Kevin Feige on Iron Man 2
Robert Downey Jr. in "Iron Man 2"
Flawed heroes are what make Marvel superhero films interesting, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said in a news conference promoting “Iron Man 2,” released recently on DVD and Blu-ray.
“When it comes to larger-than-life characters like our Marvel superheroes, a flaw is what makes them human and is their most important aspect,” he said. “We can push that flaw as far as we can, just short of puking into a toilet.”
Kevin Feige
Feige was referring to an alternate opening to “Iron Man 2,” included on the Blu-ray, which opens with Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, with his head in a toilet.
“While we liked the notion of starting off with our hero in an unexpected manner, ultimately (director) Jon (Favreau) felt it was best to see Tony first revealed on the Stark Expo stage,” Feige said.
Feige said the comic-book inspirations of films such as “Iron Man 2” will allow Marvel to make exciting stories for years to come.
“We have the incredibly unfair advantage of almost 70 years of material, all of which has been revamped and refreshed over the decades in comic book form,” Feige said. “Our job is to look at the rich history of these characters and pick the best stories to tell.”
Feige mentioned in particular Matt Fraction’s “Invincible Iron Man” comic books informing the Tony Stark in “Iron Man 2.”
“We’re huge fans of the Fraction run,” he said. “It was a big part of our discussions for part 2 and continues to be part of our conversations of how the character will be moving forward.”
Multiple new armored suits for Iron Man appear in “Iron Man 2.” Feige said he was most proud of the development of the suitcase armor, which Tony puts on after being attacked in Monaco by Whiplash (Mickey Rourke).
“The suitcase suit is the thing we are most proud of and was the very first new suit we discussed,” Feige said. “Because it was right out of the books and because at the time we had no idea how we were going to pull it off.”
Feige praised the work of designer Ryan Meinerding and the designers at D-neg, saying they made the suitcase armor into the “showcase suit” of this film. It’s the suit featured on the cover to the Blu-ray release of “Iron Man 2.”
Marvel Studios remains busy, as filming just wrapped on “Thor” and continues on “Captain America.”
“It’s incredibly exciting to be back in the mode of introducing characters to the audience for the first time as we did with Iron Man in 2008,” Feige said. “I think that moviegoers are in for a big surprise when more of Thor and Captain America is revealed in the coming months.”
- By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Smallville: The Complete Ninth Season DVD review
Smallville Season 9 DVD
The Kryptonian military leader Zod (Callum Blue) is Clark Kent’s opponent in the ninth season of “Smallville,” which brings in more characters from the DC comic books.
At this point, Tom Welling has played Clark Kent longer than Christopher Reeve or George Reeves, though he hasn’t donned the famous red-and-blue suit of Superman. His journey toward becoming the Man of Steel continues in Season 9, as a younger version of Zod (who previously appeared in seasons 5 and 6 of “Smallville”) seeks to regain his powers and take over Earth.
The cyborg Metallo, played by Brian Austin Green (“Beverly Hills 90210), kicks off the season with an appropriate sense of menace. Toyman also gets the spotlight early in the season, as he continues a feud with Green Arrow (Justin Hartley). Surprisingly, the Wonder Twins from the old “Super Friends” cartoons are translated to “Smallville” style reasonably well in the episode “Idol.”
The season highlight is the two-parter “Absolute Justice,” which introduces Hawkman and the Justice Society of America to the “Smallville” mythos.
Erica Durance, who plays Lois Lane, has great chemistry with Welling; the developing romance between Lois and Clark is compelling.
Despite a few clunky episodes (notably “Warrior”), Season 9 finds “Smallville” regaining its footing as it heads toward what’s been announced as its 10th and final season.
DVD extras: deleted scenes; a “Kneel Before Zod” featurette looking at Zod’s appearances in comics, film, animation and live-action TV; a “Justice for All” featurette exploring the adaptation of the Justice Society of America to television; and commentaries on episodes “Idol” and “Kandor.”
— Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Wolverine and the X-Men: Final Crisis DVD review
Wolverine and the X-Men Final Crisis DVD
The final three episodes of the first season of “Wolverine and the X-Men” come to DVD in the “Final Crisis Trilogy.” With tons of characters packed in, and the culmination of the 26-episode season, this may not be the prime jumping-on point for this series. But “Wolverine and the X-Men” ends with an action-filled epic.
Emma Frost, a telepathic mutant who can encase herself in diamond skin, helps the inner circle of the Hellfire Club, a group of mutant telepaths, to capture Jean Grey. The club has designs on using Jean’s Phoenix powers
Magneto, meanwhile, has taken control of the government’s Sentinel program, initially designed to hunt mutants, and plans to use it to attack Genosha, sparking a mutant-human war. Jean is the only one with the power to stop these sentinels, and without Jean, the dystopian future that Professor Xavier has warned the X-Men about will come to pass.
Wolverine receives a warning from the future saying he should trust — but whom he should trust doesn’t come through.
The writers have taken influence from the “X-Men” films and story lines such as “Days of Future Past” and Grant Morrison’s “New X-Men” to create the most mature look at the X-Men in an animated series. While the show focuses on the Wolverine character, the conceit of his leadership of the X-Men — something that would seem to go against his loner status — is explained well. Steve Blum provides quality vocal work as Wolverine; closer to Clint Eastwood than Hugh Jackman but appropriately flinty.
The show’s creators provide commentary on the three included episodes. “Wolverine and the X-Men” comes to a well-plotted finale. But since this final DVD set includes only three episodes, it may not be a cost-effective way to enjoy the program.
— By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
DVD review: Dark and Stormy Night
A parody of and homage to the “old dark house” films of the 1930s, this 2009 movie created by Larry Blamire is a love letter to films of the past.
When Sinus Cavinder’s will is to be read, a motley group of relatives and hangers-on converge on the Cavinder Mansion on a dark and stormy night.
When the lawyer in charge of the will is murdered before the addendum to the will can be read, it’s up to plucky reporters Eight O’Clock Faraday (Daniel Roebuck) and Billy Tuesday (Jennifer Blaire) to get to the bottom of the mystery. With the bridge out and no way to leave the mansion, possible supernatural high jinks and killers on the loose, it’s only a matter of time before more are murdered.
Roebuck and Blaire let loose rapid-fire dialogue in a “His Girl Friday” style, and the whole affair is reminiscent of classic Abbott and Costello films. Betty Garrett (“Take Me Out to the Ball Game”) makes a great appearance as Mrs. Hausenstout, stealing the few scenes in which she appears. The smarmy Burling Famish Jr., played by Brian Howe (“Journeyman,” “The Pursuit of Happyness”), is another standout.
Fans of more recent spoofs such as “Clue” and “Murder by Death” will recognize what’s going on here, and while a few jokes don’t hit the mark, “Dark and Stormy Night” is still filled with laughs.
Perhaps a bit overstuffed with characters, “Dark and Stormy Night” nonetheless provides plenty of entertainment, especially for fans of the genres being spoofed. It’s also a horror-mystery that can be shared with the entire family, which could add to the appeal.
Extras include a color version of the film, a gag reel, an audio commentary and a “making of” featurette.
— Matthew Price
Lost: The Complete Sixth and Final Season [Blu-ray] review
Lost: The Final Season
A mystical hidden island featuring the castaways of the crashed flight Oceanic 815 is the setting for one of the most acclaimed modern television dramas.
In the final season of “Lost,” the castaways were featured both on the island, and in a “flash-sideways” world, in which the characters we knew were in different situations back home. The ultimate conclusion of the series tied the sideways world together with the world of the island.
With some truly fantastic episodes (“Ab Aeterno,” “Everybody Loves Hugo”) and only a few clunkers, “Season 6” isn’t the best season of “Lost,” but it is a satisfying final season, something that’s tough to accomplish on television.
What may draw many fans to the collection is “The New Man in Charge,” a 12-minute epilogue to the series that answers some of the most-asked questions about “Lost.” This and the other extras provide incentive for fans that have already seen the episodes to buy the set.
Despite some fan disappointment, the stories of season 6 are strong enough to hold viewers’ attention, and are worth re-watching in the Blu-ray format. The Blu-ray features 1080p video, and looks and sounds outstanding.
There are audio commentaries on four episodes: LA X, Dr. Linus, Ab Aeterno and Across The Sea.
A mini-featurette called “Lost in 8:15 – A Crash Course” gives a “previously on ‘Lost’” update for seasons 1-5.
The 38-minute documentary “Crafting a Final Season” talks about how “Lost” came to a close, and talks to other showrunners about ending a popular series.
Two other documentaries discuss the influence of Joseph Campbell; and the meaning of the flash-sideways. Behind-the-scenes shorts and deleted scenes and bloopers are also included.
- Matthew Price
Titan Maximum wallet and DVD giveaway!
Titan Maximum Wallet
Want to win a swank Titan Maximum wallet, or a DVD of the first season?
You can win these cool prizes from Nerdage by e-mailing mprice at opubco.com with what kind of robot you’d like to pilot! Funniest and/or most original answers will be selected by a panel of experts at Nerdage HQ. Must be 18 or over! Want to avoid creative writing and buy your own? Wallet available at the Adult Swim shop here and the DVD is available at this link.
Titan Maximum Season One DVD
Here’s the show description: The team that brought you Robot Chicken is ready to transport you to the far-flung future and beyond the stars with the first season of Titan Maximum on DVD! Marvel as the reunited members of Titan Force Five slam evil with their giant robotic powerhouse, Titan Maximum, and valiantly generally combat the heinous machinations of their former teammate-turned-villain, Gibbs, in his attempts to conquer the entire Solar System. This nine-episode set delivers plenty of alien monsters, Titan Power Punches, and skintight-jumpsuit-clad, catfight-prone female lieutenants.
The show was created by Robot Chicken executive producer/co-creator/writer/director Matthew Senreich and Robot Chicken co-executive producer/head writer/director Tom Root. The stop-motion, 1980s adventure recalls shows like “Thunderbirds” and “Voltron,” but with an Adult Swim twist. Set 100 years in the future, the Titan Force Five protect the Solar System as the pilots of the spaceships that combine to form the robot Titan Maximum. Robot Chicken executive producer/co-creator/writer/director Seth Green serves as the show’s executive producer along with Senreich and Root, and also voices the show’s villain, Gibbs. Robot Chicken veterans Breckin Meyer, Rachael Leigh Cook, Dan Milano, Eden Espinosa and Billy Dee Williams serve as voice actors for the series.
- Matt Price
Felicia Day’s “The Guild” tops iTunes, returns on web, DVD, in comics
Felicia Day
In just the latest sign that geeks rule the earth, Felicia Day has topped Katy Perry with the No. 1 best-selling pop music video on iTunes in the United States and United Kingdom.
On Aug. 4, “Game On,” a Bollywood-themed gamer anthem by Day and the cast of the Web series “The Guild” topped Perry’s “California Gurls” on the chart. It’s the second music video for the “Guild” crew, who last year released “Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?”
“The Guild” is in its fourth season online as a Web series; the third season was recently released on DVD. “The Guild” follows the wacky real-world antics of a group of gamers who play a “World of Warcraft”-like game.
In a recent interview with The Oklahoman, Day, who created, writes and stars in the Web series, talked about the differences between creating a Web series and a traditional television show.
“The privilege I have with a Web series is that it doesn’t have to be as episodic as TV would be, where characters kind of stay emotionally static, and they go through different ideas every week,” Day said. “I think it’s important that like, just in real life, people are changed by what happens to them.”
She also said because people tend to watch Web series on a browser, they need to stay shorter and more on point.
“You can’t have as much space or time to tell the stories,” she said. “So you really have to kind of be ruthless and say we have to cut down to the bone.”
At Comic-Con International, it was announced that further “Guild” comics would be released this fall, following the well-received miniseries written by Day. She talked about writing the “Guild” miniseries and how it focused on some of the drama behind the characters.
“The comic, especially the way it started, is a lot more dramatic than some people actually expected,” Day said. “Because to me, these characters do come from a place of loneliness, and that’s why they’re together. So there is a hint of reality and a little bit of sadness in everybody. And for me, that’s kind of the basis of everybody finding themselves online.”
Day said she was pleased with the response, especially from comic-book fans.
“The biggest compliment is when somebody who’s a hard-core comic reader (gives) me a compliment, because I feel like comic guys and geeks are the most hardcore of the bunch, and I know they aren’t going to cut me any slack,” she said.
This fall, five one-shots featuring the main characters of “The Guild” will be released by Dark Horse. The first one-shot, “Vork,” will be co-written by Day and Jeff Lewis, who plays the Vork character.
“There is a lot more to be told in that format; because the great thing about comics is you don’t have to worry about the production values or how expensive something’s going to be to shoot, you just write it,” Day said.
- By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
The Guild Season 3 DVD review
Felicia Day (“Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”) returns as Codex in the third DVD collection of the popular Web series “The Guild.”
As the third season begins, the group of gamer friends who make up the “Knights of Good” in a “World of Warcraft”-like game are fracturing. When they are publicly humiliated by a rival guild, The Axis of Anarchy, led by Fawkes (Wil Wheaton of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”), Vork (Jeff Lewis) resigns as leader, throwing the entire mess to Codex to handle.
A member short after Tink (Amy Okuda) defects to the Axis, Codex invites a new member to the Guild. Hoping to avoid asking love-struck Zaboo’s (Sandeep Parikh) sadistic new girlfriend, Riley (Michele Boyd), she instead invites Clara’s (Robin Thorsen) completely game-inept husband, George (Brett Sheridan). He’s so hopeless at the game, the group thinks he may be a saboteur.
Meanwhile, the Axis continues to humiliate the Knights, in game and out. Bladezz (Vincent Caso) nearly gets expelled after questionable materials are found in his locker; additionally, his modeling pictures are posted online with disastrous results.
Codex eventually pulls the group together for a final confrontation with the Axis that’s enthralling and hilarious. “The Guild” remains a must-watch for gamers, but even those who don’t play online games will recognize these characters. More clever and deeper than it gets credit for, “The Guild” is among the Web’s best series.
This DVD includes all 12 episodes from Season 3, along with bonus material not seen on the Internet.
— Matthew Price
“Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1980s, Vol. 1” DVD review
Saturday Morning Cartoons of the 1980s vol. 1
Warner Home Video’s “Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1980s, Vol. 1” makes me want to pour a big bowl of sugary cereal and sit down for a few hours of relaxation through questionable animation.
The shows included on the DVD aren’t the best of the 1980s, though they are nostalgic fun for those who grew up in the era. Included are 11 episodes of mostly short-lived cartoons:
“The Biskitts”: These were the Smurfs of CBS (though not nearly as successful) as cute, tiny dogs attempted to keep the king’s treasures safe from the king of a rival land.
“The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley”: Based on Martin Short’s “Saturday Night Live” character, the dorky Ed Grimley had a 13-episode animated run in 1988.
“Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos”: This 1986 five-episode run inspired a comic-book series and an action-figure line. Oklahoma-born Norris introduced each episode in a live-action segment, then wrapped it up at the end.
“Dragon’s Lair”: Based on the fantasy video game that featured art by former Disney animator Don Bluth.
“The Flintstone Kids”: Like the Muppet Babies, only here it’s the Flintstones as kids.
“Goldie Gold and Action Jack”: A socialite and reporter have adventures.
“The Kwicky Koala Show”: One of the final shows directed by Tex Avery.
“Mister T”: An animated version of the “A-Team” star coached a gymnastics team and solved mysteries. The live-action Mr. T provided introductions and wrap-ups.
“Monchichis”: Cute monkey-like creatures starred in this show based on the Mattel toy line imported from Japan.
“Thundarr the Barbarian”: Popular with comic-book fans, as the show was created by Steve Gerber (“Howard the Duck”) and featured production design from Jack Kirby and Alex Toth. Thundarr was a Conan-inspired adventurer in a post-apocalyptic world.
There’s also a bonus featurette in the DVD set called “Lords of Light!: Thundarr the Barbarian.”
— Matthew Price
Princess and the Frog DVD review
While 3-D, Pixar-style computer graphics have become the predominant art form for animated releases, Disney has made a successful return to traditional animation with “The Princess and the Frog.”
“The Princess and the Frog” features a princess that’s not really a princess, and a frog that’s not really a frog. This tale is directed by the “Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin” team of John Musker and Ron Clements.
In 1920s New Orleans, Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) wants to open a restaurant to fulfill the dreams of her father (Terrence Howard). Tiana believes hard work will make her dreams come true. She’s had to work hard for everything she’s ever gotten, the opposite of visiting prince Naveen (Bruno Campos). Naveen’s never had to work for anything, and when problems come his way, he’s had little practice in self-reliance.
Keith David voices the voodoo-practicing Dr. Facilier, who believes he can use the prince’s naivety to his advantage.
Music by Randy Newman provides plenty of zest, especially in Dr. Facilier’s temptation of the prince and his adviser.
The supporting characters are fun, if derivative, including the jazz-loving gator Louis and the optimistic Cajun firefly Ray.
The film has some great twists throughout, and if it doesn’t quite reach the heights of “Aladdin” or “Little Mermaid,” it’s still fun and engaging.
It’s exciting to see Disney back into hand-drawn animation in such a major way. Tiana is a great addition to the line of Disney princesses, and this film should be enjoyed by anyone with young girls.
- Matthew Price
