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‘The Avengers’ Scores $18.7 Million In Midnight Screening Ticket Sales

Travis Woods — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:54:36 +0000

Not that it’s any surprise, but in case you were curious, The Avengers took in nearly $20 million from midnight showings on Thursday night, entering a pantheon of memorable blockbuster films that set records for their midnight-premiere screenings: The Dark Knight, The Hunger Games and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.

The team up between Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Hulk, and two people in leather that no one cares about (Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner) earned a reported $18.7 million in midnight screenings from approximately 2,500 theaters that played the film in both 2D and digital 3D, as well as the 273 IMAX 3D theaters.

Some context: Earlier this year, The Hunger Games scored $19.7 million during its midnight release, while The Dark Knight came through with $18.5 million (which set the record for a superhero movie, until The Avengers came out swinging).

To take that further, The Dark Knight grossed $158.4 million in its first weekend out, while The Hunger Games netted $152.5 in its first weekend. Knight held the record until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows – Part 1 waved its magic wand and took the top spot with $169 million. What does it all mean? Our own Damon Houx speculates that Avengers will certainly clear $150 million by Sunday night, and will probably end up with approximately $165 million.

That’s not quite the record breaker, but don’t feel bad for The Avengers—internationally, the film has already raked in $304 million in ticket sales. I think it’ll be OK.

Did you see The Avengers at midnight?

Source: Coming Soon

Interview: ‘The Avengers’ Cast Talks Pressure, Power and Expectations

Krystal Clark — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:00:24 +0000

After four years, five films, and countless castings, The Avengers have finally assembled. In less than 24 hours, anxious fans will see Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye fight side-by-side on the big screen. The Avengers Hollywood premiere took place last month, and immediately after, the cast participated in a press conference where they dished on their characters and each other.

Check out some highlights below…

It all began in 2007, when Robert Downey, Jr. was cast as genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist Tony Stark in Iron Man. The film planted a seed that would grow and spread into the next Marvel films, leading to this cinematic event.

Robert Downey Jr.: Going back to 2007 when I was cast in Iron Man and Kevin Feige over there said, you know, this is all going to lead to where we’re going to have all of these franchises come together. And, we’re gonna do something unprecedented in entertainment. We’re gonna make this Avengers movie. And I just remember, I would get nervous about it and excited about it and doubtful of it.

Initially, director Joss Whedon shared Downey’s nervousness. He knew The Avengers would be a huge undertaking, and wanted audiences to be satisfied with the finished product.

Joss Whedon: I think the exciting thing kind of speaks for itself. That bunch of characters,that bunch of actors playing them,that much money. It was kind of a no brainer. The hardest part is and always will be structure. How do you put that together? How do you make everybody shine? How do you let the audience’s identification drift from person to person without making them feel like they’re not involved. It’s a very complex structure. It’s not necessarily particularly ornate or original, but it had to be right. It had to be earned from moment-to-moment, and that’s exhausting. That was still going on in the editing room after we’d shot.

No one knows about trying to identify more than Mark Ruffalo. The actor had the tough task of replacing Edward Norton, who played Bruce Banner in 2008′s The Incredible Hulk. After being cast, Ruffalo quickly learned how harsh and critical the fanboy community can be.

Mark Ruffalo: It was terrifying. I knew what my responsibility was — or I felt it just by making the mistake of going online and reading some of the fanboy responses to the announcement that I was playing the next version of Bruce Banner. That was a mistake. I will never do that again. I’ve never had a role be more scrutinized and criticized even before I shot a single frame. Coming onto the set with all of these guys was pretty daunting. I knew that I had big shoes to fill, so to speak.

Ruffalo wasn’t alone in feeling out of his element. Chris Evans, who plays Captain America, also had to switch it up. The majority of the film’s jokes are handed off to his counterparts, while he delivers earnest dialogue. As someone who’s spent the majority of his career playing smartasses (like Johnny Storm in Fantastic Four), Cap was a welcomed change.

Chris Evans: That’s his role. It’s necessary, and that’s kind of why I like it ’cause I am used to kind of leaning on cracking jokes and being a wise ass. It’s nice to kind of play it straight a little bit. You know, that’s — I think even in this film more than the first Captain America, he, Steve Rogers has some issues, some conflict, some trouble given the fact that he is, a man out of his time. But given who he is as a man, his nature, he puts that second. He puts the mission first, and he’s just selfless.

Chris Hemsworth‘s Thor couldn’t be more different from Captain America. In his first film, he was forced to eat a huge slice of humble pie because of his arrogance. And even though he’s learned the error of his ways, Hemsworth believes Thor’s stubbornness is one of his best qualities.

Chris Hemsworth: I like the sort of visceral, gut instinct that Thor has. I always thought the childlike quality in the sense that if he believes something or, he wants to do something, he does it and says it. You know how kids own their environment and there’s no opinions that they really care about. I think Thor is — it’s there. It’s surrounded by bravado and strength and all that, but end of the day he’s pretty true to who he is and what he wants to do.

Thor will have plenty of time to show off his strength and bravado when he (once again) goes head-to-head with his brother Loki. As the film’s villain, Tom Hiddleston has the honor of battling not one but six of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. It’s a fact the actor has a hard time wrapping his head around.

Tom Hiddleston: It’s such a great character. It’s like playing an iconic Shakespearean character or something. It’s just a privilege to be asked to do it. With a character like Loki, he’s got such a level of complexity and so many layers to him. When I read it, I couldn’t believe my luck. The film was called The Avengers and yet Loki was almost on every page. I just was so excited about it, so I was, there was no trace of fear, just a huge amount of fun.

Two-time Oscar-nominee Jeremy Renner had an interesting way of preparing for his role as Hawkeye. As the team’s master archer, he does things with a bow and arrow Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games) and Legolos (Lord of the Rings) could only dream of.

Jeremy Renner: I stretched a lot, and I prepared by stretching. I did take some archery, but I realized very quickly that I couldn’t really use it in the film. It ended up being superhero type archery. It is nice to know the technique behind it but then, you know, shooting behind my back and over my shoulder and using fake arrows and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I gave it a go and shot a few bales of hay and missed a few. And yeah, you get injured, banged around every day when it’s hand-to-hand stuff.

Cobie Smulders, who’s best known for starring on CBS’ How I Met Your Mother, opened up about making the transition from TV to film.

Cobie Smulders: I made it a point to do a lot of training to prepare myself for this role with weapons and to get myself mainly comfortable using them. That was the thing that I tried to do the most. In terms of schedule, it’s very different. I’m very blessed at my job at How I Met Your Mother. We have a very nice schedule,and this too was,very good. But we had a lot of stunts to do and a lot of fun things to explode, so it’s very different.

As the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and foreman of The Avengers, Samuel L. Jackson revealed what he really loves about his character. And why Fury is dead-set on making this team work.

Samuel L. Jackson: I just like the fact that Nick Fury believes that these unique individuals deserve the love and admiration of the world. We pretty much owe everything to [The Avengers] because there are things out there greater than us.

The Avengers opens nationwide May 4.

The Avengers: Movie Review

Damon Houx — Wed, 02 May 2012 21:00:13 +0000

The Avengers is here, and it’s the film Marvel has been planting the seeds for since Iron Man hits screens in 2008. In that time we’ve had films featuring Hulk, Thor, and Captain America to help get audiences in the mood and in the know about these characters. And knowing the characters is important for Joss Whedon’s film, because character development and – for the most part – motivation is kept to a minimum. You’ve got an all–star cast facing evil, and it all builds to a blockbuster conclusion. But too bad it’s such a rocky ride to get there.

The Players:

Written and Directed By: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Tom Hiddleston, Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlet Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Colbie Smulders, Clark Gregg
Music By: Alan Silvestri
Cinematography by Seamus McGarvey

The Plot:

Loki (Hiddleston) is sent back to earth to find the Tesseract (which will open a portal for invasion), and has the power to turn humans into slaves. He invades SHIELD headquarters, and that sends Nick Fury (Jackson) Agent Coulson (Gregg) and Black Widow (Johansson) to gather Captain America (Evans) Iron Man (Downey Jr.) and the Hulk (Ruffalo) to help stop Loki. Eventually – along with Hawkeye (Renner) – they become a team to fight the alien invasion (the Chitauri).

The Good:

That Third Act: New York is in the crosshairs, as The Avengers must stop an oncoming horde of aliens from taking over the planet. This is what you paid to see and it delivers some great moments of the Avengers fighting bad guys and doing cool stuff. The Hulk is a stand out here.
The Cast: It’s hard to be as excited about some of the returning actors who are doing their well-defined characters, but this is a muderer’s row of talent, and it’s the people who get something new to do who shine. Johansson gives as good as she gets, and has some of the best moments in the film, while Mark Ruffalo as Banner and as Hulk steals the movie.
Quips: It’s Joss Whedon, and they’re mostly funny.

The Bad:

Marvel: This is the big film they’ve been building to for years, and they decided with this one that they were going to shoot it flat (1.85:1) – instead of scope (2.35:1) as they have every film they’ve been behind previous. Not only does that break continuity, but it robs the film of an epic feel. It makes the movie that much smaller. On top of which it’s just a very small feeling film. Not intimate, but none of the early set pieces feel epic. Everything comes across as if it was done on a budget until New York – and even then that’s kept contained.
Nothing to Do: Loki shows up and then gets arrested in a sequence that lays out what little is going on under the surface of this movie (good versus evil, maybe a little anti-fascism) and spends the middle section of the movie waiting for things to happen. Captain America is here because he’s a soldier, and does nothing in the film all that memorable, while Tony Stark also seems to be here because they asked him (and because he’s a little curious about SHIELD himself), same with Bruce Banner. Black Widow and Hawkeye are company men, and Thor joins the group just because – and this was Nick Fury’s big plan? To have people like Thor just show up? No one is acting like they’re trying to stop the end of the world, and the moments where these iconic figures of comic book world finally meet for the first time and then decide to work together seems as powerful and iconic as a coffee date. There was a lot of wrangling that went in to getting this film made, but it seems the film doesn’t find its iconic footing until the last section, when it realizes you want to see the team together. When Banner shows up in New York to fight along side his compatriots, there’s a sense that he’s showing up more because the plot demands it than him feeling like it’s the right thing to do.
It’s a Godzilla Movie: This has been a complaint of mine for a long time with super hero movies, and – to be fair – this is more Destroy All Monsters than Godzilla Vs. The Smog Monster, but it never really functions as a team movie because at no point during the course of anything that happens during the first two thirds of the film do they work together as a team. Seriously. And when they do, they rarely work as a group so much as co-ordinate their assaults. But it’s not about using skill sets so much as random butt-kicking. The set pieces don’t build in the early sections of the film, so much as get things into place for the final act. Which delivers, but still. When they do work together – like Hawkeye and Iron Man – it’s where the movie really soars.

Overall:

If you are just happy to see these characters together, you will love this film, and the idea of this film feels unimaginable. Unfortunately, the imagination that went in to bringing the characters together and what they do once they are together is severely limited by budget and creativity. Once again, it’s an origin story with familiar characters where it feels like it’s all building to an awesome conclusion. But since there’s no real main character or thematic heft or even interesting motivation to latch on to, it’s empty spectacle.

Rating: 6.5/10

The Avengers opens May 4.

Photos:

Trailer:

Get Ready for ‘The Avengers’ With a New Featurette

Damon Houx — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:22:14 +0000

Though The Hunger Games may have set the event film bar higher with its record-breaking $155 Million opening, the summer movie season is only a few weeks away and it’s going to kick off with The Avengers – which is looking to be a monster of a release. It’s not a sequel, per se, but it does bring together Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man with Mark Ruffalo‘s Hulk, Jeremy Renner‘s Hawkeye, Chris Hemsworth‘s Thor, Chris Evans‘s Captain America, and Scarlet Johansson‘s Black Widow. To get you more stoked, there’s a new featurette on the film, check it out…

This fluff piece is heavy on the previous films, and I find it funny that they talk up The Incredible Hulk, but can’t show Edward Norton‘s face as Bruce Banner, but then also don’t really show Mark Ruffalo either. Such is the actor switch-up game.

You mostly have writer/director Joss Whedon and producer Kevin Feige talking here, buffered with clips from the returning cast (Downey Jr., Evans and Hemsworth). But with many of those interview clips, it’s hard to tell if they were done for this movie or are leftover snippets from the previous films. Mostly it seems that this is trying to get people caught up with the last couple movies in the series, as it does end with an ad for those previous efforts. No surprise: This also leaves out Ang Lee‘s Hulk.

What’s interesting about this film is that – as we’ve said before – the only real movie star of the film’s superhero leads is Iron Man. Though the other comic films have done okay, Iron Man and its sequel are the only ones that have done $300 Million dollars or more at the domestic box office. The Avengers has the first week of the summer season, and there’s no Fast Five spoiler this year, so the picture will open, and open big. But if it ends up doing numbers closer to what Captain America or Thor did, it will definitely be a disappointment. The Avengers opens in a little more than a month from now, so we should start getting reviews shortly. That said, early word has been very positive.

Would you buy your Avengers tickets now?

The Avengers’ Character Posters Have Been Released

Damon Houx — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:45:48 +0000

Now that Summer Movie season is almost here (scary, right?), it’s fair to say that Joss Whedon‘s The Avengers came out of the gate swinging, and hasn’t stopped. Every week or so there’s been a new image or promotional item, and now that we’re less than two months away, it’s really kicking into gear. Yesterday AMC theaters announced a six film marathon of Avengers movies concluding with the new film, and now there’s heavily photo-shopped character posters (via Empire). Check them out:

There’s your team, though Mark Ruffalo is only represented in full Hulk mode. Most everyone looks horribly photoshopped, with Scarlet Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson looking like cut-out Frankensteins, and Robert Downey Jr.‘s head looking pretty pasted on. Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth look a little better, and Jeremy Renner gets to kick it in the background twice – which is better than Cobie Smulders, who just gets one. Surprisingly, Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson didn’t make the grade, nor have we yet to get a villain poster for Tom Hiddleston‘s Loki. Part of me wonders if you could cut the images together to form an effective diorama. My guess is no.

AMC will be running six Marvel movies starting Thursday May 3, leading up to a midnight showing of The Avengers. The films being shown are:

Iron Man
The Incredible Hulk
Iron Man 2
Thor 3D
Captain America 3D
The Avengers 3D

Honestly, that sounds pretty brutal. I rather like two of those movies, but that’s a whole lot of origins for one day. Still, it will surely sell out quickly. Tickets go on sale Sunday night, and AMC has the list of theaters and ticket info.

Joss Whedon has been out promoting Cabin in the Woods, and Collider got him for an interview where he said The Avengers is locked, it’s running at two hours fifteen minutes, and that the theatrical version is his director’s cut. At this point we’re just waiting for the film to screen, but word has already been mostly positive. So hopefully Summer 2012 kick off right.

Would you go to the six movie marathon?

Jeremy Renner in The Bourne Legacy Teaser Trailer

Damon Houx — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:13:10 +0000

Jeremy Renner stars in the spin-off/reboot of the Bourne franchise The Bourne Legacy, and now we’re getting a look at how director Tony Gilroy is handling the reset button in the film’s first trailer. With that title it means that Matt Damon‘s Jason Bourne is going to hover over the film – though it’s hard to say for how long of the running time. Check out the teaser…

They brought back Joan Allen, Scott Glenn, David Strathairn and Albert Finney from the last couple movies, and upped their game by adding Rachel Weisz and Edward Norton into the mix, with up and comer Oscar Isaac also joining the ranks. You’re going to be seeing a lot of Isaac soon. Currently a chameleon, he appeared in Sucker Punch and Drive, and is the lead in the latest Coen Brothers movie.

I like the teaser, though I wonder how long we’re going to have to spend watching the franchise get rebooted. The trailer tells us that Renner’s character is a lot like Bourne but better. The problem is that every single film in the franchise pointed out that Bourne wasn’t the only super awesome agent, so I don’t know how long you have to explain that. As long as the action delivers and we don’t have to spend an hour being told all the same things over again, we’re on board. The film opens August 3, and here’s the poster art:

What do you want out of a Matt Damon-free Bourne movie?

New Photos of The Avengers Looking At Things

Damon Houx — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:22:28 +0000

Marvel wants to get you excited about their upcoming film The Avengers. Really excited, as much of the future of their cinematic empire rests on its success, and so prepare to be inundated with ads and trailers and such until it hits theaters on May 4. Until then, Marvel.com has issued five new pictures that show stars Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, and Scarlet Johansson looking at things. But, you know, looking intently. Take a look…

As you can see from this gallery, much of the movie involves looking at things. Some of those things include files and paperwork, while others include cast members. They talk, they stare at the camera, and perhaps perform unnecessary surgeries on unsuspecting patients. This was always a concern when Joss Whedon was hired, as he’s known for his gab-fests and elective surgery bent.

In case you forgot, the film is in 3-D. It’s interesting to note that this is rarely a selling point any more, and sometimes you have to study a poster to know for sure if what you’re seeing is going to be offered in more dimensions than two. Such should make the film’s intense “looking at things” moments all that more realistic and engaging.

If you see The Avengers, will opt for 2-D or 3-D?

News Roundup: Jersey Shore, Tangled Ever After, Carrie Remake and More

Laura Aguirre — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:44:24 +0000

We’re at the end of the first week of 2012 and already there’s news about remakes, TV show premieres, and even a first look into a much anticipated action movie. With 2011 behind us, it’s time to catch up on what’s ahead. This week, for example, the hit MTV show “Jersey Shore” returned with full force and tons of drama. We’ve also got the first look at The Bourne Legacy with Jeremy Renner who stepped in for Matt Damon. There’s also sweet news about next week’s release of Beauty and the Beast 3D. Catch up below.

“Jersey Shore” Returns: Last night marked the premiere of Season 5 of “Jersey Shore” – the MTV show is a few episodes shy of syndication, yikes! In last night’s premiere, the ridiculously tanned guidos and guidettes returned to Seaside Heights, a more appropriate setting for the bunch than last season’s Italy. The drama started right away with a huge confrontation between Snooki and “Situation.’ Apparently the two had a fling recently and that was enough to start the drama. It feels like nothing has changed. On the upside, Snooki reconciled with her boyfriend, so there’s that.

Carrie Remake Moving Ahead: Boys Don’t Cry director Kimberly Peirce is in talks to direct a remake of the 1976 film Carrie, based on Stephen King‘s thriller about a teenager’s first menstrual cycle that goes horribly wrong. The new script is written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who wrote the the Broadway version for Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. His version is more faithful to the King book than Brian De Palma‘s directed version. All we’re wondering is if this is a future job opportunity for Lindsay Lohan?

New Photo and Trailer:

First Look At Jeremy Renner as Aaron Cross: By now we’ve come to the realization that Matt Damon isn’t coming back as Jason Bourne. Three movies was enough for him. Luckily, a good actor stepped in to take over the franchise. Now it’ll be Jeremy Renner who will be doing the ass kicking as the new face and hero of The Bourne Legacy. Below we have the first photo of him as killer agent Aaron Cross. Check it out.

Katrina Bowden Gets Sexy: “30 Rock‘s” Katrina Bowden is showing a much sexier side of herself in this month’s Maxim issue. Bowden stripped down to her undies to talk about her new movie Piranha 3DD, and a number of other upcoming projects. You can take a look at her sexy Maxim spread below.

Tangled Ever After: Here’s a treat for anyone who’ll be watching Beauty and the Beast in 3D next week – Disney has announced that there will be a follow-up to the 2010 hit Tangled in the form of a short animated film called Tangled Ever After. The short will spotlight Rapunzel’s wedding to Flynn Rider. Below is a short preview of what’s to come. Check it out.

That’s the end of our round-up. Keep checking back at ScreenCrave for more entertainment news.

What are you excited for?

Jeremy Renner And Friend Attacked By Axe-Wielding Bar Employees (Really)

Travis Woods — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:15:29 +0000

Note to self: never, ever annoy the bar owners of Thailand.

That’s exactly what Mission: Impossible star Jeremy Renner did with a friend this week while spending time in Phucket, Thailand, and they were subsequently attacked by six axe-wielding employees of the Rachada Pub. Yes, that’s right: axe-wielding.

Renner and Vorasit Issara, a 31 year old “general manager of a nearby resort,” were having drinks at the bar when around 4:30 AM, Issara dropped his drinking glass on the floor. Hey, it happens, right?

Well, apparently, people don’t drop their glasses in Thailand, as the incident sparked a confrontation between Issara and the bar owners, who proceeded to “stab him in the stomach” and “chopped at his neck with a rotor axe,” according to a report by the Phucket City Police, which led to the six members of the bar staff being charged with attempted murder.

Issara has managed to survive despite serious wounds to his neck and stomach, while Renner and another friend got away with “minor injuries.” So, once again, ScreenCrave readers—if you find yourself lounging in a bar in Phucket, Thailand, be sure to grip that shot glass tightly, as apparently bar owners will literally try to chop your damn head off if you drop it.

What do you think of the Renner news?

Source: The Huffington Post

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Movie Review

Damon Houx — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:00:29 +0000

Though he took his licks for his public insanity, Tom Cruise is now back as a movie star in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. But perhaps more exciting for film geeks is the launch of Brad Bird as a live-action director. The two work together to create a stunning action movie that’s lightweight but filled with all the great action one hopes for in an event film.

The Players:

Director: Brad Bird
Writers: Josh Applebaum, Andre Nemec
Stars: Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Josh Holloway
Cinematography: Robert Elswitt
Music: Michael Giacchino

The Plot:

When a Russian steals nuclear bomb codes and turns Ethan Hunt (Cruise) into a patsy for the bombing of the Kremlin, the Impossible Mission Force is shut down, and its agents go into “Ghost Protocol” mode. That means their actions are unsanctioned but they must work just the same. Hunt’s team this time is Jane (Patton), who just lost an agent in a recent mission; Benji (Pegg), who’s been upgraded to field agent, and Brandt (Renner) – who may not be what he appears. They’re trying to stop a madman who wants to detonate a lot of nuclear weapons with little time or resources.

The Good:

Action: The set pieces in this film are large scale and mostly practical. From an opening prison break to the justly revered Dubai building climb, to the end set piece in a car manufacturing plant, all the action beats are huge and impressive. Bird understands the action rhythms and – perhaps more importantly – how to complicate a big action sequence. When Cruise goes climbing on one of the biggest buildings in the world his electronic wall-climbing gloves don’t work as well as they should, and it takes an already intense sequence to the next level.
Imax: And Bird also understands how to use the Imax camera. When Cruise is up on that huge building in Dubai, it’s vertiginous.
Renner is not a mole: The Mission: Impossible films have often fallen back on the premise that there’s a rogue agent dealing secrets – it’s been the plot of the last three movies. Originally Jeremy Renner was set to take over the franchise, but when they reworked the script to keep Cruise on the team, it seemed like they could go that route again. Thankfully, he’s only just a little green in the field, which is mostly charming.
Professionalism: Though it’s also one of the weakest elements of the film (see below), what’s great about the film is it’s about a team of skilled professionals dealing with problems on the fly.

The Bad:

Ethan Hunt: Where James Bond and John McClane have interesting personalities, the main character here is a complete blank, and four pictures in, the only defining characteristics of Hunt are that he’s really good at his job, and he’s played by Tom Cruise. It’s the one thing that keeps this series from being great. And though the mole plotlines were worn out in the franchise, it at least gives the films personal stakes. For a film about the world possibly ending, there’s little weight to the proceedings, and so the set pieces impress but they don’t draw you in like they do when you really care about a character. Unfortunately everyone else has slightly more compelling reasons to be there.
Tom Cruise: Just shy of 50, Cruise is still trying to be the action star he was ten or twenty years ago. And though he’s a fine leading man, when he runs (and he runs a lot in this picture) or takes his shirt off, that age shows. At this point Cruise should really start moving into older man roles, because it’s starting to get gross.

Overall:

Even if the main character is kind of a stiff, the action sequences are spectacular enough to make this a must-see in the theaters. And if Brad Bird was using this to audition for other bigger things, he’s passed it.

Rating: 7.7/10

Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol opens everywhere December 21.

Photos:

Trailer:

New Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol Trailer

Damon Houx — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:49:17 +0000

The final Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol trailer has debuted, and the word is Bond. James Bond. That seems to be what stars Tom Cruise and Jeremy Renner, and director Brad Bird are going for in this action packed-looking film. That’s always been the word, in some ways, as it deals with special agents and spy toys, but all the previous films have been saddled with mole hunts. Here- at least from the trailer – it seems to be all about the action. Check it out

Of course mole hunting isn’t exactly off the table, either, but this trailer sell a scale that seems bigger than the last couple. Brian De Palma started the franchise off with a more Hitchcockian tone (as he would), and managed to use the mole hunting to easily work in one of the main themes of his work (betrayal). John Woo was saddled with a script that stole a lot from actual Hitchcock (there was a lot of Notorious in there), while J. J. Abrams used M:I:III to learn how to work on the big screen.

The supporting cast here looks exciting, with Simon Pegg capable comic support, and the digital effects work looks kept to a minimum. As always the question is if people still like Tom Cruise. But this trailer should sell some tickets to the skeptical.

Which is your favorite of the Mission Impossible films?

Tom Cruise Shares Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol Poster

Damon Houx — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:09:38 +0000

The pattern to this point with Mission: Impossible posters is the giant floating head of Tom Cruise. But that pattern has been dashed as the latest poster for Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol has Cruise sharing his poster with Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, and Simon Pegg. The full size poster for the film follows after the jump, check it out…

One of the set pieces in the film is a chase during a sandstorm/debris so this seems to be paying homage to that part. Paramount recently showed a chunk of the film in Imax to journalists, and the word coming out of those screenings were positive. Perhaps they have winner with this one.

There are two questions that linger: Are American audiences back in “like” with Tom Cruise, and does this one have the exact same plot as the last three movies? Since the trailers suggest there is a mole in the operations, I wouldn’t be surprised if the fourth film has Cruise or Renner unmasking a close associate as the traitor. The film was supposedly originally pitched as Cruise’s hand-off of the franchise, but even though Cruise is 49 it’s possible that he will stay on the ship – especially with Jeremy Renner’s full plate. Perhaps they want to keep both in play and it’s Paula Patton who’s the mole. All will be revealed when the film hits theaters December 21.

What role would you want to see Tom Cruise in now?

ScreenCrave.com » Jeremy Renner

‘The Avengers’ Scores $18.7 Million In Midnight Screening Ticket Sales

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The Avengers: Movie Review

The Players:

The Plot:

The Good:

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 6.5/10

Photos:

Trailer:

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New Photo and Trailer:

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Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Movie Review

The Players:

The Plot:

The Good:

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 7.7/10

Photos:

Trailer:

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