Samuel L. Jackson’s brief cameo at the end of Iron Man in 2008 forever changed the possibilities for superhero films. No longer did every franchise have to be a distinct entity – multiple movies could now take place in the same fictional universe, and the collective imagination of fans everywhere exploded at the potential for a massive crossover event bringing everyone together in one film.

With The Avengers, Marvel has achieved a seemingly impossible task: not only did they spend years building the foundation that supports this film by bringing together A-list stars from different franchises, but they managed to turn a project that could have collapsed under the pressure of its own ambition into one of the most crowd-pleasing superhero movies ever created.

Look no further than the 2002 series “Firefly” and its spinoff film Serenity for proof that Joss Whedon was the perfect choice to corral all of these monumental heroes into one storyline. Whedon is one of the best writers in the business, and he really excels at crafting meaningful relationships among ensemble casts and writing strong female characters, two things that were a requirement for a successful film adaptation of The Avengers. He was helped here by a terrific stable of actors, veterans of the industry who understand one of Marvel’s greatest strengths in these properties: the ability to keep the story critical to the film but allow enough humor that it won’t suffocate under its own seriousness.

The character work in The Avengers is fantastic, especially considering this particular team-up is jam-packed with characters that have already had entire films devoted to their singular adventures. Whedon gives each of them multiple moments to shine, and everything that we loved about them in previous films is on display here (and oftentimes it’s even improved). Even in scenes near the beginning of the film that contain massive amounts of setup and exposition, he manages to insert little “Whedonisms” to lighten the mood; there’s a gag with a $10 bet between Captain America and Nick Fury that’s a really small moment overall, but it brings a lot of humor to a sequence where people are just sitting around spouting information. Tony Stark has never been wittier, and Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner actually has a personality outside of sulking in corners and fighting the beast inside him. (The Hulk is funny this time, too!) Natasha Romanoff is far better drawn than she was in the disastrous Iron Man 2, so ScarJo fans can rest easy.

The action sequences are spectacular and choreographed so that we know where our heroes are at all times. (That in itself is a pretty incredible feat because the sheer scope of this movie is so huge.) The climax is breathtakingly constructed, mixing spectacle and destruction with legitimate character moments and not letting the (admittedly awesome) visual effects take over the movie. There are memorable setpieces spaced throughout the movie, resulting in easily the most entertaining Marvel film so far.

Because there is so much ground to cover, I did feel a little like Loki’s villainous intentions were a bit unclear. He’s working with some sort of alien race, but we don’t ever find out why the destruction of Earth is so paramount to their greater mission. Also, how did Thor even arrive on Earth for this movie? At the end of Thor, they establish that the bifrost has been destroyed. I understand how things wrap up at the end of The Avengers, with the Tesseract from Captain America playing a key role in the travel element, but there was so much happening that they didn’t have time to get into the hows and whys of things like that. Granted, I’m not sure that I would have wanted them to if it meant cutting out anything from what we see in the final film; it’s easy to see how Whedon’s first cut was over three hours long, and I’d love to see that movie in its entirety at some point if it ever gets released.

But ultimately, the few tiny gripes I have are cancelled out by the sheer geeky thrills in this movie. Marvel is the new Babe Ruth: they called their shot, and freaking blasted it out of the park. At long last, The Avengers finally came together on screen and, thanks to the only man who could have made it succeed, it surpassed all the hype. I probably don’t need to tell you that this film deserves to be seen on the big screen to get the full impact, but I guess I just did (and you can skip the 3D – it’s passable, but not great). The Avengers is everything I wanted it to be and more, and I sincerely hope that a few years from now I’ll be writing about The Avengers 2 written and directed by Joss Whedon. But until then, we can thank him for giving audiences the most fun movie of 2012. Until next time…

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If by some miracle you’re reading this without having seen any trailers, TV spots, or clips of The Cabin in the Woods, do yourself a favor and keep it that way before you see the movie. In a world of leaked set photos, trailers for trailers, and general marketing overload, I tend to lean toward avoiding as much of that stuff as I can for most movies anyway, but this movie unquestionably deserves that treatment. There are few films these days that offer up as many twists as The Cabin in the Woods, and there’s nothing quite like that revelatory feeling of being completely surprised at the movies. For fans of horror movies, and even those who just have a cursory knowledge of the cliches of the genre, this is a must-see.

Drew Goddard (the writer of Cloverfield) is making his directorial debut here, and he’s got a perfect writing partner for the sort of genre deconstruction that pervades this movie: none other than “Buffy” and “Firefly” creator and The Avengers director Joss Whedon. As detailed in this great piece at The Playlist, Whedon has been working in the industry for a long time and has a unique screenwriting voice; this collaboration with Goddard provides one of the freshest takes on the tropes of horror movies I’ve ever seen, as the duo manages to find that magical balance between parody and crafting an entry into the genre it’s sending up.

The story here is as basic as they come: five friends take a trip to an isolated old lake house, and scary stuff starts happening. But The Cabin in the Woods isn’t content with just rehashing tired stereotypes; instead, it features a separate narrative that runs parallel to the main story that completely subverts everything we’ve ever known about horror films and how they work. There are also a ton of references to other horror films – the cabin looks eerily similar to the one from The Evil Dead, for example, and the entire third act is loaded with enough great imagery for horror fans to sift through for months on end, dissecting every last wink and nod to the films that informed this one.

The dialogue is smart and funny, and the whole cast – particularly Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford playing characters that I won’t even mention – seems like a great fit for the material. Fran Kranz (“Dollhouse”) does especially great work, and the beautiful Kristen Connolly provides the heart of the film while also being an audience interpreter for what’s going on. For those not as keen on horror flicks who may fear the entire movie is one long scare-fest, think again: Whedon and Goddard infuse the story with plenty of humor to counterbalance the intense moments (of which there are definitely a few).

The whole thing culminates with one of the best “Eff You” moments to authority committed to screen since R.P. McMurphy roamed the halls of the mental institution in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. To give away anything more would be to rob you of the joy of experiencing this gem on your own, so see this movie as quickly as possible so nobody has the chance to ruin it for you. I know it’s still early, but with its wholly original take on the conventions of horror films, The Cabin in the Woods is an early contender for one of the most fun and interesting movies of the year. Until next time…

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Joss Whedon’s The Avengers is unquestionably one of the most highly anticipated movies of 2012, and it might even have a legitimate shot at being one of the most anticipated films of all time. The way this movie came together is unprecedented, and now Marvel has teamed with Norton (not Edward, the antivirus company) to trace the origins of this superhero team-up film, featuring quick interviews with all of the major stars and even Whedon himself.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures “Marvel’s The Avengers”–the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble in summer 2012. In “Marvel’s The Avengers,” superheroes team up to pull the world back from the brink of disaster when an unexpected enemy threatens global security.

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Universal has released the second official trailer for Snow White and the Huntsman. It expands upon the first trailer with more story details, and provides some very impressive visuals of battles and mythical creatures. We also get to see the dwarves (played by a great bunch of British actors) walking and talking.

Watch below:

Universal has also released a 5 minute preview which shows off even more impressive footage, although i’d avoid it if you want to save yourself until June.

Snow White and the Huntsman, directed by Rupert Sanders and opening June 2012, focuses on the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) who is hired by the evil queen (Charlize Theron) to track down her runaway stepdaughter (Kristen Stewart). After realizing the queen intends to kill Snow White, he helps her escape, and the pair go on the run. The Huntsman then helps train Snow White in order to defeat the evil queen.

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The official Facebook page for Snow White and the Huntsman has posted a new sneak peak trailer for the movie. It’s essentially a shortened version of the trailer we got last year, but contains some new footage.

Watch below:

Snow White and the Huntsman, directed by Rupert Sanders and opening June 2012, focuses on the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) who is hired by the evil queen (Charlize Theron) to track down her runaway stepdaughter (Kristen Stewart). After realizing the queen intends to kill Snow White, he helps her escape, and the pair go on the run. The Huntsman then helps train Snow White in order to defeat the evil queen.

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Earlier this month a German trailer for The Avengers hit the web and gave us some new snippets of footage. Now a Russian trailer has been released which is a mix of both the German and US trailers, but contains more shots Loki, the villain of the film once again played by Tom Hiddleston.

Watch below:

The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon, will star Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Captain America), Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) and will be released May 4th, 2012.

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Following the departure of Patty Jenkins from the director’s chair of Thor 2 earlier this month Marvel has been searching for a replacement. Now according to Deadline they’ve found one in Alan Taylor, best known for directing episodes of Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire and Nurse Jackie.

Marvel are known for trying to keep talent costs down, so hiring a director who prominently works in TV will mean that he’s cheaper than more experienced movie directors, and he’ll be more flexible in terms of creative control (something Patty Jenkins obviously wasn’t). The Thor sequel isn’t expected to start filming until next April so Taylor will have around 4 months to prepare before cameras roll.

Don Payne, co-writer of the first film and one of the writers on Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, wrote the first draft of the script which will now be going through re-writes. Marvel has a release date set for November 15, 2013 and Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman will return to star in the film along with Tom Hiddleston.

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The German arm of Marvel has released a new trailer for Joss Whedon’s The Avengers. It’s similar to the teaser trailer we got earlier this year, but contains new footage of Black Widow and Bruce Banner meeting and a few new action shots. Those who don’t speak German probably won’t be able to understand it, but it’s still worth a watch.

From De.Marvel (via CBM):

The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon, will star Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Captain America), Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) and will be released May 4th, 2012.

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In October Marvel announced that Patty Jenkins, director of Monster and The Killing pilot, would be directing the Thor sequel after Kenneth Branagh decided against returning. Now Deadline reports that Jenkins has left the movie due to “creative differences” and Marvel is now in search of a new director.

The Thor sequel isn’t expected to start filming until next April so there’s still over 4 months for a director to come on-board and work on pre-production, but it’s never a good sign when a director exits. Earlier this year Chris Hemsworth said Jenkins “has a great take on the story and a solid grasp on that kind of universe” but something obviously didn’t work out somewhere. Deadline says the director make take on another movie for Marvel, just not a sequel.

Don Payne, co-writer of the first film and one of the writers on Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, is currently working on the script and Marvel has a release date set for November 15, 2013. Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman will return to star in the film along with Tom Hiddleston.

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The first trailer for the long-delayed horror flick The Cabin in the Woods went live yesterday. Now you guys will probably ask (and for good reasons) why be interested in this flick with so much garbage around every corner, even more so with horrors. Well I have three names that will at the very least raise an eyebrow: Joss Whedon, Chris Hemsworth and Drew Goddard.

Yes fanboys and fangirls of the world, this is for you.

The first minute of this preview makes the movie look like one of the most generic horrors to come in some time, but like the tagline at 1:03 says, “Think Again”. The Cabin in the Woods comes with a twist mixing a lot of what we’ve come to expect from the genre into one crazy ride that will definitely be worth the price of admission. Can you expect anything less from a story written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard (who also directs).

For those living under a rock, Joss Whedon wrote and directed The Avengers (coming May 2012) and he was also behind such cult classic TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Dollhouse, Firefly and the movie that continued the series, Serenity (among my favorite films of all time). He was one of the writers of Toy Story (1995) Alien: Resurrection and a bunch of other stuff ranging from comics to just about anything you can imagine. Drew Goddard on the other hand makes his directorial debut and has been a long time writing collaborator of Joss Whedon with Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel. Goddards is also credited for writing Cloverfield and a few episodes from the very popular TV shows Alias and Lost (one of my favorite shows of all time).

The Cabin in the Woods, which completed filming way back in May 2009 but was hindered by MGM’s financial troubles, is finally set to open April 13th, 2012. Chris Hemsworth (pre-Thor workout) stars alongside Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Jesse Williams, Kristen Connolly, Anna Hutchison, Brian White, Amy Acker, Reila Aphrodite and Jodelle Ferland.

Is the duo of Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard enough to get you excited for The Cabin in the Woods?

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