Pages

Thursday, October 1, 2020

Watch The Full Avengers: Endgame Scene That Reveals Plan To Take On Thanos

Watch The Full Avengers: Endgame Scene That Reveals Plan To Take On Thanos

Last week, during the CinemaCon expo in Las Vegas, there was a scene shown to those in attendance that laid out the plan that Earth’s mightiest heroes have hatched to take on Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. It’s footage that would probably drive the fans wild, provided they ever got to see it before release. Well, prepare for pure Marvel Cinematic Universe madness, as you watch that very clip below.


So the big plan to take down the Mad Titan himself is to, obviously, steal the Infinity Stones he holds near and dear and use them to reverse the course of events that took place in Avengers: Infinity War. It’s solid reasoning, if not a decision that requires a lot of chutzpah and some super-powered miracles. Luckily, the addition of Bree Larson’s Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel herself, certainly helps level out the playing field for the entire team. Though, there are still some in the room that have their doubts.


One such party that isn’t doubting this particularly bold plan of action is none other than Steve Rogers. As the de facto leader of The Avengers, this crisis has weighed heavily on his own conscious, as well as that of his fellow teammates. So if there’s even the slightest shot of redemption that’ll restore Bucky Barnes and everyone else lost in the snap, you can be damned sure he’s going to take it.




With that strategy in mind for Avengers: Endgame, you can see just how exciting this latest entry in the MCU is about to become. But there’s something interesting to unpack while watching the footage a second, or even third time; and it has to do with something Black Widow says right at the beginning of the clip: "He used the stones again."


Seeing Thanos use the Infinity Stones throughout Avengers: Infinity War was not only a precursor to the biggest event in comic movie history, it was also a chilling display of power. The villain to end all villains in this particular cinematic universe was seen wielding ultimate power, and it usually didn’t end to well for our heroes when they were at the receiving end of said power. So why would Thanos use the stones again in Avengers: Endgame?


Widow could simply be referring to Thanos' terraforming, but there’s the possibility that, as we previously theorized, The Avengers won’t have to wait long into the movie before tussling with that purple menace in a rematch. The latter could mean interesting things for the plot of Endgame in its second half.




On the one hand, chasing Thanos to get the stones is wise, as the clip proves they have a good idea of where to find him post-Decimation. (Or post Snap, if you're still not behind that official name's usage.) So Avengers: Endgame kicking off its second act with a failed gambit at defeating Thanos would be a good idea for the plot, as it would prove once and for all that those powered gems of the universe are necessary for victory. However, there’s also a good chance that the battle could come after the Infinity Stone heist that Black Widow is suggesting kicks off.


Thanos isn’t dumb, so he might feel he has to use one of the six stones’ specific skill sets to either evade any repercussions from his post-Infinity War antics, as well as to set up further obstacles that our heroes can’t get past without using extreme means. Not to mention, if he uses the Time Stone like Doctor Strange did in last summer’s blockbuster, he could see that he needs to act quick or be challenged again.


No matter which plot path wins out in the end, Avengers: Endgame is ready to, as Captain America put it oh so brilliantly, get that son of a bitch Thanos, and make him pay for his crimes. And with a plan involving the usage of Infinity Stones to defeat Thanos, it could be a weight off of poor Ant-Man's shoulders, as the internet had some interesting plans for his role in the undertaking. We'll have to wait and see.




Avengers: Endgame plays its final moves in the Infinity Saga on April 26th, and you’re not going to want to miss it for anything! But in the meantime, stay tuned to us here at CinemaBlend, as we’ll have more coverage of the road to the Endgame!

Zoe Saldana On The Process Behind Shaping Her Missing Link Character

Zoe Saldana On The Process Behind Shaping Her Missing Link Character
Zoe Saldana as Adelina Fortnight in Missing Link

Zoe Saldana, best known for playing iconic modern-day heroines such as Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy, Uhura in the Star Trek films and Neytiri in Avatar, brought her strong will to Missing Link as Adelina Fortnight, a unapologetic “Gibson Girl” who ends up joining adventurer Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) and a Sasquatch named Susan (Zach Galifianakis) on their quest to find his long lost cousins, the Yeti, in the mysterious land of Shangri-La.


Saldana has ventured into the world of animation before for Book of Life in 2014 and My Little Pony: The Movie in 2017, but she’d never been part of the process behind crafting a character with the stop-motion studio, Laika. During the Missing Link press day I recently attended for CinemaBlend, the actress admitted it was a bit more of a lengthy job this time around. In her words:



It took a little more time than the animation projects I’ve been part of before. One animation I did in a year and a half, this one took two and a half years I believe of going back into the studio and recording her voice. Sometimes the tweaks were happening because Adelina and the story was continuously being shaped even though [writer/director] Chris Butler had a clear idea of what the story was.





The actress apparently worked on the character with Laika for over two years! Now this isn’t uncommon these days with all of the detailed work animated films go through. There was a primary focus on getting Adelina just right. Zoe Saldana continued by explaining what exactly changed about her character through the making of Missing Link:



Her accent. At first Chris really wanted her to have a dense accent and then in our following recording session, he knew that he wanted to shave it off a little bit and still have Adelina feel comfortable navigating the English language and conveying her feelings. It was very important that her dynamic toward Lionel was evident. So, I liked those little adjustments that Chris continued to make for her.



Adelina is an immigrant and widow who is in possession of the map Lionel and Susan need to find the Yeti. She is nothing but a “damsel in distress” as she ends up going on the journey with them across half the world and serves as the voice of reason amongst the selfishness of Lionel and light and fluffy personality of Susan. Check out Zoe Saldana discussing her character:




Zoe Saldana’s character in Missing Link will certainly win tons of hearts when it opens in theaters this Friday but for a reason: her character went through a lot during the filmmaking process before arriving on screen. Tune in with CinemaBlend to see how Missing Link does this weekend alongside new titles Hellboy and Little.

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

ReelBlend #66: Our Avengers: Endgame Spoiler-Free Review

ReelBlend #66: Our Avengers: Endgame Spoiler-Free Review

We are down one man this week. And it’s Avengers: Endgame week, of all weeks. So let’s stand up and salute Sean O’Connell and Kevin McCarthy, as these true American heroes showed up to ReelBlend, and review quite possibly the most anticipated movie of our collective lifetimes… without spoiling anything!


That’s right. You guys can listen to ReelBlend episode #66 whether you have seen Avengers: Endgame or not. And by the time you read this, some of you likely have seen Endgame, as the movie is selling out at a record pace.


But Sean and Kevin review the movie without giving away a single detail, so listen away. Not only do you get their reaction to the blockbuster, you will get to hear Kevin’s stories about seeing Avengers: Endgame at the premiere, where he rubbed elbows with Kevin Smith, took a photo with Chris Evans, and got two bear hugs from Thanos himself, Josh Brolin.




Before the guys tackle Endgame this week, they get into the Academy’s decision not to penalize movies that are made by Netflix for Oscar consideration. They also read Steven Spielberg’s statement on the controversy, and give the legendary filmmaker a pass for his opinions.


The guys also play #ScarJoBlend, and avoid picking a Marvel movie when naming their favorite Scarlett Johansson movies!


And yes, Jake Hamilton gets to weigh in on Avengers: Endgame, even though he is on assignment this week. Dig into this week’s episode to hear what Jake thought of the new MCU movie.




ReelBlend is a weekly podcast that we do on CinemaBlend. You can download the latest episode (and all of our past episodes) for FREE on our iTunes page! Visit. Subscribe. Like and comment. Review! Apple loves when you have star ratings and reviews, so if you listened, and you liked it (or even if you didn't), let us know. We also are on Spotify. And Google Play. And basically everywhere that you download podcasts. So download us.


Meanwhile, follow the guys on Social Media! We have an official Twitter feed for the show, so follow @ReelBlend. In addition, follow the guys at @Sean_OConnell, @JakesTakesand @KevinMcCarthyTV.

The Goldfinch Trailer Puts Ansel Elgort Through Emotional Hell

The Goldfinch Trailer Puts Ansel Elgort Through Emotional Hell

After Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch became a literary hit in 2014, which included it winning the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Andrew Carnegie Medal, it seemed like only a matter of time before a film version would come. Warner Bros swiftly struck a deal shortly after it was published and an adaptation is coming to the big screen this fall, with Baby Driver’s Ansel Elgort, Nicole Kidman and Sarah Paulson leading the drama.


Check out the intriguing and emotional first look at The Goldfinch with its trailer below:


As a good trailer should, this establishes the tone and interest in the movie without giving too much away about what audiences are in for. Ansel Elgort leads The Goldfinch as Theo Decker, a young man haunted by the day his mother was killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City while he was was 13 years old.




The film’s title references the priceless painting the mother and son gaze upon right before the bombing which Theo takes and keeps with him throughout his life journey chronicled in the film.


The Goldfinch trailer flashes between Theo’s past and present, carefully unraveling his personal tragedy and how it alters his life. He comes across various characters, including a childhood friend named Boris, played by Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard as a kid and replaced by Dunkirk’s Aneurin Barnard as they grow older.


The cast also includes Nicole Kidman as Mrs. Barbour, who is his caretaker for sometime, along with Luke Wilson, who plays his problematic dad who has a girlfriend named Xandra (Sarah Paulson). Westworld’s Jeffrey Wright appears as Hobie, an unlikely friend to Theo during his time of loss.




Along with The Goldfinch having an impressive cast, behind the scenes is John Crowley as director, who previously helmed the Oscar-nominated drama Brooklyn. The script was written by Peter Straughan, whose other credits include Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Frank and The Snowman. The movie was also produced by Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson, who worked on Crazy Rich Asians, American Crime Story and Ben is Back together.


The Goldfinch novel was over 700 pages long, so the movie is tackling a ton of material for one film. It was previously considered for a miniseries, but the project ultimately landed with Warner Bros and Amazon Studios.


The Goldfinch certainly looks to showcase an especially good performance for Ansel Elgort, who broke out in 2014 with his Fault in Our Stars and Divergent roles. The 25-year-old actor will also star in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story remake coming in December 2020.




The drama is opening alongside crime comedy Hustlers, starring Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Stiles and Lili Reinhart, about a group of former strippers who band together to steal from their Wall Street clients on September 13. Both films will go up against IT Chapter 2’s second weekend at the box office.


Are you excited to see The Goldfinch? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Avengers: Endgame's Metacritic Score Is Lower Than You'd Think

Avengers: Endgame's Metacritic Score Is Lower Than You'd Think
Hawkeye in Avengers: Endgame

Part of the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that it consistently churns out blockbusters that are enjoyed by both audiences and critics alike and this weekend’s Avengers: Endgame looks to be no different. While we won’t know what audiences think until it opens tonight, the film currently enjoys a great certified fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating that the large majority of critics gave it a positive review. On Metacritic however, Avengers: Endgame’s score is lower than you’d think.


Avengers: Endgame currently has a score of 78 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 47 reviews of the film. That indicates that those 47 reviews of Avengers: Endgame incorporated into the Metascore were generally favorable. However, “Generally favorable” and a C+ level score are a bit lower than you might expect for this movie. It didn’t even attain Metacritic’s “Must-See” award designation.


At a glance this certainly seems too low, especially given some of the positively gushing reviews out there. So what gives?




First, it is important to understand how Metacritic comes up with its score. Many people misunderstand what Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer percentage actually represents, but Metacritic’s Metascore can be even more difficult to interpret. Metacritic curates reviews from only select critics, and not all reviewer’s opinions about a film are weighted equally. And reviews that don’t come with a numerical or letter grade score to translate are assigned one from Metacritic based on the reviewer’s qualitative opinion of the film.


For Avengers: Endgame, of those 47 reviews, only one is negative, two are mixed and the rest are positive. But not all of those positive reviews were 100 scores so Endgame ended up at a “generally favorable” 78. To put that into perspective, some movies in the past year or so that scored higher than Endgame and earned the “Must-See” designation are Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Mission: Impossible Fallout and A Quiet Place.


It might not be what you’d expect for Avengers: Endgame or what you think it deserves, but the film’s Metascore is actually pretty high in relation to the rest of its MCU stable mates. In fact, the only MCU movies with higher scores on Metacritic are Iron Man with a 79 and last year’s Black Panther with an 88. For the most part the MCU films are between 60-75 with Thor: The Dark World taking last place with a 54.




So while Avengers: Endgame’s Metacritic score is lower than you’d think it would be, it is still pretty good. Ultimately, professional reviews and sites like Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes are tools you can use to make informed decisions about what movies are worth your money as a consumer. But something tells me just about everyone decided they would be seeing Avengers: Endgame long ago.


Avengers: Endgame arrives in theaters this weekend. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all our coverage of the film and check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see what’s headed your way as we enter the summer movie season.

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Rocky IV's Final Fight Apparently Had An Entirely Separate Script

Rocky IV's Final Fight Apparently Had An Entirely Separate Script
Rocky and Ivan Drago fighting in Rocky IV

While Rocky IV may not be the greatest of Rocky movies, it's a film that a lot of people are fans of. The cold war battle between Rocky Balboa and Ivan Drago was an iconic moment for the Rocky franchise. Part of the reason the film may be so well remembered may be because Sylvester Stallone apparently put an amazing amount of effort into the final boxing match. According to co-star Dolph Lundgren, Sly had the entire fight scene, and its music, worked out in advance...



When I showed up to start training with Sly for Rocky IV, he handed me a script. And it wasn't a script of the movie, it was a script of the fight. It was about 30 pages of just, 'Round 1, Left, Left, Left, Left, Right, Right, Left Hook,' and I had to memorize that on the page. And, he had the music already written for the fight, so we kind of choreographed the fight to the music. So, it was quite clever the way he did that



Fight scenes can be difficult sequences to film and for something like a boxing movie, where the final fight sequence is the culmination of the entire story, they're all the more important. It seems that in order to be sure that the Rocky IV fight scene worked as well as it could, Sylvester Stallone choreographed the entire thing before hand. Every punch, every step, even how those punches and steps woulds work to the music that was going to play. Because it's not a Rocky movie without a solid montage.





A separate 30 page script just to lay out the fight scene is sort of insane, but that what Dolph Lundgren says he received in one of the special features attached to Creed II. There's attention to detail and then there's whatever that is. At the same time, there's little argument that it didn't work. The final fight between Drago and Rocky feels incredibly epic and in a franchise that has a lot of great fight sequences, the one in Rocky IV may be the best. If you don't believe me, check it out.


If there's one thing that the Rocky movies were always great at, it was putting some great music up along with the matches. The music waits a few minutes for the audience to get invested in the fight, then comes in and makes the battle feel that much bigger. It's easy to assume the music was written to match the fight, and that's true, but the music wasn't created after the fight was over. The actors could actually time their swings to match the fight.


Rocky IV was a huge part of the franchise, so big that it brought Dolph Lundgren back for Creed II which you can find on Blu-ray and Digital HD now.




6 Things The Sonic The Hedgehog Movie Needs To Include From The Video Games

6 Things The Sonic The Hedgehog Movie Needs To Include From The Video Games
Sonic The Hedgehog

Sega’s mascot Sonic The Hedgehog is finally getting his own movie, and it’s safe to say there are quite a few folks worried about it. Granted, it sounds like things are on the right track with Ben Schwartz voicing Sonic and Jim Carrey portraying Dr. Robotnik, but it takes more than great casting to make a good video game movie. If it didn’t, Doom may be remembered as a masterpiece, and it’s almost universally not.


So what makes a great video game movie? There’s no explicit formula, but it’s fair to say sticking to the source material more often than not will make people happy. That’s a bit complicated considering the Sonic franchise has changed quite a bit since its first game, and not always in ways consumers have appreciated. In spite of that, should the movie contain these types of references to the franchise, Sonic The Hedgehog fans will be satisfied.


Music From The Sega Genesis Era


The early Sonic The Hedgehog games feature some of the best videogame music of the '90s. Green Hill Zone, Emerald Hill Zone, basically all the "Zones" from the first and second games have iconic songs the movie should include. Whether it’s a phone ringtone, a song on the radio or an orchestral track doesn’t matter. We may get something even better as the prolific Junkie XL could craft quite the homage to Sonic's tracks.




Of all the things the Sonic The Hedgehog movie should include from the video games, this is definitely the most important. It’s fair to assume many ticket holders will show up for the nostalgia factor, and what better way than to hit them with the ear-worms they jammed out to while playing their Sega Genesis and blasting through bottles of Kool-aid Jammers? Did we get older, or was there always never enough juice in those things?


Sonic's Friends


Sonic The Hedgehog may be the most important character of the franchise, but he's not the only one folks love. There's his sidekick Tails, who's been with Sonic since Sonic The Hedgehog 2, and other iconic characters like Knuckles and Amy. That just scratches the surface of this universe really, and doesn't even get into the Chao, Blaze or the gun-wielding anti-hero Shadow The Hedgehog. If Shadow doesn't get introduced, how can we have a gritty spin off?


I kid, mainly, although it will be a bit weird if Sonic The Hedgehog only has Sonic as the sole speedy thing rushing around. So far, there's been no mention of any other of Sonic's friends, so this may just be a solo adventure where friends could come into the picture in latter installments. Or, this could be a case where the film pulls a Super Mario Bros. and make bastardizations of the iconic characters. We just don't know yet!




Smart-Ass Dialogue


Sonic didn't speak in his first set of video game adventures, but his television show and games that followed have made him out to be a bit of a smart-ass. Not so much that he's some massive douchebag, but kind of in a way that feels very reminiscent of Bart Simpson. If Sonic The Hedgehog wants to stay true to Sonic's character, there needs to be some overconfidence and smart-ass behavior incorporated.


It appears there will be some of that, at least if one interprets comments by Jim Carrey about the film that way. He assured there will be some edgy moments that appeal to all audiences, although was speaking primarily to his character. He also mentioned the family group the movie is catered to, which speaks to the PG rating. Honestly, that's a good wheelhouse for the character, and he can have that "edge" without it being too cringe-inducing.


Massive And Elaborate Robots


Dr. Ivo Robotnik is known for robots and fights Sonic with them throughout the franchise. The creations he pilots may not be the best quality, but they're certainly big, elaborate and fun to look at. Typically Sonic can destroy these with a handful of jumps, or via some weak spot on the robot. He has the design methods of Star Wars: Rogue One's Galen Erso, except he's not secretly wishing Sonic destroys his evil machines.




The ideal creation is some robot that has Robotnik chilling in a glass dome and some form of retractable drills. Robotnik really loves the massive drills, almost as much as he loves loading up every machine with an escape pod that always keeps him out of Sonic's clutches once the fight is over. If one mega robot shows up with either or both of these attributes, I know I'll be a happy camper.


Gold Rings


Gold rings are perhaps the only thing as synonymous with Sonic The Hedgehog than the character himself. They're the game's form of health, and Sonic collects them throughout levels in order to stay alive after being hit. Should he be hit without any rings on him, he loses a life. Will Sonic The Hedgehog pay homage to this vital game mechanic in some way?


If it does, I'm reasonably certain it won't be shown in a way in which Sonic is collecting a bunch of rings randomly floating around. Perhaps rings are the currency of this world, and we'll see them in some micro form being exchanged for goods. If that were the case, it'd be cool to see Sonic obsessively collect these and then lose them all when he takes a big hit.




Cute And Furry Animals


The casual video gamer may not have known or cared why there were so many cute and furry little animals locked away at the end of each classic Sonic The Hedgehog game, but knowing why explains a lot of the tension between Sonic and Dr. Robotnik. Dr. Robotnik uses the little animals to fuel his robots he creates, which is why they also pop out of enemies when Sonic smashes them.


We have no idea of whether or not that plot thread will be used in Sonic The Hedgehog, but it would be the traditional way to establish Dr. Robotnik as a villain in the movie. After all, who is going to side with a guy enslaving adorable animals within machines for energy? It's actually way more twisted than the games led on the longer one thinks about it, so hopefully the movie uses this plot point in some way.


Sonic The Hedgehog is due to release Friday, November 8. Those interested in the movie can feel free to share their suggestions for what should be in the movie below, or chime in on how they think this movie will be received by audiences.



 

Blogger news

Blogroll

About