My Week with Marilyn is essentially a 99 minute biopic that showcases the infamous actress and sex symbol’s tumultuous stint on the 1957 production of the feature film, The Prince and the Showgirl. Now most biopics will attempt to cover the subject’s entire life, or at the very least, the important parts. Obviously, the title alerts you that we are only going to get a sample-size of the celebrity that constantly turned heads…in more ways than you’d think.

The story is told through the eyes and experiences of Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne). Born into an uber-wealthy family, Colin has dreams of working in the movie-making industry and is determined to make it by any means. After literally camping out in a studio’s head office, director/producer and heralded British actor, Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) gives the eager lad a shot as a 3rd assistant to the director – which is him. Colin is basically a “go-for” and handles all the odd jobs on the production site. The guy is now beginning to live his dream.

Just as everyone else on the set is stoked to be living out their dreams while working on a major production, some of them are going to be thinking they walked into a nightmare upon the arrival of the star, Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams). As the pop-culture icon arrives by private plane, the national media and surrounding locals stalk the starlet day and night. On the set, Marilyn is over-coddled by her acting coach, Paula Strasberg (Zoe Wanamker), and this drives Sir Laurence bonkers. Although it is his production, the fragile and audacious Marilyn is seemingly calling the shots, giving the entire cast and crew constant headaches. The only one that can seem to get through to her is the quiet and eyes-wide-open Colin.

Seeing the Marilyn character outside of the media and/or films is naturally intriguing. Her bipolar-like personality is brought to life in a classy manner by Michelle Williams. Depending on how they categorize this role, she should be in talks for a Best Actress nod come award season. And sticking with the character, the way they lit all her scenes symbolized what many saw back then: She was always the brightest star in the room. Her presence is over-powering yet her confidence is severely lacking. Seeing her struggle and how the people around her react (Dominic Cooper shines in these moments) tell the story and solidify this very clever biopic. This snapshot of her life is what the lauded actress went through every day and the sequences chosen here were well-planned by the director and screenplay writers.

The smaller plot points, such as Colin fancying a humble wardrobe designer in Lucy (Emma Watson), are mainly used to show the affect Marilyn had when on the scene. One minute Colin is all about Lucy; that is until Marilyn gives him the time of day and things immediately get turned on their head. And that same reaction brings us back to the true show-stopper in this flick, Kenneth Branagh. He is easily the most entertaining character to watch and elevates every sequence. Watching his mood swings – many in mid-sentence – is not only hilarious but a privilege to take-in. His reflective character is used to articulate the current social landscape as well as the changing of the guard, in showing what affect someone with the cache of Marilyn had on a multitude of industries (film, journalism, etc.).

From a storytelling perspective, many of the main characters transition from protagonists to antagonists quite frequently, and effortlessly. Again, this is done to show the power of someone like Marilyn Monroe. So although it is a true account of what her life was like, this flick can double as a social commentary.

Overall, My Week with Marilyn oozes with intrigue and solid performances. Just as the world flaunted over the blonde with the red-devil lipstick, the audience will hang on everything they see in this satisfactory telling of an icon.

RATING: 4 out of 5

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Last month we heard that Thor director Kenneth Branagh, who helped the movie gross $437 million worldwide and earned positive reviews for his effort, won’t be returning to direct the sequel and Marvel were currently on the hunt for a new director.

In a new interview Chris Hemsworth expressed his disappointment about Branagh not returning as he “learned so much from him”.

From Hero Complex:

“I’m really disappointed,” Hemsworth said of Branagh’s decision to pass on “Thor 2,” which is aiming for a July 2013 release and may begin filming next May. “Ken built that character and everything I know about the Thor world I learned while shoulder-to-shoulder with Ken. I learned so much from him.”

“As long as he’s happy that’s the thing,” said Hemsworth, who left San Diego to return to the New Mexico set of ”The Avengers.” “I learned so much from Ken while we built [the first film] so at least I had that time with someone like that. The start of anything creative is the most important period in a way. That’s when the most can go wrong and Ken made sure we got it right.”

Reports suggest that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige invited Branagh back to direct the sequel, but “the marathon devotion required for a major visual-effects epic and the urgency to get the script process underway were the factors that sent Branagh in a different direction.” Branagh finished working on Thor in May, and with Marvel setting a July 26, 2013 release date for the sequel it would have required him to head straight back into it despite his commitment to TV series Wallander.

Marvel’s search for a replacement may be a challenge. Thor isn’t the easiest superhero to get right on-screen, and with Natalie Portman mainly signing on to the first film because of Branagh, they’ll have to please everyone enough to return.

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It looks like Iron Man 3 won’t be the only Marvel movie on offer in 2013, as according to Deadline the studio is also aiming to release Thor 2 in the summer. Iron Man 3 will hit May 3, 2013 and Marvel have set the Thor sequel release date for July 26. Now they just need to find a new director.

Deadline states that director Kenneth Branagh, who helped the movie gross $437 million worldwide and earned positive reviews for his effort, won’t be returning. His decision not to direct the next film is apparently “mutual and amicable”, and Branagh “will likely be involved in some producing capacity”.

Chris Hemsworth will be back as Thor, and Natalie Portman has said she’s signed up for multiple films so there is a good chance she’ll be back as Jane Foster. The storyline for the sequel will probably be influenced by and follow on from the events of The Avengers, which is currently filming under the direction of Joss Whedon.

What do you want to see in the Thor sequel? And who should direct?

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Hot on the heels of Fast Five, Marvel’s latest superhero entry continues the momentum of Summer 2011. Kenneth Branagh’s Thor is a notable departure from the more reality-based Iron Man franchise; this movie spends half of its duration on Earth, but also introduces audiences to the Norse realm of Asgard. A star-making performance from Chris Hemsworth, a nicely balanced script, and an organic blending of S.H.I.E.L.D. mythology make Thor a blast to watch and one of the best films Marvel has made to date.

Who would have thought the guy from the opening scene of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek had the ability to carry an entire film? But Chris Hemsworth has insane screen presence, easily holding his own against the gravitas of veterans like Anthony Hopkins as Odin, king of Asgard. Hemsworth is jacked, absolutely believable as a badass warrior with a terrible temper. Tom Hiddleston plays Thor’s younger brother Loki*, a jealous conniving trickster competing for their father’s affection. He does a great job as the villain here, and (SMALL SPOILER ALERT) he’ll be interesting to watch as an evil force in Joss Whedon’s The Avengers. I’ll go ahead and get my biggest complaint with the film over with now: Thor’s transition from hot-headed blowhard to humble servant struck me as rushed, with the screenwriters clearly trying to pick up the pace and get the action rolling again about halfway through the film.

Thor is important because it beats WB’s Green Lantern to the punch when it comes to epic space-themed superhero movies this summer. Asgard is a fantasy world, to be sure, but Branagh applies his Shakespearean experience to that world and grounds it with universal paradigms as old as storytelling itself: a king passing down his throne, betrayal between brothers, loyalty among warriors, and much more. These are themes we’ve seen countless times, and make it much easier to relate to relate to these events as they’re surrounded in otherworldly visuals. The production design of Asgard is fittingly regal, a vast empire filled with towering structures and CGI crowds. Alternating between impressive and slightly cheesy, the look of the movie is ultimately effective enough for an audience to accept the characters riding across a rainbow bridge and fighting Frost Giants.

But that’s only half of it. Once Thor is banished to Earth, he becomes a point of interest for Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, a scientist searching for a link between worlds. There’s something of a love story tossed in, but Peter Parker and Mary-Jane Watson this ain’t. Portman works just fine, but this is not a standout performance for her. She’s gorgeous – no surprise there - so it’s easy to see why the god of thunder would fall for her. Kat Dennings plays Darcy, an intern seemingly more concerned with making quips than contributing to Jane’s research. Thankfully, even as a character so blatantly written as comic relief, Dennings never strays into annoying territory. She’s given just the right amount of one-liners, and her quippy delivery and cutesy persona is exactly what the movie needs to balance out the sometimes overly serious drama going on back on Asgard. The success of the film is largely dependent on how believably it transitions between the two worlds, and even though the love story isn’t the most compelling aspect of this movie, the film is equally effective regardless of the setting. Stellan Skarsgard is also a fantastic addition to the cast, playing Dr. Erik Selvig, the veteran father figure on this side of the universe.

One of the things this movie does best is incorporate the characters and elements of S.H.I.E.L.D. into the story in an organic way. Katey Rich wrote a solid piece at CinemaBlend detailing the things Thor does better than Iron Man 2, and its treatment of S.H.I.E.L.D. is the standout achievement in my opinion. Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson discovers Mjolnir (Thor’s hammer, which Darcy hilariously mispronounces continuously throughout the movie) and forms a compound around it, setting up for a confrontation with Thor when he comes to retrieve it. Personally, I’m glad the actor has a bit more to work with here than in previous films. The only slightly negative S.H.I.E.L.D. comment I have was the totally unnecessary cameo of Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), who not only has about three lines and never fires a single shot, but basically just appears so audiences will recognize him when he shows up in the upcoming SuperTeamUp movie The Avengers in 2012.

Though the film is well balanced, the action is a bit uneven. The battle scenes on and around Asgard are much more cartoonish and outlandish than the ones set on Earth; I’ll take the practical effects used in the explosions in the Destroyer sequences over the digital effects used during fights with Frost Giants any time. The graphics are decent overall, but the crazy color scheme of the world of the gods got a little too outrageous for my tastes as the movie progressed. Also, the 3D is pretty worthless, so save your money and see the 2D version if one’s available in your area.

Marvel has accomplished their goal with Thor: the film hasn’t even hit American theaters yet and it’s already made nearly $100 million overseas, seemingly assuring a direct sequel. But more importantly for Marvel, Thor will serve as a gateway for its lesser known “magic-based” characters to find a home on film. After watching a movie about Norse gods, it should theoretically be easier for audiences to digest a movie about a powerful sorcerer like Dr. Strange, for example. But in the meantime, we can be content that Thor is a well-directed, visually interesting (far of those canted angles, eh Branagh?), exciting entry into Marvel’s quickly-expanding film library. Until next time…

*I’m just going to go ahead and assume Thor is a prequel to The Mask, since Loki is the spirit locked in the mask that gives Jim Carrey his crazy powers in that movie.

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Marvel Studios producer Kevin Feige confirmed last week that a Thor sequel was already planned and the character “will go off into a new adventure”, presumably after the events of The Avengers.

Director Kenneth Branagh, who appears to have delivered a solid movie with Thor currently at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, was recently asked about the potential sequel, but he doesn’t seem to have heard much about it.

From Movieline:

“Do you know, if that is true, that is literally the first I’ve heard of it?” Branagh said. “You are telling me news.”

Informed of Feige’s comments and asked if would direct Thor 2, Branagh demurred.

“Well, I don’t know,” he told Movieline. “It’s is kind of news to me. Here’s what I would say to that: It’s that I’m thrilled they’re that confident. I shall wait for the audience to tell us whether there should be a second one, and then if that’s a nice conversation to be had between all of us, that’d be thrilling. But I’ve got too much Irish superstitious blood in me to assume that Thor 2 will happen. But if Marvel says so, then I guess it must be true.”

It’s good to see that Branagh is waiting to see how people actually respond to Thor before stating intentions for a sequel. Marvel have already hired writers to get started on a Captain America sequel, so they are obviously more confident about the man with the shield than the man with the hammer. If the reviews are correct and Thor delivers, than Branagh would obviously be the ideal candidate to direct the next film (if the first one makes an impact at the box office).

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Marvel’s Thor is the first of many comic book movies to be released this summer, and not only does it have to compete with them, there’s added pressure due to Marvel’s plans for The Avengers next summer.

With Iron Man already a hit with audiences, would Thor be good enough to earn its place in the Marvel universe, or would it be the bad egg of the bunch? Paramount recently screened the movie for press and critics and the good news for fans is, there’s not much bad news.

Here’s a spoiler-free collection of thoughts on the movie:

The Hollywood Reporter:

The Marvel universe moves into the cosmic realm with Thor, a burly slab of bombastic superhero entertainment that skitters just this side of kitschy to provide an introduction befitting the mighty god of thunder. It’s a noisy, universe-rattling spectacle full of sound and fury with a suitably epic design, solid digital effects and a healthy respect for the comic-book lore that turned a mythological Norse god into a founding member of the superhero team known as The Avengers.

Variety:

“Thor” delivers the goods so long as butt is being kicked and family conflict is playing out in celestial dimensions, but is less thrilling during the Norse warrior god’s rather brief banishment on Earth. With Aussie hunk Chris Hemsworth impressive in the lead and helmer Kenneth Branagh investing the dramatic passages with a weighty yet never overbearing Shakespearean dimension, pic looks sure to reap big B.O. on the strength of its ready-made audience, but faces a tougher time attracting viewers for whom this type of fare is the exception rather than the rule.

IGN:

Outside of these occasional moments of comic relief, director Kenneth Branagh keeps the focus squarely on Thor’s dramatic arc. The movie’s strongest moments aren’t necessarily the comic booky ones (although they are pretty cool), but rather the familial ones in Asgard. Thor’s scenes with Loki and Odin crackle with an intensity and emotion sometimes lacking in the earthly scenes. These moments feel like the ones that Branagh and his leads were the most emotionally invested in, and that sincerity helps you buy into this otherwise fantastical world, one which we see far more of than the marketing has heretofore revealed.

Thor may not be a game-changer for comic book movies, but it’s a solidly entertaining one most noteworthy for taking what could have been utterly campy material and making it dramatic and relatable. There’s action and otherworldly elements to appease the core fans and possibly even win over some skeptics, and enough humor and humanity to engage general audiences.

HitFix:

A few observations about things I really liked in this film: when superpowered beings fight in this film, there is a sense of power and force that we still haven’t seen in many of these movies. In this film, there are many fights where every single being onscreen is superpowered, and all of the punches and kicks and throws are full-strength, nothing held back. And while Kenneth Branagh has still never met a dutch angle he didn’t love, the action in the film is staged well, and there are some beats and some images that push comic book language on film to places we haven’t seen before. In particular, I think everything involving Heimdall (Idris Elba) is spectacular, and I love his Observatory and the way the Bifrost works. It is crazy, but it’s also kind of beautiful.

While many more reviews are set to pour in, the general consensus is that Thor is a good movie, which is the least we could have hoped for. Apparently the Earth scenes are the weakest point about the film, but that could have been expected considering Asgard is where most of the action, special effects, and family dynamic takes place.

Filmonic’s review of Thor will hit closer to the movies release on May 6th. The UK will get to see the movie a week earlier on April 27th.

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Marvel and Paramount have released the second official trailer for Thor. If you were a fan of the first trailer you’ll like this one too as it contains more hammer wielding, a bit of comedy, and a few more money shots thrown in for good measure.

Watch the trailer below:

In the film Thor, a powerful but arrogant and reckless warrior, is cast down to Earth by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here Thor meets a young scientist, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), and learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world (Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston) sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

Thor, directed by Kenneth Branagh, will be released May 2011.

What do you think of the second trailer?

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Marvel decided to advertise both Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger during the Super Bowl, and here’s the TV spot for the first one. It’s basically a condensed version of the first teaser trailer for the film, but definitely worth the watch.

In the film Thor, a powerful but arrogant and reckless warrior, is cast down to Earth by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here Thor meets a young scientist, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), and learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world (Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston) sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

Thor, directed by Kenneth Branagh, will be released May 2011.

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Marvel and Paramount have released the first official trailer for Thor. If you managed to catch the Comic Con trailer released earlier this year then you will know what to expect, as it is a shorter version of that but with a few more money shots thrown in for good measure.

Watch the trailer below:

In the film Thor, a powerful but arrogant and reckless warrior, is cast down to Earth by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here Thor meets a young scientist, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), and learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world (Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston) sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

Thor, directed by Kenneth Branagh, will be released May 2011.

What do you think of the trailer?

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Marvel’s Thor wrapped filming back in May, which has given the film a full year of post-production and enough time for director Kenneth Branagh to tweak or alter anything that needs tweaking or altering. And that’s what he’s doing.

Word from What’s Playing is that reshoots will be taking place in the near future which require Nordic men, women and children with “charactery faces”.

These reshoots don’t sound like last minute Jonah Hex-type reshoots, and in this particular case they may just require extras for crowd shots. No details yet on whether Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman or Anthony Hopkins will be reshooting any scenes, but as Hemsworth has had to remain in shape for The Avengers filming early next year there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

In the film Thor, a powerful but arrogant and reckless warrior, is cast down to Earth by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here Thor meets a young scientist, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), and learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world (Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston) sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

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