Marvel’s second superpowered film this year is out, and I’m here to tell you if it’s worth the price of admission.  Matthew Vaughn, the director of films like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and Kick-Ass, takes on his second comic book movie, exploring the roots of the X-men.  This story takes place mostly in the 1960’s, with some flashbacks from the 1940’s, but also takes a nod to history by placing it during the Cuban Missile Crisis.  The plot starts out with the young Erik Lensherr, later to be known as Magneto, as we are shown (yet again) the traumatic events that lead to the discovery of his powers over magnetism.  When the Nazis witness this power, of course, they try to harness it for themselves, using Erik’s mother as a tool to unlock the power.  This is a good way to start off Erik’s character, which I’ll discuss later in this review.  Elsewhere, a young Charles Xavier runs into an intruder in the form of Raven, or Mystique (taking the form of Charles’ mother), as he welcomes her to his home and allows her to live with him.  It is a bit unusual to see these two meet this way and it raises a few questions, but it works well for the plot. 

Fast forward about twenty years and Erik (now played by Michael Fassbender) is using his powers for revenge, trying to find the men who wronged him during the Holocaust.  At the same time, a female CIA agent, Moira MacTaggert (portrayed by Rose Byrne), goes undercover to spy on a U.S. Army Colonel, under the suspicion that he is working with Communists.  This introduces us to the Hellfire Club, the main antagonists of the film, lead by Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon).  She witnesses the powers of Riptide (Alex Gonzalez), Emma Frost (January Jones), and Azazel (Jason Flemyng), relaying her story to the CIA, of course not believing her story.  She then seeks out an expert on the subject of genetics and mutation, which leads her to England where she meets with the now Professor Charles Xavier (played by James McAvoy).  Eventually, this leads to the CIA and Charles working together to track down the Hellfire Club, which as fate would have it, is the same goal as our friend Erik.  In a failed attempt to take the life of Sebastian Shaw, who we now know is a mutant capable of absorbing energy, Charles and Erik meet for the first time and create an alliance, which begins a great story of friendship between two very strong performances.

The interaction between these two make for some of the best scenes.

Even though much of this film focuses on Charles and Erik, there is also a strong focus on the character of Raven (now played by Jennifer Lawrence).  Her mutation is obviously not very discreet and we get a bit of an explanation as to her choices in life and why she feels the way she does in later films.  “Mutant and proud” is a reoccuring phrase that she often speaks, but it isn’t until she meets with Erik that she truly believes the phrase.  She struggles in life because she has to hide her true appearance from the regular people, even trying to get acceptance from Charles, who tries his hardest to avoid her advances toward him.  She eventually develops a light romance with Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult), who would later transform in a freak accident trying to find a cure for her appearance, as well as his own.  The romance is nice here because it isn’t shoved down our throat and it’s between two characters that have a bit of common ground.  Hank meets with the crew and introduces Charles to Cerebro, which allows them to track down several mutants to try and recruit, leading them to Angel Salvadore (played by daughter of Lenny Kravitz, Zoë Kravitz),  Armando Munoz (Edi Gathegi), Alex Summers (Lucas Till),  Sean Cassidy(Caleb Landry Jones), as well as a nice little cameo role.

Pretty good looking for a bunch of mutants don’t you think?

As these characters are introduced, the recruits are all given codenames and we’re introduced to their powers.  Some of the most hilarious moments of the film take place during the recuritment phase and how these characters are introduced, and though these are all interesting characters pulled from all over the X-Men universe, it raises the question as to why these specific mutants were chosen for this team considering their powers.  Of course, it eventually works out for the plot where each mutant (for the most part) has a vital role, but it still raises the question.  Another thing that the introduction of these characters brings is the convulution to the story.  What was once a focus on the friendship between two of the most notable characters of the franchise, now becomes a mix of stories and a blend of character development that creates a bit of a mess, yet it is still handled well.

Not going to spoil too much more of the plot for all of you, so I’ll leave the rest of the review about other aspects of the film.  There’s a lot of nods to fans of the films and comics alike, from cameo appearances to takes on character origins and their development.  A lot of humor was also placed in the film, though this is by no means a comedy.  It’s a very light touch of humor thats enough to gain a few laughs but still place this film as a fun action flick thats more focused on the relationships between the characters.  As I said before, one of the strongest relationships is the one between Erik and Charles, who have opposing views on their goals.  Erik wants a world where mutants don’t have to hide and can live in peace without the fear of humans rising against them.  Charles on the other hand wants a world in peace with the humans, wanting to gain their support as well as their acceptance.  This is a strong dynamic for which the whole series is based and it’s these two contradictory views that create such an interesting friendship.  Charles is able to channel an emotional level of feelings from Erik by reading his mind and accessing his most cherished memories.  The feelings during these scenes is very powerful and it almost makes you wish there were more, though this is a film focused on a team, and therefore these characters lost a bit of the spotlight.  It’s still a spectacle though to watch this friendship evolve and grow stronger, only to mutate and fall apart as their views collide.

The action and special effects of the film are great eye candy and enjoyable to view.  I couldn’t complain about any of the special effects for the most part, with the only real complaint being Emma Frost and her “diamond skin”, which wasn’t bad looking, but as someone that has studied 3D modeling, I could tell that they only had one model for her special power.  Her hair will always be the same in her protective state, despite it being in different styles outside of it.  A minor complaint but it was something I noticed right away.  Other than that, the effects were all good and plenty of action to keep you watching.  The final battle against the seemingly unstoppable Sebastian Shaw is a good example, as final battles should be a spectacle of action sequences.  Speaking of Sebastian Shaw, for a villain, he doesn’t get a lot of screentime, but Kevin Bacon does a good job in the role.

There are a lot of scantily clad women in this movie.

The movie is a bit on the long, being  just over two hours long, but the plot is well done and has good pacing so it won’t feel long unless you realize that something you know will happen hasn’t happened yet.  The film does a good job developing its characters and there really isn’t a bad actor in the film, as every performance is pulled off well and in no way feels forced.  James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are the ones that easily steal the show with their performances, as you can see the two really made the roles their own, giving the audience a clear view of their character’s ideals.  I may even go as far to say they rival Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan as far as their acting goes.  The costume design is appropriately cheesy and it feels right for the time period given how costumes looked on characters around the time, but it’s still modernized in a way that works for the silver screen.

The Master of Magnet(ism).

As far as summer flicks go, X-Men: First Class is definitely among the best so far, and there’s a lot of big names coming this summer.  The film does create a few discrepancies with the other films in the series, mostly due to the appearance of certain characters at contradictory ages, or events that contradict scenes in other films, but all those aside, I can see this turning into a great new X-men trilogy, and I would be happy to see more from Matthew Vaughn.  The newest X-men film gets a solid 8 out of 10.

Marvel’s got quite the project on their hands right now.  The Avengers movie has just started filming, starring a large cast of heroes that the mainstream audience hasn’t become very familiar with yet.  Marvel plans to change that before the superhero team-up comes out next year.  Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk are all set for the stage, but now it’s Thor’s turn, the mighty Asgardian, the God of Thunder. 

The film stars Chris Hemsworth as the titular hero and for the most part, his performance is what makes the movie.  He stars alongside Tom Hiddleston, playing his brother Loki, the God of Mischief, as well as Anthony Hopkins, who does a fairly interesting performance as Odin, King of Asgard.    The family ties between these characters make an interesting drama, though its at it’s best when all three characters are in the mix.  There are scenes where you only have Loki and Odin, and those scenes tend to be a little lacking. 

The family’s all here.

Anyway, as for the story, the film starts with a bit of a present day introduction in New Mexico, only to go back to a random flashback, taking place in 965 A.D. Norway.  It introduces us to the Frost Giants, who tormented humans of Earth to try and conquer their realm.  With this conflict, the Asgardians arrive and fight a war, to which the Asgardians eventually win.  A treaty is formed to keep peace between the two races, while the Asgardians keep a Frost Giant relic, the Casket of Ancient Winters.  Fast forward, and Thor celebrates the day he would ascend to the throne.  As Odin is about to pass the crown to his son, his sentence is cut short by a small group of attacking Frost Giants, attempting to steal back the Casket.  This is when Thor feels like his home of Asgard is threatened, and he expresses his wish to wage war yet again.  Odin doesn’t like the idea and decides not to give Thor the right to the throne.

In anger, Thor throws a tantrum and his brother Loki manages to convince him and four other warriors to travel to Jotunheim, the home of the Frost Giants.  Not long after arriving, a large battle ensues and Odin arrives just in time to save the group of warriors.  It is this moment that Odin strips Thor of his powers and mighty hammer, and exiles him to Earth, as well as sending the hammer to Earth, waiting for one worthy to hold the power of Thor.  This is when we return to New Mexico in the present day and our story really begins.

The time Thor spends on earth is very brief, but much of it is surprisingly hilarious.  Thor’s customs don’t translate well on Earth, and the results create for quite a few laughs.  I almost wish that the film was less action and more comedy, but then it wouldn’t be much of a Superhero flick.  While on earth, he becomes involved in a lightly romantic relationship with young scientist, Jane Foster (played by Natalie Portman).  This relationship seems a bit shoe-horned in, and it even feels like the role could’ve been given to any actress, not to say Natalie Portman was bad.  Her character just wasn’t important enough to make the romance seem vital to the film.  It’s bearable, but its highly cliche, and there doesn’t seem to be any chemistry between her character and Thor to even bring about the love interest.

If only this was as far as it went…

S.H.I.E.L.D. is a very involved group in the Marvel universe, and their involvement is fairly large in the Thor movie.  The moment Thor’s hammer falls to earth, nobody can lift it and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are there to find out more about the strange object.  Many references to Tony Stark (Iron Man) are made, and even a short cameo of another “would-be Avenger”.  S.H.I.E.L.D.  adds an interesting plot piece of the film, and even has a good amount of action with Thor, who attempts to take back his hammer Mjolnir only to find he is not worthy of his powers.

The film often bounces back and forth between Earth and Asgard, as another conflict arises on Asgard where Odin enters the “Odinsleep” to recuperate.  Thor not being there, Loki ascends to the throne and makes many changes and reveals his true nature of being the films real antagonist, showing that his jealousy of his brother has made him quite spiteful.  The film is full of quite a few plot twists that newcomers will not see coming, and thats something its got going as it’s rare these days when a film can carry a good plot twist.

As time goes on during his stay on Earth, Thor miraculously realizes his faults just in time to make a noble sacrifice, earning his powers back and working towards a climactic ending.  It seems like he learned his lesson a bit quickly, but the film was pretty long so it’s probably a good thing that his time on Earth was short.  During the battle between Thor and Loki, we have a very action packed fight scene, though this is where Tom Hiddleston’s acting disappointed me the most.  He overacted and it was really noticeable, making me wish that he just didn’t talk during the fight.

The film has a variety of special effects, some of which are great while some others are a bit weak looking (the Frost Giants being a good example).  Another thing I found interesting was that while Thor was being exiled, Odin stripped him of his Asgardian armor and what was underneath?  Some clothes that looked like they were picked up at an Abercromie & Fitch.  Or even at one point when Loki visits earth in a dress shirt and tie.  It takes away from the film’s believability and just makes you feel like the filmmakers didn’t pay enough attention to detail.

All and all, the film was enjoyable, and humorous in many parts, even in some parts that were unintentional.  There’s a lot of action to like and even some good family drama.  It’s a good way to make a movie for a character that doesn’t have a typical origin story like the rest of the Marvel cast of heroes, a hero that is based on myths.  It’s the perfect way to introduce the character to moviegoers excited for The Avengers next year.  Speaking of that, make sure to stick around after the credits, you’ll be glad you did (if not a bit confused).  I give Thor a 7.5 out of 10.

It seems too soon for a reboot on the man of steel considering his last appearance was only five years ago in Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns.  But it was a disappointing performance for the last son of Krypton.  Now its Zack Snyder’s chance to reintroduce the world to the iconic hero.  The director of Watchmen and 300, Snyder has described the reboot as a modern take on the loved character.  Often defined as the epitome of a hero, Snyder aims to make Superman much more real and relevant to today’s audience.  Snyder has a daunting task ahead of him, to make the perfect superhero relatable.

But he seems to be heading in the right direction.  The story was co-written by David Goyer and Christopher Nolan, who worked together in creating the storylines for the successful Batman reboot.  They seem perfect for the challenge, considering they took the same strategy with Batman as Snyder is taking with Superman.  Goyer and Nolan were able to make the Dark Knight a more real character that the audience could understand and relate to, despite not being a millionaire whose parents were murdered in front of them.  In terms of storyline, Superman: Man of Steel is in good hands.

But it takes more than a good story to make a good film.  Snyder has been busy casting the roles that will carry the story and has recently announced his choice for the spunky journalist of the Daily Planet and Superman’s love interest.  Beating out stars like Rachel McAdams, Dianna Agron and Jessica Biel, the role of Lois Lane has gone to the talented Amy Adams.  A three time oscar nominee, this will be Adams first role in a major studio franchise.

Adams will be sharing the screen with Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent.  Diane Lane and Kevin Costner will also be present as Martha and Jonathon Kent.  It is yet to be revealed which villain Superman will be facing in this installment, but we eagerly await the announcement of who this foe may be.

In a world full of choices, people may or may not be so decisive.  What external hard drive should I get?  Which restaurant should I try?  What’s a video game I should check out?  During times like these, a recommendation would really help.  Thankfully, there’s Hunch.

Hunch.com is a recommendation site that eliminates the need of going around the web and putting in time-consuming research.  The site aims to personalize the internet by getting to know you and making smart and concrete recommendations about what you might like.  There are thousands of topics to get suggestions on from email service providers to bucket list ideas.

Begin by signing in with your facebook or twitter account and answering 20 (or more, if you’re into that) questions about yourself.  Hunch then creates a taste profile that maps your unique preferences based on the collective knowledge of people similar to you.  The company’s mission, taken straight from their website, is to “build a taste graph connecting every person on the web with their affinity for every entitiy (camera, car, book, anything!) on the web.”

Of course Hunch doesn’t gaurantee the acuracy of the recomendations. And it seems doubtful that reliable suggestions can be generated for some of the topics through a few seemingly random questions.  It’s almost akin to those Facebook quizzes people love to use, but much more accurate.  If anything, its fun to see how wrong, or very right, Hunch is in their knowledge of you.  There’s also fun in comparing your recommendations with a friend.  Remember they’re only suggestions.  Don’t believe that these recommendations define you in anyway, but you should check it out for yourself to decide if these hunches are helpful enough.

While shopping at guitar center over the weekend, I was sadly informed that the guys who make Technics turntables (Panasonic) will no longer be making turntables.

WHAT!? NO MORE TECHNICS!? WTF!?

After doing some digging around online, I found this:

A spokesperson for Panasonic said:

“It is a sad day today but due to low sales globally in analogue turntables a decision to stop production has been made on Technics Turntables.”

Truly a sad time in history… However, their web-site fails to mention the news at all:
HERE
(at least at the time of this posting)

Luckily, I already own a pair of Technics 1200 MKII’s. I’ve been told that the price of these bad boy’s will go up due to a new demand that has been created. Now the question is, to sell or not to sell?

-gabe

I’d stick ‘em, and shoot ‘em… if ya know what I mean.

Hot, lingerie-clad chicks with swords and guns fighting dragons and bunny-faced robots. If you don’t want to see this I don’t know what’s wrong with you.

Watch this trailer only once. I dare you:

A few more pics, for your viewing pleasure:

Character: “Amber”
Played By: Jamie Chung
Known For: She was in Sorority Row, then went on to play one of Rob Schneider’s sexy daughters from Grown Ups - but best of all she’s gonna be in Dragon Ball 2! Um… Awesome!..? (Please shoot me.)

Character: “Blondie”
Played By: Vanessa Hudgens
Known For: She was in High School Musical but her real claim to fame was the teen nudie pic scandal, a few years back…

Character: “Madam Gorski”
Played By: Carla Gugino
Known For: She played a tough lesbian who was forced to watch as Elijah Wood ate her fingers in Sin City, then she was a tough lesbian who got raped by The Comedian in The Watchmen. Not sure what the deal is with Madam Gorski but if history and that poster are any indication, I’d say odds are pretty good she’ll turn out to be a tough lesbian who will probably suffer some terrible fate.

Character: “Rocket”
Played By: Jena Malone
Known For: Most notably, she was Gretchen Ross, love interest to Donnie Darko.

Character: “Sweet Pea”
Played By: Abbie Cornish
Known For: I haven’t personally seen this chick in anything. Diggin’ the naughty elf costume, though.

Inception’s complicated, but enjoyable dream while dreaming in dream story was truly another incredible and smart Nolan masterpiece. The movie mesmerized from start to finish, with its superb ensemble cast and visual effects. Long after the credits roll, the audience will be left pondering the film’s many questions. Inception may very well be the best film of the summer, if not the year.

While watching Inception, I couldn’t help but think about Nolan’s Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Beyond the similar cast and amazing, haunting score, a few other similarities struck me. Early in the film, Ken Watanabe’s character is crushed to death by a collapsing ceiling, much the same way his character in Batman Begins comes to his demise. In another scene, Cillian Murphy’s character, in a suit, has a burlap sack placed over his head, eerily similar to his Scarecrow character in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. These slight references may be intentional or coincidental, but can not be ignored.

Also, these two posters speak for themselves…

If you believe the infernal buzzing of the media flies, you might think Jonah Hex is just another Megan Fox flick. In actuality, it’s the big-screen adaptation of a DC comic book of the same name. Of course, in true comic book movie fashion, we can expect Hollywood to take more than their fair share of liberties with the story…

In the comic book: Jonah Hex’s father sold him to the Apaches as a slave. After proving himself by rescuing the tribe’s chief from a puma, Jonah was adopted by the chief himself. The chief’s biological son didn’t take too kindly to this, and eventually he challenged Jonah to a sacred Tomahawk duel. Before the fight, the chief’s son sabotaged Jonah’s weapon, so Jonah was forced to use his knife to defend himself - a violation of the tribe’s sacred rules. The Apaches burned Jonah’s face with a hot Tomahawk before banishing his cheating ass from the tribe, forever.

In the movie: Jonah’s face was scarred by his arch-nemesis, Quentin Turnbull, whom Jonah spends the remainder of the film tracking down to exact his revenge. Aw, how neat and tidy that is! Stupid comic books with all their complex origins and intricate storytelling - who needs ya! Huh? Not us. We like to keep things simple so folks can follow along… in their sleep.

Let’s take a look at the trailer:

Well, the trailer is only about 50% Megan Fox, which is a lot, considering she’s barely in this movie. Hard to believe, given the press’s overabundance of attention to her “bad acting,” but I think Fox actually had less opportunity to show her acting chops in this than she did in Transformers.

But, enough about Foxy. Let’s get on to the meat of the subject. This is a western (of sorts), so I think I’ll break this up into three categories familiar to western fans. First…

THE GOOD: The visual effects for Jonah Hex’s supernatural powers were outstanding. The scenes in which Hex is reanimating, conversing and even fighting with the dead are the highlights of the film. I would have liked to see more of that. As for acting, Josh Brolin is good, Megan Fox is hot, and John Malkovich is… well, John Malkovich.

THE BAD: The story and character development are sorely lacking. When the movie starts out, it feels like you’re just tuning in to the middle. Some movies do this, then flashback to the events leading up to the incident, but this movie decides to jump forward instead. For reasons unknown, the bad guy who moments ago was our primary focus is now assumed to be dead, Jonah Hex has moved on with his life, and nobody has been given a chance to care about any of it. Add to that the lack of any real motivation for the villain other than just being a jerk, and you’re left with nothing more to look forward to than some flashy visual effects, a few gratuitous shots of Megan Fox in a corset, and the credits.

THE UGLY: For some unexplained reason, the realistic, rustic Western backdrops are periodically swapped for blatant, over-saturated ‘green screen’ images. Not that I was into the story much to begin with, but if I had been, these shocking distractions would have most certainly taken me out of it. To put it into perspective for our gamer friends out there: One moment you’re cruising through the old west a la Red Dead Redemption, the next you’re dropped into Mortal Kombat. No offense to MK intended, just trying to paint a picture of the difference between the two settings.

In the end, Jonah Hex is, sadly, just another Hollywood comic book movie. All things considered, I’m forced to give it an unimpressive D+.

Once in a while I come across trailers for movies both released and unreleased that get my attention. Enter the trailer park and discover something new that you might want to consider watching some day.

MACHETE

THE TOURNAMENT

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD

[REC] 2 (aka QUARANTINE 2)

GALLOWALKER

SOLOMON KANE

THE EAGLE PATH

THE GREEN HORNET
The first trailer will debut on “Jimmy Kimmel Live ” on Monday, June 21st. Seth Rogen , who plays the Green Hornet, will be Kimmel’s guest that night and will introduce the trailer.

I love zombie movies, zombie games, zombie music, no matter what format they are in, count me in. The only thing that has not been done yet is a TV series. One thing that I have always wanted was a zombie TV show, and if you didn’t know, it has been in the works for some time now. AMC’s upcoming series, THE WALKING DEAD, based on the comic book by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charles Adlard, will premiere this October, just in time for fearfest.

pics of zombies from THE WALKING DEAD

pics from the comic

The Walking Dead is currently being shot in Atlanta, GA and the zombies have one man to thank for this nightmare come true, writer, director, and executive producer Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile). The six-episode first season follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, traveling in search of a safe and secure home after a zombie apocalypse.

I have never read the comics but I know of them, and I know a good zombie when I see one. I mean these zombies look better then the ones in movies. I hope this series pleases the fans and newcomers alike, because if not, I got an idea for a TV show of my own (”nice plug in” “I know, I know. I wasn’t gonna do it but I did” “Yeah you did. Up top!” *High Five*) Anyway, I hope you are ready for the first zombie TV show, I know I am.

George A. Romero, King of the Zombies

George A. Romero is one of the reasons I love movies. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, DAWN OF THE DEAD, DAY OF THE DEAD, these films are some of my favorites, they made me forever question if a dead person will get back up, so when I hear anything Romero related you better believe that I rise from my grave.

Romero has three ideas/stories that will branch off from DIARY OF THE DEAD, one of which is SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD, his latest zombie flick which is out on Xbox Live right now. His idea is to take characters from Diary and give them their own film, then in some way reconnect them all in one last film.

Survival focuses on the character Sarge (Alan Van Sprang) and his soldiers, but who’s next? The group of scavengers that horded every last resource in their city? Or the blond chick that escapes? (I don’t want to go into details, watch DIARY OF THE DEAD)

But in order for these ideas to become reality SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD will have to make some dough. Because after all money talks in Hollywood. If Survival flops, those ideas will die, then get back up and feast on brains.

I applaud Mr. Romero and encourage him to continue making films until he dies, but his last couple of “OF THE DEAD’S” have not been cult classics. With that said I will leave the decision of Romero’s career in your hands. I already did my part and watched both DIARY and SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD.

Jamie Bell is rumored to have webbed the role of Peter Parker/ Spider-Man in the upcoming Spider-man reboot. I suppose he’s just as good as any young, WHITE, geeky teen. The only thing I recognize him from is JUMPER (threw up a little in my mouth) and KING KONG (meh).

I don’t know, is he geek enough?

Honestly, I don’t mind a different director or different actors, the only thing that upsets me is the back tracking. Why start over. WHY! Although pushing forward might have been a bad idea too. I mean look what happened to BATMAN. Despite everything, I can’t wait to see this movie! After all, I am and always will be a web head.

MONKEY KING: WREAKING HAVOC IN HEAVENLY PALACE-

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The title role for Soi Cheang’s fantasy movie based on the iconic character Monkey King has been confirmed and its Donnie Yen (A big name actor who you probably never heard of in the U.S.). Jet Li was the other prime candidate under consideration to re-play the role he had in THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM. The major roles still left to be filled include Buffalo Demon King, Princess Iron Fan, Jade Emperor, and Erlang Shen. The budget is a whopping $45 million and plans to be shot in 3D IMAX.

This is awesome news if you know who the Monkey King is. If you don’t, that’s not my problem, look him up, you got a computer! I know you do. I don’t got time to tell you who he is, but you could check “him” out in THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM, the DRAGON BALL series, or you could read the classic book Journey to the West. The release date is slated for February 2012.

Jet Li as The Monkey King

IP MAN-

It’s Donnie Yen Again

Wilson Yip’s semi biopic Ip Man comes to America this summer. The movie is about the life story of Ip Man (Donnie Yen), the grand master of the Wing Chun style of kung fu and is the master of legendary kung fu superstar Bruce Lee. That alone should be enough incentive to watch this movie.

Set in Foshan, China, during the Sino Japanese War, Ip Man vividly brings to life the brutality of the infamous Japanese occupation, where once proud men are forced to fight till their death for a precious bag of rice. Defined by courage and humility, one man rises to the fore, Grandmaster Ip Man, whose matchless fighting skills are revered all over China. Upon refusing to teach his beloved fighting art to the invading Japanese soldiers, he is forced to fight for the honor of his country in a series of battles that will culminate in a kill or be killed showdown with General Miura, Japan’s greatest fighter.

Both the DVD and Blu-Ray will be released on July 27th.

KUNG-FU PANDA: THE KABOOM OF DOOM-

Jean-Claude Van Damme turned down a role in Sylvester Stallone’s “The Expendables” because he didn’t want to be a supporting actor, and yet he has jump-kicked at the chance to voice one of the many (MANY) new characters in Dreamworks’ Kung-Fu Panda sequel? Damn you Van Damme! Your fellow ass-kickers needed you, but I guess you could still kick some animated ass as an animal.

Oldman voices the character of Lord Shen (a peacock), the film’s formidable new villain while Yeoh brings to life the mystical character of The Soothsayer (a goat). Van Damme and Garber round out the cast as Master Croc and Master Thundering Rhino, respectively. Michelle Yeoh, Victor Garber, and Gary Oldman have also agreed to walk and talk like an animal. Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman will reprise their roles.

Glad to have you back in Hollywood Jean-Claude.

WTF!?