films Made Me a True Believer in The Avengers!
The folks behind the latest crop of Marvel superhero movies have done the impossible – they made me care about The Avengers. I’m a very cynical comic book fan (ed. Note: see Why I Hate the New Superman Costume!) and I’ve never really been keen on the heroes who make up the Avengers. I hate Captain America just as much as I hate Superman. Thor bores me, and as hard as I’ve tried, I could never get ...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Apes Still in Charge
Truly, the planet is going to the apes…Rise of the Planet of the Apes held the top spot for the second week in a row, earning an estimated $27.5 million in weekend take. In only two weeks, the critically-acclaimed film has already broken the $100 million barrier in domestic gross, and even the typical drop in revenue from week to week was noticeably small, with a less than 50% loss. 2nd and 3rd pl...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Apes Rise to the Top
Last week, we had two films that went neck and neck during the weekend estimates (contrary to my original assessment, Cowboys & Aliens was the winner by a little over $800K). This week, there is no comparison…Rise of the Planet of the Apes was the big winner, taking the top spot with an estimated $54 million. The PG-13 science fiction film, with CGI apes motion-captured by Andy Serkis (he of G...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: The Smurfs and Cowboys & Aliens Tied?
It’s one thing for a film to take the top spot, but two films at the same time? Newcomers Cowboys & Aliens and The Smurfs both took the estimated top spot this weekend, earning approximately $36.2 million each…however, with a higher average at a smaller number of theaters and 3-D ticket sales, The Smurfs may end up being the big winner once the final numbers are counted. On the minus side, the...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Captain America: The First Avenger Knocks Down the Competition
Despite its record-smashing debut last weekend, not even a parade of Wingardium Leviosa spells could keep the boy wizard in the top spot a second time…Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 fell to second place behind the debut of Marvel’s newest comic book-to-film adaptation Captain America: The First Avenger. The story of weakling-turned-superman Steve Rogers and his fight to safeguard Ame...[Read More]
Movie Review: Captain America: The First Avenger
When a superhero origin story movie is made it is inevitable that someone will be disappointed. Character introductions, lengthy exposition, and transformation scenes are all keys to getting the uninitiated up to speed, but can be merely a rehash for the target fanboy audience. Admittedly I went into Captain America: The First Avenger as a relative novice to the character’s history and status as o...[Read More]