November 25, 2013 by Billy Henehan

Geeky Holiday Gift Guide

The holidays are right around the corner. Are you looking for the perfect gift for the geek in your life? Tuesday Night Movies is here to help!

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled Boxed Set

This box set comes with all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies leading up to and including The Avengers. You get Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America, and The Avengers. What really makes this set cool is that everything is packaged in a SHIELD-branded briefcase that contains a light-up tesseract inside!

Captain America: The Winter Solider Ultimate Collection

Next year’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier movie is largely based on Ed Brubaker’s run on the Captain America comic, where he introduced Cap’s mysterious new enemy, the Winter Soldier. This collection has stunning art by Steve Epting and Michael Lark, and an amazing story by Brubaker.

Doctor Who: Series 1-7 Limited Edition Gift Set

BBC has finally released the Chistopher Eccleston and David Tennant years of Doctor Who on Blu Ray. This set includes all of those seasons, plus seasons 5-7 starring Matt Smith as the Doctor. The set also includes an awesome fully functional sonic screwdriver universal remote control. You can use it on your TV, blu ray player, speakers, anything that will work with a universal remote. This is the closest you’ll get to feeling like a time lord without having a second heart implanted in you.

Doctor Who Tardis Beach Towel

Sure, it’s cold out now, but summer will be here soon enough. Or maybe the Doctor will show up to pick up you and friends for a weekend getaway to the Caribbean in the middle of January. In either situation, this Tardis towel is a must-own item.

Han Solo Frozen in Carbonite Bottle Opener

Transform your kitchen in Jabba’s throne room! This is quite possibly the coolest looking bottle opener ever, a highly detailed replica of Han Solo frozen in carbonite from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. And it’s functional too. The back of Han Solo is magnetic, so it will stick to your fridge. The bottle opener is solid metal, not some flimsy plastic, so it should last you a long time.

Star Wars Tauntaun Sleeping Bag

I received one of these Tauntaun sleeping bags for Christmas when ThinkGeek first introduced them a couple of years ago. It is quite possibly the best Christmas present I ever received. You should buy this for someone you love. And buy one for yourself too while you’re at it.

Harry Potter Wizard’s Collection (Blu Ray/DVD Combo/Ultraviolet Combo)

There have been many Harry Potter movie collections over the years, but this is the mother of all Harry Potter movie collections. It is 31 discs in total, including all 8 Harry Potter movies on both Blu Ray and DVD, and tons of special features. But what really sells this collection is how it’s contained. The box is a fold out chest of drawers. The discs are in book-like boxes. One disc is even hidden behind a secret compartment. The Ultra-Violet download codes are written on rolled-up scrolls. There are a couple of books included, The Catalog of Artifacts and The Label Collection, which really show off the detail that went into producing the props for the movies. There’s a map of Hogwarts and the surrounding area, and a blueprint of Hogwarts Castle. There’s even a horcrux locket! This is the ultimate gift for the Harry Potter fan in your life!

Harry Potter Triwizard Tournament Shirt

The perfect gift for the quidditch fan in your life. This is an exact replica of the shirt that Harry wears in the third challenge of the Triwzard Tournament. Potter is embroidered on the back and the shirt has the Hogwarts school crest on the front.

Star Trek Transporter Room Bath Mat & Shower Curtain Set

Modeled after the original Star Trek series, this bath mat and shower curtain set will transform your bathroom into the Transporter Room. Beam up to the Enterprise every time you step out of the shower!

Star Trek Spock Oven Mitt

This is just super. It’s an oversized Spock hand, giving the “Live long and proper” sign and it’s an oven mitt. I don’t know if this combination is logical, but it is definitely awesome!

Game of Thrones Scarves

Winter is coming. A man needs a scarf.

Game of Thrones: Iron Coin of the Faceless Man

Because a man needs a coin. This is a replica of the coin that Jaqen gives Arya. One side shows a faceless man. The other says reads: “Valar Morghulis, Valar Dohaeris,” which translates to “All men must die, all men must serve.” This is quite possibly one of the coolest prop replicas I’ve seen from HBO’s hit TV series.

The Walking Dead Season 3 Limited Edition Boxed Set

Winning the prize for the creepiest boxed set on the market is this version of AMC’s The Walking Dead Season 3. It comes packaged with a replica of The Governor’s collection of zombie heads in fish tanks. It even lights up from within to illuminate the heads. You can even fill the aquariums with water! And it comes with all of season 3 of The Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Funko Pop Vinyl Figure

Easily the coolest character on The Walking Dead, Daryl Dixon can now guard office desks and bookshelves from walkers in the form of this vinyl figure from Funko.

Batman: Arkham Origins Collectors Edition

The Arkham Asylum and Arkham City games have been my absolute favorite video games of the last couple of years. The latest chapter in the franchise was recently released, Batman: Arkham Origins. The collectors edition of Arkham Origins contains a slew of cool stuff, most notably a light-up statue of Batman’s archenemy, The Joker. You even get more game, as the collectors edition includes download codes for bonus content not included in the standard edition. When your thumbs are sore, you can watch the included Blu Ray of Necessary Evil: The Villains of the DC Universe.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Deluxe Edition

When DC first released the animated version of The Dark Knight Returns, they did it as two separate movies. The movies were very well received and DC has now combined the two of them into one epic movie. The Dark Knight Returns is one of the coolest Batman stories ever told.

November 25, 2013 by Billy Henehan

James Tucker Talks Justice League: War

After sitting down with Andrea Romano at NYCC, I had the chance to sit and talk with James Tucker about Justice League: War. As you may know, James is the new Bruce Timm at DC’s animation group. In other words, he’s the new head honcho.

When asked if it was a smooth transition taking over for Bruce, James said it was. He elaborated, “He was outside smoking and said, “Hey, do you want to take over the DVDs?” and I went, “Sure.” It was that simple. It wasn’t like a coronation or anything. I didn’t go into the throne room and he knighted me. It’s very casual at Warner Brothers. ” By the time the official announcement was made, James already had experience in the job. According to James, “When it was announced, I had already been doing the job for two years. We were working on War a year ago. I had been doing the job long before they announced it. He was working on Green Lantern. It was very smooth and not a big deal.”

Regarding the future of the DC animated movies, James said that from this point forward, we’ll be seeing a Justice League movie, followed by a Batman movie, followed by a Justice League movie, followed by a Batman movie. Having movies whose stories focus on specific characters set in the framework of the Justice League. James used Wonder Woman as an example. “With the way we’re setting it up, it’s easier for us to do a Wonder Woman featured Justice League movie, meaning the story has something to do with her, but it’s a Justice League movie.” If you’re wondering why, according to Mr. Tucker, it’s because, “Home Video thinks they can sell it better. Rather than doing standalones. Because the Green Lantern movie didn’t do so hot. The Wonder Woman movie didn’t do so hot, despite what you see online about statistics. Pretty much Superman doesn’t even sell well. Sometimes it’s easier to focus on the character you want to focus on and in War, if you read the graphic novel, Cyborg gets a lot of the spotlight. Each movie will have one character who gets a lot of spotlight and the other characters will get…story development that will carry over to the next movie.”

In case you’re wondering what the next animated movie will be after Justice League: War, it will be a Son of Batman, based on the Grant Morrison Batman story that introduced Damian Wayne into the DC Universe. The Son of Batman movie will be in continuity with Justice League: War. “It’s totally different from what Bruce and those guys had done before. I like world building, so it’s a nice opportunity to have continuity among the movies, and yet Son of Batman will feel totally different than Justice League. It’s kind of like comics in a way, in that they’re connected, but not connected. Justice League comics are totally different than Batman comics, yet Batman is in both. ” said James.

For fans wondering why Aquaman is not in Justice League: War, the reason that he was replaced by Shazam (I know, I know, Captain Marvel) in this movie is that DC is planning a Justice League movie centered around Aquaman! Aqua-fans rejoice!

Shazam is replacing Aquaman in Justice League: War.

James walked me through some of the process of making these movies. When asked if he used the same animation studios for the Justice League and Batman movies, he revealed that DC has three different animation studios that “we float episodes to. Not one studio can do all the animation.”

When asked how Justice League: War would be different from past Justice League animated projects, such as Justice League: Unlimited, James said, “I worked on Justice League with Bruce and Justice League: Unlimited and I didn’t want to go back and do exactly that.” He elaborated, “When I read the New 52 Justice League, I could see see they were trying to break down the Justice League and make it something where you could not instantly know what to expect. We took that aspect and ran with it and pushed people’s personalities into different areas.” Comparing it to the Bruce Timm Justice League cartoon, James said, “If the fans are expecting a carbon copy of the TV series, they’re not going to get that. It’s going to be a little edgier and definitely more violent. It’s not Superfriends. Even the old Justice League cartoon show was kind of Super Friends, if it’s Friends the TV series with Jennifer Anniston. It was about relationships. This is more like a big movie, and their personalities are more edgy. They’re all new to it. They’re all trying to figure out how to be their own individual heroes. Some of them have codes about not killing. Others don’t. There’s all these areas of conflict we have that we didn’t normally address in the earlier versions of the Justice League.”

Expect Wonder Woman to use the sharp edge of her sword in Justice League: War.

Describing the state of superhero cartoons on TV, James was very blunt. “It’s a different climate for superhero action shows,” he said. The abrupt cancellation of Young Justice was cited. “I don’t think (Young Justice) was a great fit for Cartoon Network. They got caught in a situation where things are changing in the climate on television for animated things. They’re finding action in general is not doing as well on kids networks. A show like that would have been great for Netflix. That might be the next place for a show like that,” James said. Please note that this interview was conducted before Marvel announced their deal with Netflix. James seems very bullish on the Netflix model. He said, “As far as binge viewing, I think a show like Young Justice, Justice League too, will do well and I think that’s the future. I welcome it.” James went on to explain why he liked it so much. “You won’t have the same restrictions. You can do a limited miniseries. You can tell a really controlled story. You don’t have to worry about selling toys. The industry is all wondering what Netflix is going to do next.” With Marvel’s recent deal with Netflix, it will be interesting to see where DC and Warner Bros pursue their streaming model. Maybe Amazon Prime? Or Hulu Plus? We do know that James Tucker is in the driver’s seat at DC Animation and he likes the streaming model, whether it’s Netflix or elsewhere.

Will Netflix be the future home of DC superheroes?

James would like to incorporate lesser used characters into the animated movies. James said, “My goal for all the Justice League and Batman movies is to include at least one character who hasn’t appeared either on television or in the films.” When asked if there were any plans for Batgirl, say maybe Batgirl: Year One, James said that he would definitely like to do a Batgirl-centered story, but it probably wouldn’t be Year One. “The truth is, that’s not going to sell. I hate to say it. For whatever reason, they have a hard time selling that kind of stuff. Granted, that could (work) on Netflix. The thing about Netflix is that it’s open to niche markets. You could do something for a smaller group and not have to worry about selling units.

Justice League: War comes out on February 4, 2014.

November 19, 2013 by Billy Henehan

Andrea Romano Talks Justice League: War

Justice League: War is the next release in Warner Bros Home Video’s line of direct-to-DVD animated movies featuring DC superheroes. The official release date is February 4, 2014. I expect that Best Buy will once again have an exclusive version of the DVD that comes packaged with a mini-action figure. There has been no word yet as to what that figure will be. My guess is on Cyborg, since his origin story makes up a large portion of Justice League: War. If not him, then Darkseid, the main villain of Justice League: War.

At New York Comic Con this year, I had the chance to sit down with casting director Andrea Romano about Justice League: War. Andrea and DC animated projects go back. She’s the woman who originally cast Kevin Conroy as Batman in Batman: The Animated Series. Since then, she’s cast Batman enough times to lose count as to what the actual number is. “I’m looking for someone to tell me how many times I cast Batman. I think it’s somewhere around 17.” said Romano.

Justice League: War is the first of DC’s animated movies set in the New 52 universe. For those unfamiliar with the New 52, in 2011, DC rebooted their entire line of comic books, calling the new universe and continuity the New 52, which was the number of titles DC put out that month. Origins and costumes have been modified and modernized. When asked if she approached casting for Justice League: War differently than how she cast prior movies, Andrea said “(It was) pretty much the same process. We all looked for the best possible voices.”

I asked Andrea if there was a mandate from on high this time about not repeating voices. Andrea said there was, but that it changes every film. Andrea elaborated, “My first question on every job is can I use people I’ve used before? May I use Kevin Conroy? May I use Mark Hamil?” Sometimes the answer is yes, and sometimes they want her to have an all-new cast. According to Andrea, sometimes a change in visual style or the use of a different color palette from a previous project will lead to the decision to work with a new cast of actors.

Bruce Timm handed the reins of the DC animated movies to James Tucker in order for Bruce to focus on other projects. When asked how working with James Tucker compared to working with Bruce Timm, Andrea said, “I love working with both of them. I worked with James on Brave and the Bold and many other projects in the past, so I knew him. Bruce and James have very much the same mindset on the way they think things need to be depicted, and the way they want it to look and sound. It’s kind of a seamless transition. James is great. I love both of them.”

Andrea walked me through the production time line for a project. She explained, “There’s lots of time limits. The script is written. Then I do casting and voice directing. Everything then takes its cue from there, so if I’m late, everyone else is late, and that’s not good. We have to deliver by a certain date. Even though we might deliver this now to Warner Home Video, it may not release for another six months, but we still have to deliver it. And if we don’t deliver it, we’re fined, because they have plans for it. They have to promote it. They have to get footage out there. If I’m late, the next step gets late, then the next step. I’m at the end doing the ADR, so I’m impacting my own schedule, because I have less time. And when I use celebrities, trying to get them in to their ADR, I’m working on Saturdays, I’m working on Sundays, I’m working on holidays just trying to get it done so that I can get it in to the mix, so I that I can deliver on time. Production takes about a year and a half to make, start to finish, and then it may sit another six months before it’s actually released.”

In regards to specific casting, Andrea was very high on casting Shemar Moore, from Criminal Minds, to play the part of Cyborg. “There are always actors I watch on television shows or films that I keep a list of, that I want to find a role for.” said Andrea. Shemar was one of them. Andrea went on to say “It’s his first time ever doing voice animation. You would never know it how good he was. Really good.” She shared a funny anecdote about Shemar’s recording session. “It took a lot of screaming in that particular role, because he’s almost killed. If you watched the Emmys…he was doing a couple of interviews; he had worked for me that day. I was like, “Shemar, I hope I haven’t destroyed your voice for the night.” Because he just did all the ADR for him. I was like, “Oh lord, I hope I didn’t wreck you for the night.” But he was good.”

Andrea also shared a story of voice direction gone bad. “We do so many of these projects simultaneously where we are doing post production on something, casting the next one and recording for one. When I directed this piece, I had forgotten that it’s really the Justice League origin story. When I was directing Alan Tudyk as Superman, I was directing him incorrectly.” How? “I was directing him as playing it kind of the hands on the hips, arms akimbo, secure. But he wasn’t that yet. The character hadn’t grown to that yet. After we animated it and I got the track back, I went, “Oh, I screwed up.” I had to go back in and ADR his first lines of the piece, making him sound more innocent…It was very interesting to make that change because to me, they’ve always existed forever. But it was the origin story. I forgot.”

When asked if she wonders why Warner won’t release DC animated movies on the big screen, Andrea replied, “I wonder that often.” She said she was happy with the way Batman: Mask of the Phantasm turned out. Andrea elaborated, “When you make something intended for the small screen, if there are flaws, no one is ever going to see it. Of course, when we made that (Phantasm), people didn’t have 56″ flat screen TVs to watch. But you put that on a big, huge feature film screen and (you) see all those flaws. That film did really well in that there were no many flaws that showed up.”

Possibly the greatest thing about talking to Andrea is that you get a real sense of her high energy and enthusiasm for every project. I expect her to be casting Batman, and the other heroes of the DC Universe, long into the future.

Justice League: War will be released on February 14, 2014.

November 19, 2013 by Billy Henehan

NYCC 2013 – Mattel Booth Tour

Back at New York Comic Con, we took a bunch of photos in the Mattel booth. They have some VERY cool action figures coming out soon that we wanted to share with you!

Bizarro Batman!

This Doomsday towers over other figures in the line.

Monsieur Mallah!

Check out the Terry and Bruce heads for this Batman Beyond figure!

This Black Manta is awesome looking, comes with a bunch of accessories and has an interchangeable head. Have we ever had an unmasked Black Manta figure before?

He-Man and Hordak as Horde Troopers!

The Batman ’66 line is getting a Batmobile.

Surfboard Batman vs. Surfboard Joker FTW!

What do you think of these sculpts compared to other DC figures?

I’ve wanted a hover board since Back to the Future II. Sadly, this is not fully functional, but 2015 is only a year away. We’ll have fully functional hover boards by then, right? Right?!

Written by David Henehan. Photos by Graig Kreindler.

November 19, 2013 by Billy Henehan

Gravity – Review

When I first saw the trailer for Gravity, I thought it looked stunning. At the same time, I also thought it looked like it might be incredibly boring. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney stranded in space? With no aliens or laser guns? I had the feeling this would be the outer space version of Open Water*.

*Note: I have never seen Open Water, but I have always pictured it as the ocean version of what I thought Gravity would be.

I wanted Gravity to be a suspenseful thriller. Luckily, if it turned out to be boring, I was in the right theater. I caught Gravity at my new favorite movie theater, the AMC on Broadway and 84th. If the movie was a snoozer, at least I’d be snoozing in an oh comfy recliner for the next two hours. Win-win!

SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!

Unfortunately for nap time, Gravity is a really good thriller. It’s a classic man-versus-nature story, even though most of the dangers from nature are man made. The premise for Gravity is very simple: an accident causes a chain reaction of satellites to explode, sending deadly shrapnel at 50,000 mph at our stranded astronauts . They need to get to the International Space Station for a ride home before being eviscerated by said shrapnel or running out of air. I wasn’t sure how the story was going to sustain itself for the length of the movie, but it did. I was on the edge of my seat, which is quite an accomplishment for a movie when the viewer is in a recliner.

Besides being a great thriller, Gravity is visually stunning. I wanted to see Gravity on the IMAX in 3D, but waited too long. It’s been booted off every IMAX in the New York City area thanks to Ender’s Game and Thor: The Dark World. Still, Gravity looks great in 3D. I highly recommend seeing it in 3D and seeing it on the big screen. I think you’ll be missing out on something if you just wait to catch it on DVD.

When Gravity comes out on DVD, I will definitely be buying it, mainly that for the first time in a long time, I really want to watch the making-of special features. The making-of specials are usually boring back-slapping on the part of the producers, cast and crew, but I am utterly fascinated to see how this movie was made. I could easily spend an hour listening to director Alfonso Cuarón talk about how he chose his shots.

If you haven’t seen Gravity yet, go see it! And see it in 3D! You won’t regret it!

November 18, 2013 by Billy Henehan

New Favorite NYC Movie Theater

New York City, say hello to your new favorite movie theater. It’s the AMC on Broadway and 84th. “Wait a second, I’ve been there before. It’s nothing special,” you might say. Oh, but it is. The theater has been completely overhauled and is now AWESOME.

You’ll notice the changes as soon as you walk in. The concession area is updated and modern, with a self serve ICEE machine, and that “what-crazy-combination-can-you-come-up-with?” 100-choice soda fountain.

Gone are the cramped seats, which have been replaced with rows of oversized, cushioned recliners. The chair are comfortable! And when I say, they go back, I mean they go back. I’m not talking about reclining like coach seats on a plane. I’m talking about reclining like your dad’s Barcalounger, with a footrest and everything. The aisles are huge, like exit row huge. This is the movie theater equivalent of sitting in first class.

Now this is a movie seat.

This is the view from the seat while it's fully reclined. There's no problem seeing the screen.

Even when your seat is fully reclined, you have a great view of the screen.

Most importantly, when you buy your tickets in advance, you select your seats! Yes! I have wanted New York City movie theaters to embrace this for years, ever since my first trip to the Arclight in LA. It is the best! Now you no longer need to arrive at the movie theater an hour beforehand to find five seats together. Unlike the Arclight, the ticket was the same price as other AMC theaters. There was no upcharge for selecting your seat.

I hope AMC does a good job of upkeeping this theater. Those reclining seats are awesome, but the control buttons look like they’re easily broken. And I hope the ushers enforce the assigned seating. I saw some self-enforcement going on when I saw Gravity there this weekend, but that was for a weeks old movie in a barely full theater. A blockbuster on opening night might be a different story.

The 84th St AMC seems to still be a hidden gem. Check it out now before people realize how awesome it is to see a movie there.

November 15, 2013 by Billy Henehan

Agents of SHIELD S1E7 – The Hub

I really enjoyed the seventh episode of Agents of SHIELD. I think it is because the usual pairings of Ward and Skye, and Fitz and Simmons were shuffled. Fitz is sent to the field with Ward, and Skye enlists Simmons in a mission of subterfuge within a giant SHIELD facility known at The Hub.

Both Fitz and Simmons are taken out of their comfort zones this week. The lab-bound Fitz is enlisted into a heavy-fire field mission with Agent Ward. There is tension between Fitz and Ward. Fitz resents Ward for being the one who saved Simmons in last week’s F.Z.Z.T. Ward feels like he’s babysitting Fitz in the field. I’m glad Fitz wasn’t portrayed as only bumbling in the field. Fitz and Ward both get to save the day at various points during the mission. Though I’m also glad that concern over Fitz’s lack of field experience was used for humor when he lost a fight with a sliding glass door.

FitzWard

Simmons finds herself partnering with Skye in an scheme of intra-SHIELD subterfuge. While Skye has no regards for rules, clearance and procedure, Simmons is completely by the book. If this were D&D, Simmons would be lawful good. Or in her own words, “I like following the rules and doing what’s expected of me. It makes me feel nice.” She’s given a great arc in this episode, as by the end of the episode, she’s bragging to Fitz, “I shot a superior officer in the chest.”

Of course I’m going to love an episode that focuses heavily on FitzSimmons, as they are my absolute favorite characters on the show. As if I needed another reason to like Fitz, we find out in this episode that the guy has excellent taste in sandwiches. His favorite? Prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella with just a hint of homemade pesto aioli.

Two Marvel Comics characters make their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in this episode of Agents of SHIELD. Jasper Sitwell is a SHIELD agent who has been a member of SHIELD since his first appearance in 1966’s Strange Tales # 144. Victoria Hand is a newer character. She has a shadier past than Sitwell, in that she made her rise to prominence as the evil Norman Osborn’s #2 when he took over SHIELD and renamed in it HAMMER. She eventually made it to the side of the angels when Captain America offered her a chance at redemption after Osborn’s downfall. I like the inclusion of these characters and hope to see more comics characters make their way to the show. As much as I like the new characters created just for Agents of SHIELD, it’s cool to see pre-established characters pop in. It ground the show more firmly as a Marvel show.

Victoria Hand and Phil Coulson

Jasper Sitwell

I’m really loving Agents of SHIELD, especially these last two episodes. If you’ve fallen off the SHIELD helicarrier, I think now’s a good time to get back into it. Next week’s episode has Coulson’s team cleaning up after the events of Thor: The Dark World. If you’ve seen the movie, next week should be a great jumping on point for you.

November 14, 2013 by Billy Henehan

Thor: The Dark World – Review

It was a bright, sunny Saturday morning when we headed to the movie theater. The boys were seeing Thor 2 and the girls were seeing About Time. I hated having to decide between the two, as Rachel McAdams looks adorable in the About Time poster, but there was no denying the siren song of seeing Thor: The Dark World before it crossed oven with Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD (next week!).

Adorable

I thoroughly enjoyed Thor: The Dark World. Like the previous Thor movie, the takes-themselves-so-seriously Asgard scenes were balanced out with slapstick comedy during the Earth-based scenes. Unlike the first Thor movie though, I never felt like we needed to get back to Earth right now whenever Asgard was on-scene. Asgard is fleshed out more in this sequel, and while the individual members of the Asgard supporting cast are not on the screen very long, they are on just enough to make me want to see more of them in Thor 3.

There has been rumors circulating recently that Jaimie Alexander, who plays Sif, will be playing Wonder Woman in the upcoming Superman/Batman movie. After seeing her in Thor: The Dark World, this seems like the most perfect of perfect casting. Because her Sif armor isn’t that far removed from Wonder Woman’s current costume, it almost seemed like Wonder Woman was guest-starring in Thor: The Dark World.

Sif or Wonder Woman?

Tom Hiddleston as Loki steals every scene he is in. It’s amazing what Hiddleston and the Marvel movies have done for the character of Loki. Before the first Thor movie, Loki was one of Marvel’s lamest villains. With the exception of when Walter Simonson was writing him, I can think of few comic book examples of Loki pre-Thor movie in which Loki didn’t come off as lame. But Hiddleston has helped to reinvent the character. But now, thanks to writer Kieren Gillen, Loki is one of my favorite comic book characters. I wonder if Marvel would have given Gillen his shot at reviventing Loki in the comics if Hiddleston didn’t create so many fans of the character in the movies.

We need to start the Tom Hiddleston for 13th Doctor campaign right now!
#Hiddleston13thDoctor

Often fantasy and science fiction are squarely separated from each other, but Thor: The Dark World does a good job of blending the two. The evil dark elves ride in starfighters that could have been in the latest Star Trek movie. Science and magic are weaved together, which I liked, because Thor exists in the same world as Tony Stark. Odin makes a point in this movie to state that Asgardians are not actual Gods. And the story plays that out. They’re more like mythological extra-dimensional aliens.

If you saw Thor: The Dark World already, hopefully you stayed until after the credits. Does anyone leave the theater any more before the credits are completely over in a Marvel movie? The scene with the Collector made me NERDGASM. No, not because of the Collector himself. Who cares about him? Because of what the Collector says, namely that THE TESSERACT AND AETHER ARE INFINITY GEMS!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Avengers 3: The Infinity Gauntlet? Yes, please! If you haven’t read the Infinity Gauntlet, I highly recommend buying it today and reading it. It’s one of my favorite comic book stories ever, it will fill you in on who that big purple guy at the end of Avengers is and why his appearance was the signal of something awesome coming.

November 8, 2013 by Billy Henehan

Agents of SHIELD – S1E6 – F.Z.Z.T. – REVIEW

Spoilers abound! Read this only if you’ve already watched F.Z.Z.T!

Episode 6 of Agents of SHIELD, “F.Z.Z.T,” starts out normally. There’s a new super-powered mystery to be solved. This time, it’s a scout leader whose dead body is both electrically charged and hovering in the air. The good news is that it takes the team only half the episode to solve this one. The source of turns out a be a Chitauri helmet carrying some kind of space virus.

It was cool that the Agents of SHIELD TV show went beyond just passively referencing the Avengers movie here and brought in an actual prop that kickstarted this episode. It definitely helps the show feel like it’s securely grounded in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What was also cool about this plot was that there was no sinister villain hungry for power. The people who died thanks to the Chitauri helmet weren’t murdered. It was just wrong place, wrong time. Of course, it at first looks like one person is out to kill his friends, but when he dies and the SHIELD team recovers the helmet, everything is resolved and there’s no villain lurking in the shadows.

What follows is without a doubt the most intense half an episode we’ve had so far this season. I honestly had no idea if Simmons was going to make it out of this one alive. When she and Fitz failed in their final attempt at creating a cure, I was ready to yell at my TV, “You can’t kill Simmons!” But this is Whedon we’re talking about. He totally could.

Part of the reason that I love this episode so much is for the amount of screen time that Fitz and Simmons get. There is definitely chemistry between the two of them. We’re treated to their back story, which is great,except that it’s given to us in this frame that Simmons is about to die. If this was Lost, she’d definitely be dead for all the back story we got on the two of them.

When it’s revealed that the EM pulse from Simmons as she dies will blow the whole plane out of the sky, killing the entire SHIELD team, I breathed a sigh of relief. They can’t kill the whole team. There’d be no show. Then Simmons jumped from the plane…just as Fitz realizes they figured out a cure. It’s like a nerd version of Romeo and Juliet.

IAIN DE CAESTECKER, ELIZABETH HENSTRIDGE

If Simmons dies, we riot!

I literally cheered when Fitz tried to get that parachute on and Ward jumped out of the plane to save Simmons. This episode was INTENSE. At the end of the day, Ward saves Simmons and I don’t throw my remote at my TV over her death. Whedon, you played with my emotions like an episode of Parenthood here, and I thank you for it.

In Agent Coulson news, we get a BIG reveal tonight. Coulson undoes his shirt and shows off the massive scar where Loki blasted him in The Avengers. Someone told me that this is proof that Coulson is not a Life Model Decoy. I still think he’s a LMD, and that whoever designed the Coulson LMD went into very good detail. I’m guessing we won’t find out until the end of this season at the earliest.

Agents of SHIELD is crossing over with Thor: The Dark World in two weeks. In other words, make sure you see Thor: The Dark World. See you next week!

November 7, 2013 by Billy Henehan

Uatu Know About This

I found this postcard in my mail today. The image is a chalk outline of The Watcher, with the tag line “May 2014.” All is says on the back is “From Your Friends at MARVEL.” I believe this was sent to me because I am a Marvel Digital Unlimited Plus subscriber.

For those of you unfamiliar with the character, The Watcher is a cosmic being who shows up when really big events are going down. Uatu is The Watcher of Earth. There’s a whole race of Watchers, watching events all over the universe. They’re the ultimate couch potato, sworn never to interfere (though that rarely seems to stop Uatu). How do you know you’re looking at a Watcher? Well, they stand about 50 feet high, like to wear high-collared togas, and have extremely large craniums and pupil-less eyes.

Uatu likes to watch.

It’s those pupil-less eyes that are all seeing. That’s what has be interested about this image. Not only is it the chalk outline of what I presume is a dead Watcher, but some extreme violence has been perpetrated on this Watcher’s eyes. It’s the only part of the image that has bloodstains, and there is a lot of blood there.

This has me thinking, “Why would someone want to kill a Watcher?” Is is someone trying to hide a secret? It’d have to be a big secret in order to need to take out a Watcher. What did The Watcher see that he shouldn’t have?

There’s no way to tell for certain if this is Uatu or another Watcher. They tend to look and dress alike for the most part. But since Uatu is The Watcher assigned to Earth, it makes sense that this would be Uatu. The high-collared silhouette certainly looks like Uatu’s.

I’m guessing The Watcher didn’t see this coming.

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Uatu Know About This