Is it time for us nerds to start anticipating THE AVENGERS, directed by Joss Whedon?

As someone said over on io9, if that was also a GalaxyQuest riff then she kinda rules the universe.

Is Tuomas ever not the wrongest dude about this kind of stuff? yes, let's keep the face-codpieces on everybody all the time, also, purple bird flair has never been a bad idea!

― El Tomboto, 25. heinäkuuta 2012 7:49 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

what did Tuomas post?

― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), 25. heinäkuuta 2012 14:14 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I always hated how the Marvel movies have the heroes constantly removing their masks so that you can see the famous actor's face. Iron Man looks cool with the helmet, but not with Robert Downey's head sticking out the suit; Tobey Maguire's face + Spider-Man's suit looks just silly. I wonder if it's because, A) the actors demand their faces should be shown during action scenes too, or B) the movie makers think people can't emphasize with a hero unless he has a human face (completely ignoring the fact that people emphasize with characters like R2-D2 too)?

Can you imagine if they'd done the same thing in the Batman movies?

― Tuomas, Wednesday, February 29, 2012 1:40 PM (4 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

― how's life, 25. heinäkuuta 2012 14:17 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

He also wanted Hawkeye to keep his original costume iirc
http://kabooooom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/hawkeye.jpg

― Number None, 25. heinäkuuta 2012 14:19 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I said they could've done a modernized version of his costume, not that they should've used the original, with the tunic and all... Anyway, a lot of people in this thread seemed to think Hawkeye was the lamest hero in the movie, and obviously that's partly because he got the least character development, but I think giving him a more iconic costume would've helped at least a bit. Unique costumes are big part of superhero iconography, so making Hawkeye have pretty much the same S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform as Black Widow made him seem less like a unique character.

With Iron Man, OTOH, I think they handled the mask thing quite well: there was no scene where he pointlessly and stupidly takes of his helmet off mid-battle just to show Robert Downey's face, like he did in IM and IM 2. The only time we see him in armor without the helmet was in the end, and that was well justified. As for Cap, I was actually pleased that he lost the mask in the final battle, because (like I said upthread) the movie version of his mask was kind of a failure. They should've given him a cloth or leather hood like in the comics, the thick helmet made his head look comically big.

BTW, am I the only one who at first thought the mystery villain in the after-credits scene was some kind of a Skrull? I thought the purplish skin was just because of the lighting in that scene, and Skrulls and Thanos both have that jagged jaw. I only got who he was after the subtext in the "court with death" line had properly sank in. Anyway, it was pretty fucked up reading that Jim Starlin interview linked upthread, where he said he didn't know anything about Thanos being in the movie, and that he had to buy his own ticket to see it. Hopefully Marvel at least gets him a ticket to the sequel, if Thanos is the villain in it.

This is probably linked somewhere else on this thread but it was new to me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAMgkpQYOSQ

Was impressed by the way it kept all the main characters in play, giving them all enough to do, but this was kind of boring.

http://io9.com/5940888/weird-secrets-of-the-avengers-that-youd-never-have-guessed

They recorded the inside of Ruffalo's armpits. "The Hulk has a couple of scars that are straight from the source," says Jason Smith.

damn, he has a titjob

Haven't seen this til today, and yeah the hype has been massive. I'm 2/3 of the way through. DAMN this is one awesome popcorn comic book movie!

I love these characters too. They all get a shot in the spotlight. The action is brilliantly directed. There is never a point where it's just blurry shakey cam CGI incoherence. The Hulk is so rad, I just want to hang out with that guy. Captain America is surprisingly a really awesome guy, I didn't think I would enjoy him as much as I am. And ScarJo is supremely hot and a badass at saving the world. You got Samuel Jackson and Robert Downey Jr. action movie-ing the whole thing up and Loki is a great villain. There really isn't a weak link in the cast. Great mix of action, drama, and humor!

Kinda wish I was 13 instead of 31, I would be so obsessed with this movie.

you're my bro Adam

biggest failing was the sudden + inexplicable turnaround of hulk from uncontrollable rage monster to valuable team player, but obv the movie is v rewarding if you just go with it so

― diamanda ram dass (Edward III), Monday, May 7, 2012 10:26 AM (4 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

he probably just talked things out with Harry Dean Stanton, got a whole new perspective on shit

― Number None, Monday, May 7, 2012 10:27 AM (4 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Also there was never any moment where the villain has the good guy trapped for no real reason and you know they are going to get out but they just drag it out and you start thinking "This is BS why doesn't superhero just flying away and shoot fire at the bad guy?" that so many movies do. So often in superhero or action movies have these faux-suspenseful parts that are obvious and forced and here it felt like they knew the audience was aware of how awesome The Hulk is and just let him do his thing.

biggest failing was the sudden + inexplicable turnaround of hulk from uncontrollable rage monster to valuable team player, but obv the movie is v rewarding if you just go with it so

I thought it was pretty obvious in the movie why there was such a difference between his two metamorphoses... Banner has learned to control him changing to Hulk to some degree (see his "I'm always angry" comment), but the first time he transforms he's shocked by the attack to the helicarrier, plus he doesn't trust Black Widow and the other S.H.I.E.L.D. folks, feeling that they've lured him in to use him – hence Hulk's angry at everything and everyone around him. The second time, however, Banner transforms at will, not because of some shock, and he trusts the good guys and knows who the bad guys are, so Hulk goes to attack the latter.

So it isn't random or inexplicable, it's part of his character arc.

Yeah that's a good point. His mindset going into the transformation affects the direction of Hulk's rage. And of course talking with Harry Dean Stanton.

Ta-da

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDajL441mZc

lol @ the repair scene, good call

"gay bane"

leather boobs

"which doesn't matter, because that shot was awesome" does sum it up

Q: What’s most important in shooting a film?

A: What’s really important is storytelling. None of it matters if it doesn’t support the story.

I thought “The Avengers” was an appalling film. They’d shoot from some odd angle and I’d think, why is the camera there? Oh, I see, because they spent half a million on the set and they have to show it off. It took me completely out of the movie. I was driven bonkers by that illogical form of storytelling.

Wally Pfister on The Avengers

http://arts.heraldtribune.com/2012-10-16/section/home/q-a-with-oscar-winning-cinematographer-wally-pfister/

why do they keep referring to Inception as The Inception

i was going to rofl at dude who shot batfilms complaining about an "illogical form of storytelling" but it sounds like he didn't care for the batshit either in that interview

he still shot them though

oh if he was the bateditor i'd definitely be roffling

instead of showing off the set like a hack, batcarvaggio was more interested in making sure the lighting on the turdmobiles looked natural

article buries the lede imo

On Tuesday, dressed in jeans, and a black polo shirt with several silver rings on each hand (the two on the right are skulls), he addressed everything from his many projects with award-winning director Christopher Nolan to a recent feature he considered “appalling.”

"Black polo shirt" with all the Affliction stuff on the back.

"life model decoy" right out the gate, lol

FINALLY seeing this damn movie for the first time

Wasn't disappointed, didn't top The Dark Knight though

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/joss-whedon-avengers-2-script-446540

In the current version of the story, Whedon teases the introduction of a brother-sister duo from "back in the day" and, of course, new villains, on which he is keeping mum.

Some speculation he's referring to Quicksilver & The Scarlet Witch. Fun reason for Marvel to get Quicksilver on screen is that, by having both a super-archer and a super-speedster in the Avengers, they make Justice League that much more unlikely.

Scarlet Witch!?!? You mean #14 in Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" !?!?!?!?

There's been an internet theory going around for a while that Agent Coulson didn't completely die in the movie, and that he'll become The Vision in Avengers 2, and that the "cellist" he mentions seeing is actually Wanda Maximoff. (Also, Coulson was was probably trying to recruit her to join the Avengers, not dating her, as he claims to Pepper.) If The Scarlet Witch is actually gonna be in the A2, then the theory could be true.

Regardless of whether The Vision is in, I think SW is pretty likely to be in the next movie though. They gotta include more female heroes besides Black Widow, and SW and Wasp are the most iconic female Avengers, but I suspect Wasp migth look a bit silly on the big screen, so SW seems like a more likely choice.

Coulson is presumably appearing in the TV series, though, as Clark Gregg is the primary cast member last I heard. So we'll find out soon enough.

yeah, the vision thing seems pretty likely. they're definitely integrating that actor into the longterm plans for the franchise in the same way as sam jackson

Wouldn't mind a bit of Ultron.

I like the versatility they're building into this franchise -- I hope they're willing to take advantage of it. Large scale superheroics and smaller scale espionage stuff, cosmic and terrestrial, theatrical releases and tv. Guardians of the Galaxy and a Hawkeye/Black Widow comedy-adventure (in a Romancing the Stone vein) in the same storytelling universe -- why not?

they just got the Daredevil rights back too...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PerIAuv27SQ

looks quippy

i am unrealistically hopeful.

^^^

so they're doing power man now with this?
getting a very BBC vibe off the trailer.

FYI!

S.H.I.E.L.D. -- Marvel meets Joss Whedon meets...TV!

http://24.media.tumblr.com/50ea70cf0ea25a2f7488fe3006883bcb/tumblr_mq9lh7277g1qzvnpdo1_500.jpg

OK I'm hoping that's not a hoax

There's a reason I already started this thread, folks:

The Avengers 2 -- Age of Ultron

i finally watched this

yeesh

I still can't figure out how so maybe people praised the hell out of this

will admit i'm not in a rush to see it a second time, though that's partially cuz of word the sound mix is very "mumblemumblemumbleKABOOOM" on dvd

but there was also was a bit of novelty rush when seen in theaters by people eagerly anticipating the team-up

as opposed haters hating from their little entertainment room of hate