Few Marvel comics are iconic as Captain America, the human embodiment of the American flag. Thanks to Paramount, not only do we have a look at the Australian trailer for the film, but an exclusive image of the Cap’s nemesis: the Red Skull! Red Skull will be played by Australia’s Hugo Weaving, who is no stranger to big-budget epics like The Matrix or the Lord of the Rings films.
Based on the long-running Marvel comic, Captain America: The First Avenger, the film tells the story of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), a runt of a soldier plucked from obscurity during the Second World War and made into an American super soldier by US government experiements. As the title implies, the film will also serve as a forerunner to the spin-off film, The Avengers, tying the storylines of the recent Iron Man films, The Hulk and the forthcomingThor together as the ultimate super-team assembles.
New Australian drama Snowtown, the debut feature film of director Justin Kurzel and producers Anna McLeish and Sarah Shaw for Warp Films Australia, launched its official trailer yesterday. Thanks to Madman Entertainment, we are able to take a look at it here.
Snowtown is a powerful psychological drama set in Adelaide’s northern suburbs and based on the real crimes of Australia’s worst serial killer, John Bunting. It explores the relationship between 16-year-old Jamie Vlassakis, who found his father figure and mentor in John Bunting. It is the examination of a community and questions how and why events such as Snowtown occur.
The film was the hot topic of conversation at the 2011 BigPond Adelaide Film Festival where it won the Audience Award for Best Feature.
The Australian cast includes Australian cast including Lucas Pittaway, Daniel Henshall and Louise Harris.
The moody and atmospheric trailer looks to be an exciting debut from Justin Kurzel, and comes with a screenplay from Shaun Grant (TV’s Killing Time). It’s a logical progression from the exploitation genre that we have done so often in recent years, and suburban angst films that perhaps keep audiences at arm’s length.
It is no secret that Australian films have struggled to find an audience locally, with even some of the more obvious entries of Griff the Invisible and Wasted on the Young making disappointing returns at the box office. Hopefully the BAFF Audience Award for Best Feature will be an indicator of how audiences will receive it at the box office when it is released later this year.
If the eye-catching posters released in the last few weeks are any indication, one of the biggest superhero movies for the first half of the year is undoubtedly Thor– and not for nothing. Based on a story by comic book legend J. Michael Straczynski (also TV’s Bablyon 5) and Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend), and a screenplay by Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz and Don Payne, it comes with added weight of thesp-turned-director Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet, Frankenstein, Much Ado About Nothing) in the director’s chair. Paramount has sent us the first clip they are releasing from the forthcoming movie.
The epic adventure “Thor” spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the mystical realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. As a result, Thor is banished to Earth, where he is forced to live among humans. When the most dangerous villain of his world sends its darkest forces to invade Earth, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero.
Starring Australia’s Chris Hemsworth (Star Trek) as the titular Norse god fallen to the earthly realms, along with Academy Award® winners Natalie Portman (The Black Swan) and Anthony Hopkins (The Rite) as ‘the girl’ and ‘the villain’ respectively. In this clip, Portman’s character meets Thor for the first time.
Stay tuned over the coming weeks as we bring you more Thor content, including interviews with cast members Jaimie Alexander (Sif, The Goddess of War) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki, The God of Mischief).
Thor will have its world premiere in Sydney on 17 April 2011. Thor will be released in Australia on 21 April 2011 by Paramount.
J.J. Abrams was last seen around these parts directing the fabulous Star Trek reboot in 2009 (yes, it really was two years ago), and while he has kept himself busy producing Morning Glory and writing/producing the forthcoming Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, we eagerly anticipate whatever he has in stall for us next.
Back in February, we looked at the Super Bowl Spots from Paramount, giving us a 30-second look at Super 8, co-produced by none other than Steven Spielberg! Now, thanks again to Paramount, we have a full trailer for the film to look at.
In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth – something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined. Directed by J.J. Abrams from his original script, the Amblin Entertainment and Bad Robot Production film is produced by Steven Spielberg, Abrams and Bryan Burk.
The film stars Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Ron Eldard, Noah Emmerich, Gabriel Basson, Joel Courtney, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills and Amanda Michalka.
Super 8 is released on 9 June 2011 in Australia from Paramount.
Our friends at Madman have sent through a trailer to the forthcoming movie Babies, a new film that simultaneously follows four babies around the world – from birth to first steps.
The children are Ponijao, who lives with her family near Opuwo, Namibia; Bayarjargal, who resides with his family in Mongolia; Mari, who lives with her family in Tokyo, Japan; and Hattie, who resides with her family in the United States, in San Francisco.
From French documentarian Thomas Balmès, the film was nominated by the Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards for a best documentary award. The experienced director has a unique world view, having shot much of it in documentaries Damages (2005), A Decent Factory (2004), the Gospel according to the Papuans (1999), Maharajah Burger (1997), and Bosnia Hotel (1996)
Due out in Australian in May, Babies is plugged as “re-defining the nonfiction art form”. Babies aims to capture on film “the earliest stages of the journey of humanity that are at once unique and universal to us all”.
5 More Movie Babies
They may be small, but babies have played a large part in a number of our favourite films. Here’s a selection of some of the noteworthy ones.
Baby Herman (Who Framed Roger Rabbit): There aren’t too many babies that have a mean cigar-smoking habit, but cartoon Baby Herman is actually a middle-aged cartoon forever trapped in the body of an infant. His mother is a pair of prop legs and his best friend is the beleaguered Roger Rabbit, so it is no wonder that he still cries like a baby when he drops his cigar. If you catch this baby crawling underneath your skirt, chances are that he hasn’t just lost his way. Check your behind at all times.
“Baby” (Bringing Up Baby): The “Baby” in question here is not so much an actual human infant as a tame Cheetah, which Katherine Hepburn is supposed to look after and give to her aunt. Yet even this is simply an excuse for an excellent 1930s screwball comedy from Howard Hawks (who also did the excellent His Girl Friday two years later), and a means of bringing the the leading lady together with Cary Grant. If you catch this baby crawling underneath your skirt, you have more problems that you might think.
Big Baby (Toy Story 3): Abandoned by the roadside with the strawberry-scented Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear, the pair rule the Sunnyside Daycare Centre with iron (or more accurately plastic and furry) fists. Although Big Baby never says a word (although officially voiced by Woody Smith), the plastic baby with the lazy eye, drawn-on arm tattoo and ever-handy bottle of milk, projects an incredibly sinister visage. He is the strong-armed right-hand man-child of Lotso, and the toughest thing you’ll see in a diaper.
Adrian (aka Andy or Jenny) (Rosemary’s Baby): Rosemary had two names picked out for her baby – Andy if it was a both, and Jenny if it was a girl. Eventually a name was picked for her by a lovely and every-helpful group of neighbours. Despite a gestation period that caused a hunger for raw meat and a lust for blood, Rosemary is surprised to learn that the child has his father’s eyes. Rosemary is a reluctant mother, but is quickly convinced that a growing son need his mother close by.
Oscar Barrett (Ghostbusters II): Not many children are responsible for the (near) end of the world, but the child of Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) was always going to be special. When he attracts the attention of the spirit evil Vigo the Carpathian, the date is set for New Year’s Eve to bring that essence into the real world. Naturally, when trouble’s brewing, who you gonna call? The paranormal investigators and elimnators are back to fight the evil, especially when it’s after Peter Venkman’s (Bill Murray) would-be girlfriend. Otherwise, Oscar is a normal and healthy baby, but the Ghostbusters would still like to run gynecological tests on the mother.
2011 has already been hotting up as the year of the superhero film, with some of the biggest names in the business set for a remake, reboot or sequel. Indeed, it’s only February, and we’ve already had one blockbuster comic book adaptation in the form of Michel Gondry’s The Green Hornet. As we saw from the Super Bowl commercials last week, the battle will continue throughout the year as Captain America: The First Avenger fights for freedom, the Green Lantern polices the galaxy and Thor brings down the mighty hammer of Odin. With so many to see, how are our anticipation levels reading for these fabulous films of 2011?
X-Men: First Class
Today, Twentieth Century Fox released the first trailer for the highly anticipated X-Men: First Class. Although this will be the fourth film in the franchise to date – following X-Men, X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand and the atrocious Wolverine – this prequel has got fans in an uncanny buzz. Director Matthew Vaughn, who has already popped his comic cherry on Kick-Ass and its forthcoming sequel, should bring back the sense of frenetic energy that X-fans have been craving since Bryan Singer’s high-octane second installment in 2003.
Then there’s the cast: James McAvoy (Gnomeo & Juliet) takes on the role of a young Professor Charles Xavier, a role made famous by the venerable Patrick Stewart. Meanwhile, Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds) has his own big shoes to fill replacing Sir Ian McKellen as Magneto. The awarded actors are certainly up to the task, and boy are they accompanied by a terrific cast: Kevin Bacon, January Jones, Australia’s Rose Byrne, Nicholas Hoult (A Single Man), Jennifer Lawrence and Oliver Platt just to name a few. If that’s not enough to convince you, then script is co-written by Kick-Ass scribe Jane Goldman. You will be seeing this film.
As you can see from the trailer itself, this is an origin of the famous team set during the Cold War era of the 1960s, complete with Cuban Missile Crisis, younger versions of familiar characters and a few new ones to boot. Most notably, Golden-Globe nominee January Jones (Mad Men) joins the cast as Emma Frost, another telepath with the ability to create thought projections. There also seems to be some kind of fairy creature that Charles and Erik visit in what can only be described as a David Lynch-style red room. If Michael J. Anderson turns up, it could be the greatest film ever made. (X-Men: First Class is out in Australia on 2 June, 2011 from Twentieth Century Fox).
Green Lantern
Will ‘Green Lantern’ shine at the box office?
One of Warner Bros./DC’s great hopes for the year didn’t run a spot during the Super Bowl, possibly saving themselves the $3 million price tag that goes along with it. As was the case with the Facebook-launched X-Men: First Class trailer, when the Green Lantern trailer launched online in November last year, it caused quite the fanboy stir.
Although never a major mainstream player on the superhero front, Green Lantern has managed to get some good marketing from DC and its parent company Warner Bros. thanks to appearances in the popular Justice League animated series, and his very own direct-to-DVD animated film, Green Lantern: First Flight. The trailer to the first live-action film for the character managed to elicit a few laughs – both intentional and the unfortunate kind – thanks to the all-CGI costume the character was wearing. This has the fanboys already crying outrage, but let’s see if the company can keep the goodwill built by Batman Begins and The Dark Knight going. Fingers crossed! (Green Lantern is out in Australia from Warner Bros. on 16 June 2011).
Thor
Potentially the silliest of all the films to date, Thor is a character that traces back to Norse mythology, but Marvel adapted into a comic book back in the 1960s under Stan Lee.
The new trailer that Paramount debuted at the Super Bowl this year amps up the hammer wielding and the muscly action, but the extended version – showing much poncing about in capes with Anthony Hopkins demonstrating why he should have stayed retired – has the potential to be one of the biggest giggle-fests of 2011. Lest we forget: for every Spider-man and Iron Man, there is an Elektra or Ghost Rider. Let’s pray to mighty Odin that with seasoned thesp Kenneth Branagh behind the camera, Thor will be the former. (Thor is out in Australia from Paramount on 28 April 2011).
Captain America: The First Avenger
Marvel’s plan is to bring together most of their film characters to date – Hulk (now played by Mark Ruffalo, replacing Edward Norton, who in turn usurped Eric Bana), Thor, Iron Man and a few bit players from the respective movies – and team them all up as The Avengers in 2012. First the team needs a captain, so in the Hollywood tradition of explaining everything before it happens, we get the origin story of Steve Rogers (aka Captain America). As such, the ‘First Avenger’ bit has been strategically stuck into the title to evoke a sense of…franchising?
The first footage we saw was (you guessed it) at the 2011 Super Bowl, and we witnessed the transformation of Chris Evans (who was last seen in superhero mode in the woeful Fantastic Four sequel The Rise of the Silver Surfer), from skinny private to super soldier as part of US government experimentation in the Second World War. As with X-Men: First Class, this looks to be a period piece (rather than the Cap on Ice modern storylines), and a very cool one at that. In the short 32 second teaser, we get to see his nemesis the Red Skull, the famous US flag shield and Tommy Lee Jones. Is that not cool, or what? (Captain America: The First Avenger is out in Australia on 28 July 2011).
The Reel Bits: It’s going to be spandex city this year, with a plethora of heroes vying for your coin. Based on what we’ve seen so far, our money is on X-Men: First Class and Captain America: The First Avenger being the must-see superhero titles of 2011.
For non-sport fans, the US Super Bowl is a place to catch all the latest big-budget commercials, check for wardrobe malfunctions and perhaps hear a diva making a hash of the US national anthem. For film fans, there is always the added bonus of getting an early look at some of the US summer blockbusters that will be screaming “look at me, look at me” during the middle months of the year (the hump if you will, or as we call it in Australia, winter).
Paramount has sent over a collection of their 30-second TV spots for some of their biggest releases this year. We’ve got a Queen-themed spot for Kung Fu Panda 2, the threequel Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon (yes, they are still going with that title), the Johnny Depp animated western Rango. There’s also the epic-sounding Cowboys & Aliens (one of our Most Anticipated in 2011), comic adaptation Thor and the Steve Spielberg/J.J. Abrams Super 8. Finally, they’ve given us some footage from the much anticipated Captain America: The First Avenger.
