Film

Question of the week: who’s on your Avengers list?

The Avengers movie poster

The Avengers (Assemble) has been out on Blu-Ray for over a week now. Now, I could at this point write something long and exciting (not) about the differences between the US version and the UK version: the fact the UK version has edits, doesn’t have one of the documentaries and doesn’t have director Joss Whedon’s commentary.

But let’s ignore that and concentrate on something important: the fact there’s – depending on your point of view – a lot of studly comic book superheroes and superheroines to admire or ogle. And given we’re occasionally given to lists round here, today’s question is suitably list based:

Who did you enjoy the most of all The Avengers? And which character’s movie would you like to see next?

Your list can, of course, be entirely sexual, there being a lot of man candy (Thor, Captain America, Tony Stark, Nick Fury, Bruce Banner and – no judgement – the Hulk) and of course Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Cobie Smulders (Agent Maria Hill), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts) and – no judgement – that waitress Captain America saved. There’s also Tom Hiddleston.

It can also be a list based on which characters you liked the best, which actors you liked the best, who you thought got the best dialogue, who had the best scenes and so on. So let us all know below or on your own blog the answer to that question – you can opt to tell us what the list is or just list them and let us guess.

As for which character you’d like to see next, that’s a slightly more difficult question. Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 are filming right now; Captain America 2: Winter Soldier is currently in discussions; and the Hulk won’t be back until The Avengers 2. There’s also been talk of a Black Widow spin-off movie, although nothing definite yet, and Joss Whedon is working on a SHIELD TV series, albeit with brand new characters.

But, whether it’s happening or not, which of the characters are you looking forward to seeing in their own franchise again next, and which would you like to see get a franchise if they don’t already have one.

Here’s my shortlist (it probably works for all possible permutations):

  1. Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow)
  2. = Chris Hemsworth (Thor)
    = Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man)

I did like Mark Ruffalo’s the Hulk. But he’s not on any list.

Incidentally, I should point out that comics-wise, Black Widow is currently the co-star of both Captain America and Black Widow, as well as Winter Soldier, so it’s not entirely out of the question that she’ll be back in Captain America 2: Winter Soldier.

Winter Soldier #10

Captain America and Black Widow

For those that don’t know Black Widow’s comics back story, she’s as old as Captain America – he even saves her as a child from the Nazis in one comic – having been given the Russians’ version of the Super Soldier Serum, but was conditioned to be a spy and assassin by the Soviets’ ‘Red Room’, Hawkeye eventually breaking her conditioning (as hinted at in The Avengers). Here’s a little explanation of the character and her development in comics.

UK TV

Review: Doctor Who – 7×4 – The Power of Three

The Power of Three

In the UK: Saturdays, BBC1. Now available on iPlayer
In the US: Saturdays, BBC America

Ah, pathos, tears, romance, cameos by famous people, a domestic UK setting, characterisation, a big hand-wavey, 30-second sonic screwdriver way out of a massive alien invasion, menacing kids, families, an emoting, lonely Doctor, voiceovers, continuity references and more – isn’t it great that Russell T Davies came back to write an episode of Doctor Who for Steven Moffat, bringing with him all his writing trademarks?

What’s that Sootie? Rusty didn’t write The Power of Three? Then who did?

Who???

You’re shitting me, Sootie. Chris Chibnall wrote that? Well, colour me surprised.

Yes, the man responsible for Cyberwoman, Countrycide, Adrift, Exit Wounds, The Hungry Earth and Camelot, to name but a few, most of which have been banned by Geneva Conventions, has finally turned in his indisputable masterpiece – by the simple mechanism of instead of merely copying every B-movie he’s ever watched (with perhaps the exception of Super 8), pretending to be Russell T Davies.

Shame it didn’t have a proper ending and the plot was nonsense, but that’s what happens when you copy Rusty.

Here’s a trailer.

Continue reading “Review: Doctor Who – 7×4 – The Power of Three”

Film

Amber Heard not at all typecasting herself in Syrup

Shiloh Fernandez and Amber Heard in Syrup

They were shooting it in New York over a year ago – something of a surprise since the book was set in LA – but finally, the film of Syrup is ready to premiere… in Russia at least, 2013 everywhere else, according to the author, Max Barry. And here’s an unofficial trailer, posted by Barry himself.

A satire set in the world of corporate marketing, Syrup sees ‘Scat’ (Shiloh Fernandez from Red Riding Hood) trying to get his idea for a black-labelled carbonated beverage picked up by a certain major drinks company, helped (and occasionally stabbed in the back) by ‘6’ (Amber Heard), a brilliant young, gay marketing executive with few morals, and former best friend ‘Sneaky Peak’ (Kellan Lutz, whom you might recognise from the Twilight series, even though he never gets much to do). As 6 guides Scat through the chess game of corporate politics, Scat begins to fall in love with her. But can he trust her, can she love him and how much of anything she’s told him about herself can he believe – is he in love with a piece of marketing?

The movie, co-written by Barry and the film’s director Aram Rappaport (Whore), is going to be a bit of a change from the book, by the looks of it, not least because Tom Cruise and Gwyneth Paltrow aren’t going to be making a major sci-fi blockbuster during the movie; Brittany Snow (Harry’s Law) plays 6’s evil opposite, a character called ‘3’ rather than ‘@’; and because Sneaky Pete was originally Asian.

The trailer does also spoil rather a lot the book’s major question of whether 6 is quite the lesbian she claims to be, which makes me think it might not be as big a question in the movie.

Now it might just be our Amber getting all meta, given she’s one of the film’s producers, but a ‘might be lesbian, might be bi’ character who sleeps with a magnum under her pillow? That’s some major ‘from real life’ typecasting right there.

Monday’s “RDM to adapt A Knight’s Tale, Treme gets a short fourth season and Helen Mirren to play The Queen again” news

Doctor Who

Film

  • Matt Bomer, Lucy Griffiths and Eva Marie Saint join Winter’s Tale
  • Allen Hughes to direct remake of A Bittersweet Life

Trailers

  • TV spot for Cloud Atlas
  • International trailer for Life of Pi
  • Trailer for Gus Van Sant’s Promised Land with Matt Damon
  • Trailer for Amy Heckerling’s Vamps, with Alicia Silverstone, Krysten Ritter and Sigourney Weaver
  • Trailer for The Details with Tobey Maguire
  • Trailer for Winnie with Jennifer Hudson
  • Trailer for Tai Chi Zero

Theatre

UK TV

US TV

US TV casting

New US TV shows

New US TV show casting

Sitting Tennant

Friday’s Sitting Tennant (week 35, 2012)

Shilohforever's Sitting Tennant

Sister Chastity's Sitting Tennant

Toby's Sitting Tennant

Nice work, my stalkers. Five points to you all. The rest of you, bask in the joy of David Tennant succumbing to the power of gravity. 

Have a nice weekend and see you on Tuesday!

  1. Toby: 40
  2. Sister Chastity, Hebbie: 30
  3. Shilohforever: 20

Sitting Board of Winners 2012
January
Hebbie, Sister Chastity

February
Sister Chastity

March
Sister Chastity

April
Sister Chastity, Shilohforever

May
Hebbie, Sister Chastity

June
Hebbie, Sister Chastity

July
Hebbie

Got a picture of David Tennant sitting, lying down or in some indeterminate state in between? Then leave a link to it below or email me and if it’s judged suitable and doesn’t obviously infringe copyright, it will appear in the “Sitting Tennant” gallery. Don’t forget to include your name in the filename so I don’t get mixed up about who sent it to me.

The best pic in the stash each week will appear on Tuesday and get ten points; the runners up will appear on Friday (one per person who sends one in) and get five points.

Each month, I’ll name the best picture provider and then at the end of the year, the overall champion will be announced for 2012!