Since winning Best Actress at the Academy Awards for her performance in Black Swan, Natalie Portman has stepped out of the spotlight to be a mom. But now it’s time to get back to work, and the actress has set up two back-to-back projects with the same director: none other than Terrence Malick, whose Tree of Life is up for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars and has garnered him a nomination for Best Director. I think it’s safe to say there will be a certain amount of prestige attached to these films.

First up is Knight of the Cups, which co-stars Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, and…Isabel Lucas (let’s play a game – which of these actors doesn’t seem to belong here?). Nobody knows much about this one – other than it shoots this summer – but suffice it to say that any Malick movie is going to be highly anticipated among the cinephile community. And immediately following will be a film called Lawless, which co-stars Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett (sound familiar?), Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, and Haley Bennett. Some filming for this was done at last year’s Austin City Limits music festival, but we’re not sure if that was just some kind of character research or if we’ll end up seeing any of that footage in the final cut.

The Playlist brings up an interesting point: though Knight of the Cups and Lawless were initially announced as individual projects, the casting of Portman, Bale, and Blanchett leaves us wondering whether there may be some connection after all. Don’t expect much as far as answers go any time soon; Malick’s projects are almost always shrouded in secrecy.

Malick clearly wants to scratch a filmmaking itch that has been building up for years by taking on so many projects this quickly. There was a five year gap between The New World and Tree of Life, and now he’s got these two projects, plus another one that stars Ben Affleck, Rachel Weisz, and Javier Bardem that’s presumably finished but still without a title or release date.

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While shooting V for Vendetta Natalie Portman gave The Wachowskis, who produced the movie, a book called Cloud Atlas. Six years later the duo are now in post-production on the Cloud Atlas movie adaptation, and while Portman couldn’t appear in the film due to her pregnancy, The Wachowskis are keen for the actress to appear in their next project which has been given the title Jupiter Ascending.

According to The L.A. Times Portman is being courted for a leading role in the sci-fi project, and she is “seriously weighing taking the part.” Plot details are being kept secret for the time being, but The Wachowskis plan to begin production on the movie in late-2012 after they’ve wrapped on Cloud Atlas.

If Portman agrees to appear in Jupiter Ascending it’ll be a busy year for her as she’s also set to appear in the Thor sequel, which may begin shooting in a few months time now Marvel have settled on Alan Taylor as director. Portman was apparently unhappy with Marvel’s decision to fire the previous director Patty Jenkins, but the actress in under contract to return so they likely found a director Portman was happy with.

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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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Marvel Studios today confirmed that Patty Jenkins will be directing the Thor sequel, which was recently pushed back from July 13, 2013 to November 15, 2013.

In addition to announcing Jenkins as director Marvel confirmed Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman will return to star in the film along with Tom Hiddleston.

Patty Jenkins directed Charlize Theron in Monster (for which Theron won an Oscar) and directed the pilot for AMC’s The Killing. Hiring a female director to take on a big budget sequel is a surprise move, but a welcomed one.

In a recent interview with Hero Complex Hemsworth approved of his new director, who is taking over from Kenneth Branagh.

“She has a great take on the story and a solid grasp on that kind of universe,” the Aussie actor said Wednesday on the set of “Snow White and the Huntsman” in eastern Wales.

Hemsworth said in his meeting with Jenkins she seemed like a filmmaker worthy of picking up the franchise’s cinematic hammer. “Branagh read every comic book he could get his hands on,” Hemsworth said. “She also looked like she had done her homework.”

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 aim to begin shooting next April.

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Since setting a July 2013 release date for Thor 2 Marvel have been searching for a director to replace Kenneth Branagh, who decided against directing the sequel as he has other projects in the pipeline he wants to work on. Earlier this month we heard Game of Thrones director Brian Kirk was in talks, but now another director has entered the frame. Patty Jenkins.

According to Deadline Marvel will be making a decision soon and they may go with Jenkins, who directed Charlize Theron in Monster (for which Theron won an Oscar) and directed the pilot for AMC’s The Killing. Hiring a female director to take on a big budget sequel will be a surprise move, but a welcomed one.

Whoever takes on the sequel will have to pick up from where The Avengers finishes off, and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige gave EW a few hints about the direction of the next film:

Kevin Feige recently told EW that plans were developing fast for the sequel, which he said would “take Thor literally to other worlds.” While moviegoers will next see Chris Hemsworth as the hammer-swinging hero in The Avengers next May, Thor 2 would “primarily be the journey of that character, of he and Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and how the new dynamic with his father (Odin, played by Anthony Hopkins) is working out, as well as what are the broader stakes for The Nine Worlds,” Feige said.

This suggests both Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman will be back (if not there characters will be).

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 aim to begin shooting next April.

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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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Though Hesher is Spencer Susser’s feature debut, his directing career really began in 2008 with an impressive short film called I Love Sarah Jane. The short drew acclaim from all kinds of festivals and – more importantly – paved the way for his involvement with soon-to-be producer Natalie Portman; Susser sent her Sarah Jane and the script for Hesher, and the multi-talented actress was so impressed she quickly joined the project as a producer and co-star. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Rainn Wilson signed on soon after, and Hesher eventually premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

Gordon-Levitt’s lead performance as Hesher is a sight to behold. He’s a long-haired, foul-mouthed anarchist who loves Metallica and blowing stuff up. Hesher feels more like a force than a character; he slices through this movie like a scythe, influencing the actions of a young boy named T.J. (Devin Brochu) who recently lost his mother in a car accident. T.J.’s father (Rainn Wilson) has fallen into a depression – he was the one driving during the accident – and has turned to pills for the answer, but their only effects are inducing sleep and essentially removing all vitality from his life. After Hesher inexplicably moves in to T.J.’s house, the movie turns into a story of a bizarre friendship, a love triangle involving a grocery store cashier (Natalie Portman), and a coming-of-age tale of the difficulties of moving on after a traumatic event.

The film feels like a Sundance movie: melodramatic moments, shouting matches, dimly lit and cheaply furnished sets, and an intimate shooting style all collide to form a movie that is interesting to watch and is perhaps a bit better when digested over the course of a few days. The performances are all very strong, and Gordon-Levitt’s outrageous character will be enough to warrant a watch for his fans, but this is certainly not a movie for everybody. Susser co-wrote Hesher with Animal Kingdom writer/director David Michod, and if you’ve seen that movie, you may notice some of the same sensibilities among these two films. It’s a deliberate movie that has no problem taking its time with its characters, and though Gordon-Levitt is fantastic in it, he’s actually more of a secondary character than T.J., who is front and center with his struggles for the duration. Portman plays a mousy mashup of many characters she’s played before, but in a testament to her considerable talent, I found her performance infinitely charming to watch.

Bottom line? Hesher is a well-executed movie that’s worth checking out if you’re a die-hard JoGo Levitt or Portman fan. It’s a bit slow at parts, but Hesher’s metal moments are enough to make up for the occasional floundering element. I’m actually more interested in Susser’s current attempts to turn his Sarah Jane short into a feature film, so perhaps one day there will be a review of that full-length feature on this site. Until next time…

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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’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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In the beginning, one kind of wishes the Wayans Bros. were helming this fantasy spoof. As the journey progressed, the writing of star Danny McBride and Ben Best will slowly charm you with timely F-bombs and sexual innuendos. By the time the flick climaxes, the audience will have been showered with dazzling CGI and set pieces. And somehow, this quest (a.k.a walking into the theater) ended up being worth the risk.

The 102 minute Your Highness is a comedic-epic that travels through a plethora of movie genres.  Using a storytelling pattern found in all epics such as Clash of the Titans and/or Lord of the Rings as a foundation; the story decides to negate the seriousness with a hearty blend of R-rated dialogue found in a Beverly Hills Cop installment; all while keeping the characters in a playful medieval atmosphere. An atmosphere by the way, that is visually appealing for the fantasy genre.  One isn’t sure how, but it magically makes them feel that they’re on a somewhat important odyssey. Which consistently gets them to laugh more as the journey moves forward.

Prince Thadeous (Danny McBride) is the youngest of two siblings in a Camelot type kingdom.  While his older brother – and heir to throne – Prince Fabious (James Franco) is off on another heroic quest, he spends the days being lazy and drunk, much to the chagrin of their father King Tallious (Charles Dance). As Fabious returns home a heralded hero once again, the entire kingdom rejoices.  This time, he saved a young woman by the name of Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel) from the horny clutches of a warlock named Leezar (Justin Theroux). Fabious immediately wants to celebrate with his beloved brother, yet Thadeous isn’t in the mood, for he is jealous that his older bro will get to wear the crown over him.

Well all that jealously has to be put aside, for Leezar kidnaps Belladonna in the hope of fulfilling a century old prophecy known as ’The Fuckening.’ King Tallious orders Thadeous to finally become a man and join his brother on this quest to save the damsel.  During the journey, betrayal within the ranks thwarts the sibling’s efforts. Leaving them on their own in facing mythical creatures and Leezar’s army. Fortunately, they meet a someone whose agenda matches their own.  With the help of the elegant warrior in Isabel (Natalie Portman), the group marches through faraway lands of mountains and labyrinths to Leezar’s dark tower.

The tone of this flick could be described as the fornication of Willow with the above mentioned spoofing found in the Scary Movie franchise. Believe it or not, the story has purpose besides just making the audience laugh at stoner-level and/or teen sex-comedy paraphernalia. The plot and special-effects are straight-forward, but what gets inserted via the dialogue, is what puts a different spin on this perverted tale.  By having a character like Thadeous, who is anything but noble, shakes this script up just enough to playfully entertain open-minded audiences. But don’t get me wrong, this could easily be the most worthless flick of the year as well.

Like all good fantasy epics, there’s monsters, magic, swordplay (in more ways than one), castles, topless female warriors, a sex addict Muppet, a man with no genitals, hot dwarfs, and Natalie Portman in a thong. Add in the stereotypical story, surprisingly decent special-effects and acting levels found in films like The Three Amigos; and presto! What else does one need?  How about a penis medallion?

Overall, Your Highness sprays modern day vulgarity and sexual references found in a Judd Apatow flick, onto a screenplay encompassing all the clichéd epic fantasy adventure staples. It’s Army of Darkness with out the cheesiness. Or dare I say Black Knight with a budget. Either way, combining all these powers – even though they beat a decent amount jokes to death – enables this grand-scaled story to entertain at least fifty-percent of the legions that enter this realm.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5

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