Film Review: Knives Out

Written and directed by Rian Johnson, Knives Out follows the investigation into the apparent suicide of renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), who is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday. When the inquisitive Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is mysteriously enlisted to investigate, Blanc must sift through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan’s untimely death. The knives are out amongst Harlan’s dysfunctional family – (Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Katherine Langford, Riki Lindhome, K Callan, and Jaeden Martell) – and loyal staff – (Ana de Armas and Edi Patterson) – to find out the truth.

Film Review: Avengers – Endgame

The 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the fourth Avengers film, following on from last year’s Infinity War and once again directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, Avengers: Endgame picks up with the surviving members of the Avengers and their allies – including Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Nebula (Karen Gillan), and Rocket (Bradley Cooper) – as they must work together to reverse the damage caused by Thanos (Josh Brolin). and restore order to the universe once and for all, no matter what consequences may be in store.

Film Review: Avengers – Infinity War

The third Avengers ensemble film and the nineteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Infinity War sees The Avengers – Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Vision (Paul Bettany), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) – and The Guardians of the Galaxy – Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Baby Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Nebula (Karen Gillan) – come together for the ultimate, deadliest showdown of all time.

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, these new superhero allies have to sacrifice everything in an attempt to prevent the powerful Thanos (Josh Brolin) from amassing the all-powerful Infinity Stones before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.

Film Review: Captain America 3 – Civil War

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The 13th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, Captain America: Civil War follows on from the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron as a rift forms in the Avengers team after political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability when another incident results in collateral damage. When the new status quo fractures the team, the Avengers split into two camps – one led by Captain America (Chris Evans) and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other led by Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), following his surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability – causing an epic battle between former allies.

Film Review: Avengers – Age of Ultron

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Sequel to 2012’s Avengers Assemble and the eleventh installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Age of Ultron, directed by Joss Whedon, picks up with our favourite superhero team. When Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) jumpstarts a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry, calling for the need of The Avengers once again, bringing back together Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). To save the planet from destruction at the hands of the villainous Ultron (voiced by James Spader), The Avengers are put to the ultimate test.

Film Review: Snowpiercer

Based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette, Snowpiercer is an epic sci-fi that serves as Korean director Bong Joon Ho‘s English language debut. Set in a dystopian future world, the film follows the final survivors of Earth who have boarded the Snowpiercer, a train that travels around the globe via a perpetual-motion engine, after a failed global-warming experiment killed off all life on the planet. But for the few that remain, life only gets more difficult as a class system is enforced on the Snowpiercer’s passengers. When cryptic messages make their way to the back section of the train – into the hands of Curtis (Chris Evans), Edgar (Jamie Bell), Gilliam (John Hurt), Tanya (Octavia Spencer), and Andrew (Ewen Bremner) – the less fortunate of the survivors are incited to revolt, thrusting the train full-throttle towards disaster, as those at the front of the train – Wilford (Ed Harris) and Mason (Tilda Swinton) – must do their utmost to maintain control.

Film Review: Captain America – The Winter Soldier

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Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe picks up with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) a.k.a. Captain America, as he struggles to embrace his role in the modern world. Under the authority of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Captain America is forced to face a new threat from old history – the Soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier – as S.H.I.E.L.D. is subverted by its enemies. But when Rogers acts on Fury’s warning to trust no one there, he is branded as a traitor by the organisation. Now a fugitive, Captain America must get to the bottom of this deadly mystery with the help of the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and his new friend, The Falcon (Anthony Mackie).

Captain America 2 Seeks Leading Lady: Anna Kendrick, Felicity Jones & Imogen Poots In The Running

(Written for Lost In The Multiplex)

With Antony Mackie recently announced to be playing the role of Sam Wilson, aka Falcon, in Marvel’s upcoming Captain America sequel, the attention has moved on to finding a female lead, which is now down to three frontrunners – Anna Kendrick, Felicity Jones and Imogen Poots – it has been reported this week.

Film Review: Avengers Assemble

(Published in Issue 9 of my publication In Retrospect)

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Written and directed by Joss Whedon, Avengers Assemble centres around the Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson)’s, need for a superhero team. Uniting Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), The Avengers are brought together to face Thor’s Godly brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his Chitauri alien army as they declare war on Earth.

27 New Images for ‘Avengers Assemble’

(Written for Lost In The Multiplex)

A whopping 27 new images of Marvel’s Avengers Assemble have been released online this week, which include a look at How I Met Your Mother’s Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, the Hulk at his angriest, a lot of lasers, and the odd-looking antagonist Loki played by Tom Hiddleston.

New Avengers Image of Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow

(Written by Lost In The Multiplex)

Another new image has been released for Marvel’s long-awaited action adventure, The Avengers, by Walt Disney Pictures this week, this time featuring Captain America (Chris Evans), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).

Set to be released on 27th April, The Avengers, begins when Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as SHIELD, finds himself in need of a team after an unexpected enemy threatens global safety.

New German Trailer and Stills For ‘The Avengers’

(Written for Lost In The Multiplex)

Marvel Studios have released a new German trailer and two universal stills for Joss Whedon’s The Avengers this week, showing some new footage for the superhero comic book adaptation.

When an unexpected enemy threatens global safety, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as SHIELD, finds himself in need of a team.

Chris Evans To Replace James Franco In ‘The Iceman’

(Written for Lost In The Multiplex)

Captain America’s Chris Evans has made a deal to replace James Franco in The Iceman this week.

Fortunately that isn’t another superhero film for him to attach his name to – The Iceman is based on the Anthony Bruno novel about Richard Kuklinski, a contract killer for the mob, which will be directed by Ariel Vromen.

Michael Shannon is attached to play Kuklinski, aka The Iceman, and Franco was going to play Kuklinski’s mentor, Robert Pronge, who Evans will now be taking over.

‘Captain America 2’ To Be Filmed in Present Day

(Written for Lost In The Multiplex)

With Captain America: The First Avenger being released on DVD and Blu-ray this week (25th Oct), writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have told The HD Room that the sequel will stick mostly to Marvel Universe‘s present day. Seen as though that’s where the first film ended, I think this is something we had already predicted anyway.

“I think it’s safe for us to say that it’s primarily set in the modern day,” says Markus. “That seems to have been the biggest question people have been wondering about regarding the sequel… [We]’ve been left with room to explore Cap entering the modern day wondering, ‘What is all this? What’s happened to the world?’”

Chris Evans Gets a Puncture

(Written for Lost In The Multiplex)

Chris Evans goes from Captain America to functioning drug-addict in his latest film, Puncture.

Wearing a pair of suspenders and a tie, shirtless and tattooed, as the film’s trailer introduces him, Evans plays the character of Mike Weiss, a drug-addicted lawyer from Houston who takes on a case involving a health supply corporation. Mounted by pressure, Mike has to balance his work against his battle with his own demons as well as he becomes more invested than he first imagined.

Based on a true story, Puncture was chosen as one of the spotlight films for the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival.

Film Review: Captain America – The First Avenger

(Read this in my publication In Retrospect – Issue 1)

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Directed by Joe Johnston, Captain America: The First Avenger is the fifth installment to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (after Iron Man, The Hulk, Iron Man 2 and Thor) which was established by crossing over shared plot elements, settings, cast, and characters. Although he is the last of the superheroes we are introduced to in preparation for 2012’s The Avengers, Captain America is ‘The First Avenger’ and the film focuses on the earliest days of the Marvel Universe.

It’s Been a ‘Super’ Week for Marvel and DC

This week sees the trailers of two of the most anticipated and upcoming superhero films, the epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan‘s Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, and Marc Webb‘s first in a series of rebooted Spider-Man films, The Amazing Spider-Man. Captain America is out in cinemas next week and a (good quality) trailer is due for The Avengers shortly. With the Comic-Con this week, as well, everyone has gone Marvel and DC mad.

First up there’s Captain America which is released in UK cinemas next week on 29th July. Only a short time to wait until the year for the following three films. However, Captain America is the last of The Avengers team that we need to meet so it’s about time. Captain America is the story of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) who is deemed unfit for military service and volunteers for a top-secret research project, thus turning him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending America’s ideals.