If you are talking about Iron Man 3, you are likely discussing either that sweet “House Party Protocol” scene or you’re talking about Sir Ben Kingsley ’s portrayal of The Mandarin. If you haven’t seen Iron Man 3 yet, or the Marvel One Shot, “All Hail The King”, you may want to turn away now to avoid some pretty big spoilers. Otherwise, get ready to start contemplating the identity of Iron Man 3’s big baddie. (more…)
For a while it had seemed doubtful that Robert Downey Jr. would don Tony Stark’s “high-tech prosthesis” after the completion of Avengers 3, and he has made it clear that he knows Iron Man will go on long after he retires to the private island he will likely buy with the piles of money he made playing the character.
So what’s changed? Well, mostly it seems to be the fact that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has established that a certain character who was used as a cover for a certain Aldrich Killian is most CERTAINLY real. I refer, of course, to The Mandarin. The REAL Mandarin, not the masquerade performed by Trevor Slattery. Apparently, ever since Marvel’s short film All Hail The King hinted at the possibility of The Mandarin’s existence, there has been serious interest in a fourth installment in the Iron Man franchise.
The only real question has been whether or not RDJ will reprise the title role. And it seems THAT depends upon the depth of Disney’s pockets. More after the ever-popular jump: (more…)
*** Warning: Spoilers For Films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Follow ***
I need to get this out of the way up front: I’m not a “comic book guy”.
That’s probably weird for you to read, as this site is called “Nerd Bastards” after all; complete with a smattering of classic funny books comprising the logo alongside what appears to be a homeless man who mugged Darth Vader for his Camel Lights (doesn’t that dude have asthma?). The truth is: I’m pretty much a strict “cinephile”, my education (formal and otherwise) rooted in both classic and contemporary film history. That’s not to say I’m a complete ignoramus when it comes to comics. I collected when I was a kid, frequenting my local shop at least once a week, hooked on the books whose stories fascinated me. It’s just that this main vein habit didn’t follow me into adulthood like cinema did — a hobby that I chose to turn into a career of sorts.
I don’t bring this fact up to distance myself from the NB audience; more to illustrate that I probably view the films adapted from the stories they so love through a different prism. Where they’re looking for consistency of character and adherence to the established mythologies, I’m motly hoping to sit down with a (hopefully more than) competently constructed work of filmic language that not only brings our diligent defenders to life, but does so with a focus on pleasing more than just the established fan base. In no way is one method of evaluation better than the other — it’s just a different value system with which to rate a specific subsection of the form. To be honest, the best critics of “comic book cinema” are those who can do both, dropping knowledge about the “mis-en-scène” as easily as they can break down why this particular iteration of Captain America is the most faithful to its four-color creators. I strive to do both, but my limitations with the source material keep me from going full-blown FilmCritHulk most of the time.
To wit, I introduce to you my very own take on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At this point in the sprawling franchise’s history, everybody seems to have their own personal rankings of the films leading up to and beyond Joss Whedon’s Avengers. As much as the snobbier cinema goers would like “comic book filmmaking” to evaporate completely into the ether, it’s time to start recognizing that the genre is far too profitable to disappear anytime soon. These movies need to be treated like bona fide works of art and evaluated as such, so I present my own personal, cinephilic take on the MCU, from worst to best…
There have been whisperings that Marvel character Agent Peggy Carter, as portrayed by Hayley Atwell, would be getting her own TV series since January (at least). Now, according to Deadline, ABC appears ready to throw their total support behind the project, and dive straight in–no pilot necessary. (That’s what a “Straight To Series” order means. Don’t be embarrassed–I had to look it up myself.) (more…)
Let’s wade back into the somewhat controversial waters of Iron Man 3, The Mandarin and a little-known actor named Trevor Slattery. The new Marvel one-shot starring Sir Ben Kingsley, “All Hail the King,” premieres on the Blu-ray release of Thor: The Dark World next week, but we have another clip worth checking out that shows not just what prison life is like for a certain character, but features a couple of Easter eggs that might expand out view of the Marvel Universe. (more…)
An interesting new fan theory seems to think it’s possible.
Buckle up, friends–this one’s gonna be a doozy!
(Remember–this is JUST a theory. It’s a fascinating notion, but not the words of anyone connected to Marvel or the Avengers films) (more…)
Hey! Remember that twist from Iron Man 3 that was offensive to you, your family, your country and your God, and by that I mean Stan Lee? You know the one I’m talking about. It involves The Mandarin as played by Sir Ben Kingsley. As I’m sure you know, the subject of the Marvel Studios One-Shot that’s to be included in the upcoming Blu-ray release of Thor: The Dark World is Kingsley’s Mandarin, and the short’s writer and Iron Man 3 co-writer Drew Pearce wants you to know that there’s a story detail that’s not an apology and it’s not re-writing history either. If you want to know what he means, I assume you know how Iron Man 3 turned out, and if you don’t, beware of spoilers below. (more…)
One of Marvel Studios’ strengths is keeping interest in its films going long after the credits roll. It began with their now traditional post-credits teasers and continues with the short films they include on their home video releases. What started with brief Agent Coulson clips and the ‘Item 47′ short has grown into full-scale short films with last year’s ‘Agent Carter’ one-shot and the newest entry, ‘All Hail the King‘ starring Sir Ben Kingsley.
Massive spoilers for Iron Man 3 ahead. (more…)
Right now, we are caught in that lackadaisical time between Christmas and New Years Eve — December’s perineum, if you will — and during that time we are duty bound to justify our existence and mine for web traffic by pausing for a moment of reflection on the year that was. And so, this year as a direct result of that mandatory reflective period, we have complied the most important listicle of the year — a listicle about listicles that also features its own lists! It’s Listageddon! It’s Listapalooza!
Oh yes, this list of lists with other lists has every list your pig eyes could ever want to see in a list! Movie lists, meme lists, dildo lists, knit lists, Alan Thicke lists, a podcast list, and a pie list that will buckle your knees! Yes, it’s a veritable cheese wheel of pop culture and a bunch of other nerdy geeky dorkaliscious dweeberific nerdgasmy geekilingus dogshit for you to sift through while you sit on a toilet, play fantasy soccer, or do whatever it is that you do while reading these articles. List!
Warning: Clutch your pearls, there’s some adult material and a fuck-ton of cursing in this article.
It’s the end of the year, and you know what that means: lots and lots of Best and Worst lists! True, but it also means that awards season is just around the corner. Today, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, AKA: the people who give out the Oscars, announced their short list of 10 potential nominees for the Best Visual Effects category, and you’ll notice a definite nerdy trend amongst the ten films that will be vying for that golden trophy early next year. (more…)