Ant-Man Crawls to Prominence

Would you be surprised if I told you that Ant-Man is a comic book character created in 1962 by industry legends Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby, and Stan Lee? Would it also surprise you to know that Ant-Man is also a founding member of the Avengers?

You probably didn’t know that based on what has transpired on the silver screen with Marvel thus far. It’s ok, though, really. The prospect of a superhero that plays with ants doesn’t sound like a financially viable project for movie executives to invest in.

However, we got a talking Raccoon in a film, and it made millions.

Ant-Man is a character that really never did it for me. That all changed as Director Peyton Reed’s theatrical interpretation lit up movie screens in the latest entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

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Avengers: Age of Ultron Review

My wife and I took in some superhero action as Avengers: Age of Ultron kicks off another summer movie season. The film under Joss Whedon’s direction showcased a lot of style and substance, although it lacks in some areas. Some of the diluted elements were easy to ignore, while others were kind of a head-scratcher. Continue reading “Avengers: Age of Ultron Review” →

Daredevil on Netflix: A Must-Watch Marvel Series

Marvel made its maiden voyage into streaming television this past Friday as the red-hooded vigilante of Hell’s Kitchen, Daredevil, invaded Netflix. Like a lot of people, I spent the weekend binge-watching all 13 episodes of the inaugural season. The journey of attorney/crime fighter Matt Murdock carries the flavor of Frank Miller’s The Man Without Fear, while EP’s Drew Goddard and Steven De Knight very much made this their own.

Daredevil is very much grounded in the street-level aspect of things like the dark side of humanity paints a pretty grim picture. The series focuses on New York City, years after the invasion from The Avengers film. There are references to events in the Marvel cinematic universe; however, they are subtle and well-placed without hitting the viewer over the head ad nauseam. This show will appeal to Marvel fans and those who have never heard of the character.

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Spider-Man Swings Into The Marvel Cinematic Universe!

FINALLY, after months of negotiations and years of audience demand, Spider-Man is now a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel has never been able to use the iconic wall-crawler in their films because Sony purchased the movie rights in 1999.

The deal was announced late Monday night as a partnership between Marvel Studios and Sony where Spider-Man will appear in a Marvel Studios film, which will see him rub shoulders with The Avengers. Also, four of Marvel’s Phase 3 films have been pushed back as a new Spider-Man movie opens in theaters on July 28, 2017.

Sony has fumbled the ball with this franchise since 2007, with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 being the last straw. An e-mail from the “Sony Hack” revealed that Marvel president Alan Fine was highly critical of Sony’s script two years before the movie’s release. Continue reading “Spider-Man Swings Into The Marvel Cinematic Universe!” →

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie Review: A Fun Experience

I watched the newest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, and I was thoroughly entertained from beginning to end. The 9-year-old me who saw the original 1990 film on opening weekend would have had his mind blown by this silver screen incarnation of turtle power.

Most believed this movie was doomed to fail when Michael Bay’s name was attached to the project. In fact, his name was mentioned so often that people thought he was the director when he was only a producer. Directing duties went to Jonathan Liebesman.

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The Force Awakens My Excitement

The official title of the new Star Wars movie that is set to hit theaters on December 18, 2015 is The Force Awakens. I like the title, but without context, I can’t say that I love it, yet. It does feel right when saying it along with the names of the other titles such as A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.

I did notice that “Episode VII” is absent from the title image. TheForce.net has confirmed with Lucasfilm that it will be not appear in the title or promotional material for the film, but it will be in the opening crawl. Continue reading “The Force Awakens My Excitement” →

The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers at Rhode Island Comic Con

From the moment the pilot episode aired on Fox, The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers immediately captured my imagination. What was crummy for me is that the show became massively popular while I was in middle school. This meant I could never talk about the show with my friends because we all took a vow of silence, pretending we didn’t watch the show because we were too old to enjoy a kids’ television program.

I remember wanting to get the action figures, but I didn’t due to fear of ridicule if my friends came over to my house and saw a Dragon Zord sitting on my bureau. Now that I’m an adult, concerns over what people think about my geeky hobbies aren’t even a blip on the radar.

The Green Ranger, played by Jason David Frank, is my all-time favorite Ranger. I’ve always felt that the White Ranger, also played by Frank, gets a bad rap. There is nothing wrong with the portrayal or character; it’s just hard to get someone to jump on board when a concept that was a 10 is replaced with the idea that is a 9.

I attended Rhode Island Comic-Con this past weekend to cover the festivities for Forces of Geek and had the pleasure of meeting comic book creators and the original Flash, John Wesley Shipp. The highlight of the convention was the Power Rangers Q & A panel featuring the original Red Ranger, Austin St. John. There were many fans in attendance, and their passion and dedication to the franchise was an inspiring sight to behold. One person told me that he found the inspiration to lose weight because of the leadership that St. John exhibited on-screen.

I wrote an article reviewing the Power Ranger’s Q & A Panel at RICC, and you can check it out at Forces of Geek.com

Gone Girl Review

I didn’t know what to expect from David Fincher’s latest film, Gone Girl. Fincher is one of those directors whose projects gets an instant buzz because his name is attached to it. With Ben Affleck’s role as Batman on the horizon, anything he does will also garner a lot of attention. The book written by Gillian Flynn is immensely popular and was my wife’s bedside companion. Continue reading “Gone Girl Review” →

Guardians of the Galaxy Is Out of This World

I know I’m late to the party with this review, but my brain exploded after witnessing a space opera for the ages and it took me a few weeks to piece it all back together. I’m going to tell you the same thing about Guardians of the Galaxy that I said about The Avengers. There is no amount of telling you how awesome this movie is that will prepare you for how awesome this movie really is. It entertains on every level and brings new meaning to the term “Marvel Cinematic Universe.”

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Robocop #2 Review

Robocop was the first R-Rated movie I indulged in, long before I was deemed to be the appropriate age by the Motion Picture Film Association of America. Ah, babysitters can be a child’s best friend. I’ve always had an affinity for the story because of how it doesn’t take itself too seriously while taking everything else seriously to produce the story of a cybernetic law enforcement officer. Jumping from the silver screen to the page, the majority of Robocop comic books are horrible because they fail to capture, at least, the core essential elements of the titular character. I stress “at least” because there are other items in the series that create a consistent mythos for the tragic and heroic tale of Officer Alex J. Murphy. Continue reading “Robocop #2 Review” →