Not to say that Robert Downey, Jr. and The Hulk aren’t sex symbols. They are. A huge portion of the population probably sees the battles of wit and weaponry in The Avengers trailers and gets a special tingle, but the other stereotypical side of the population that’s already (stereotypically speaking) in the bag for Marvel‘s new movie might be more inclined to see Scarlett Johansson in a low-slung… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Film School Rejects Discovery Date : 04/04/2012 08:53 Number of articles : 2
Marvel has unleashed the first clip from their upcoming superhero mashup, The Avengers, which features Agent Coulson and Black Widow during an interrogation. Black Widow kicks butt! Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Comic Book Therapy Discovery Date : 04/04/2012 03:27 Number of articles : 2
After a controversial courtship, brief breakup and dubious reconciliation, The Bachelor stars Ben Flajnik and Courtney Robertson are still giving it a go. The California winemaker, 29, and the model, 28, are moving in together at the San Francisco pad Flajnik shares with two pals, according to Us Weekly . They’re in the process of looking for their own place now, but before they find that nest, the pair went on a sexy vacation to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico . During their five-day break, Courtney Robertson has been showing off her famous figure in a tiny bikini, her shaggy man dutifully by her side at the pool. Although Robertson has dealt with public disdain for her very, very bad behavior on The Bachelor, “she wants to save this relationship,” a source tells Us . Prior to the trip, an onlooker at San Francisco’s Park Tavern observed the engaged pair looking “very snuggly… Ben had his arm around her the entire time.” Robertson is still wearing her 3-carat Neil Lane ring from Chris Harrison Ben, FYI. If they’re going to crash and burn, they’re giving it their best shot first. What do you think: Any way this is gonna work? [Photos: Fame/Flynet]
In ‘Talk Nerdy,’ experts agree with Joss Whedon’s claim that Hulk is the most difficult Avenger to get right. By Josh Wigler The Hulk in “Marvel’s The Avengers” Photo: Marvel Studios Bruce Banner has a tendency to get angry. And despite what he says, you really should like him when he gets angry — because if you don’t, well, you’re going to have a lot of problems with ” The Avengers .” Joss Whedon, the man bringing Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to the big screen, confessed in a recent interview that Banner’s irritable alter ego, the Hulk, is easily the most challenging Avenger to get right. He might not be wrong, considering that it’s taken three different actors to play the big green meanie on the big screen — Eric Bana in 2003’s “Hulk,” Ed Norton in 2008’s “The Incredible Hulk” and, soon, Mark Ruffalo in “The Avengers.” And Whedon’s assertion certainly has the support of some of the Web’s top comic book and movie commentators. “Without a doubt, I think Hulk is the hardest ‘Avengers’ character to translate to the big screen,” MTV Geek ‘s Valerie Gallaher told MTV News about her “Avengers” character concerns. “Using CGI to create a character in a live-action film will end up looking like one big cartoon if not done right.” “Both Joss Whedon and Mark Ruffalo have a lot of pressure to give Bruce Banner and the Hulk two distinctive yet relatable characters,” agreed Steve Sunu of Comic Book Resources . “Only time will tell if ‘The Avengers’ is an improvement for Hulk over ‘The Incredible Hulk.’ ” Of course, just because a challenge exists doesn’t mean it’s insurmountable. NextMovie ‘s Kevin Polowy, who also agrees that Hulk presents Whedon’s biggest challenge, has faith in the director’s ability to do the Jade Giant justice. “I do have faith that if anyone can get it done, it’s Joss Whedon,” he said. “But compared to proven screen figures like Iron Man, Captain America and Thor, Hulk is far and away the trickiest pony in the bunch.” Not everyone is so concerned about Hulk. Caleb Goellner with Comics Alliance doesn’t see the incredible menace as the most problematic character in “The Avengers”; like me, he assigns that role to the not-super-deadly duo of Black Widow and Hawkeye. “They’re going to be the hardest to portray,” he said. “Black Widow got some exposure in ‘Iron Man 2’ and Hawkeye was teased in ‘Thor,’ but the ‘master assassins’ are at a disadvantage compared to Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the Hulk. Their backstories will require considerable streamlining for them to make sense in this Marvel movieverse, so it will be interesting to see how much Joss Whedon and company will be able to fit in to an already packed movie. “I suggest making them husband and wife, because that would be the cutest damn thing,” Goellner added. Totally agreed, Caleb. Which Avengers are you most worried about? Watch Talk Nerdy to see what we think, and let us know what you think in the comments section! Check out everything we’ve got on “Marvel’s The Avengers.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com . Related Videos Talk Nerdy
Marvel Studios debuts second full-length trailer during the game, as extended version appears on the flick’s official Facebook page. By Ryan J. Downey Chris Evans in “The Avengers” Super Bowl spot Photo: Marvel Captain America is from Brooklyn, New York, so he’s probably a Giants fan, right? Well, if the new trailer for “The Avengers” is any indication, Cap will have bigger things to think about than the Super Bowl this summer. The game was a big deal and all, but comic book movie fans also assembled in front of televisions and computers on Sunday (February 5) to watch a different group of uniformed supermen (and women) go to battle in ways we’ve never seen before. Marvel Studios debuted the second full-length trailer for the summer’s “Avengers,” and boy, did it deliver, true believers! An extended version appeared on the flick’s official Facebook page moments after the commercial aired during the game. Aliens, aliens, aliens! (Are those Skrulls? Kree? Asgardian something-or-others?) A Hulk-tastic climax, a bunch of alien craft getting smashed and the most action fans have seen yet from the Avengers: Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and the man who brought them together in post-credits sequences across several movies, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). The trailer opens with the familiar images of carnage on the city streets: cars overturned, explosions. The voice of Jackson as Fury says, “The world has changed.” Evans, as Captain America, looks unimpressed as he untangles his hand wraps in what looks like a midcentury-style boxing gym. “At this point, I doubt anything would surprise me,” he comments. “We are hopelessly outgunned,” Fury says, as the Marvel logo unspools and quinjets land on an aircraft carrier. As he finishes that sentence, we see that he’s standing with Thor (and presumably the rest of the team). There are more explosions brought on by an alien craft, followed by Tony Stark (Iron Man) rising with a look of steadfast determination. A close-up of Mjolnir flying into Thor’s hand, followed by thunder and lightning. Iron Man’s feet as they land on a rooftop. “Mr. Stark,” Evans says. Downey answers: “Captain.” “It’s time,” Jackson says. A close-up of Captain America’s iconic shield. Iron Man in action. As the montage continues, Thor helps Cap up off the street. Black Widow swings, then kicks, then peers over her shoulder while a car crashes between the shots. Thor lands on top of a quinjet! A large group of bad guys leap toward the city! Cap protects himself and his team from an explosion with his shield, Hawkeye shoots an arrow as he falls toward the street. Cap runs from a laser beam, Iron Man flies directly toward a small armada of alien craft. “I still believe in heroes,” Fury says. The camera then pans around all of the Avengers assembled around one another in the street. Hawkeye draws back his bow, Widow taps a clip into her pistol and Cap raises his shield. “The Avengers: That’s what we call ourselves,” Stark says casually, making a drink behind a bar as the film’s primary villain approaches him ominously. ” ‘Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’-type thing.” “I have an Army!” declares Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor’s half-brother from Asgard. “We have a Hulk,” Stark answers, shortly before the extended trailer’s money shot: the Hulk roaring, smashing through glass and leaping high into the air, destroying several alien craft at once. He didn’t yell “Hulk smash!” — but he might as well have. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” writer/director Joss Whedon’s flick will unite Marvel’s Mightiest Heroes onscreen May 4. Check out everything we’ve got on “The Avengers.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
The epic, four-minute trailer for the all-new season of The Bachelor that aired at the end of last night’s season premiere has to be seen to be believed. It has the feel of a big-budget film, not a reality show. Clearly, ABC ditched any pretense of love and ramped up the nudity, side plots and suspense. More power to them. Sure, Ben is a real nice guy who probably does want to marry his final rose recipient, but it’s ALL about the drama this year: The Bachelor Season Preview 2012 Straddling Ben, stripping buck naked in the ocean and openly taunting the competition, it seems safe to say Courtney’s the “bad girl” this winter. But who is the girl in red? Ben’s ex? Another familiar face? See our page dedicated to The Bachelor spoilers to find out (what we think is) the answer. And who is the woman in black? Is it the Black Widow herself?! Cloaked in mystery (and ridiculousness), she boards a chopper on what we presume is the finale, only to do “a 180” about saying yes to Ben Flajnik?! Share all your theories with us in the comments, and stay tuned all winter log as THG live blogs the scripted, contrived awesomeness of each episode.
As everyone looks back on the year that was, I’ve found myself returning to a few moments in the movies that resonated especially well thanks to a phenomenon that achieves soul-stirring status so rarely, though not for lack of frequency: Song choice. I’m not talking about dropping the latest Kelly Clarkson/Natasha Bedingfield ditty into a crap rom-com. I mean the special, skin-tingling magic that occurs when a song is married so perfectly to a character, story, or feeling that the music and the moment swell within us with new, layered meaning. Join me and let’s hash it out: Which movie(s) used music the best in 2011? This is certainly a subjective topic, but consider the lost art of meshing music (songs, not score; pre-existing or original recordings) to film. “Mrs. Robinson” in The Graduate . “Over the Rainbow” in The Wizard of Oz ! Where were our iconic movie-music moments in 2011? For me it comes down to two films: Jonathan Levine’s 50/50 and Nicholas Winding Refn ‘s Drive , two very different offerings with wildly divergent sounds that nevertheless have stuck in my mind and my senses, indelibly tied to the musical choices within. 50/50 : “Yellow Ledbetter” Despite being shot in Vancouver, Jonathan Levine’s 50/50 was about a 27-year-old Seattle man facing cancer, so maybe that bit of intent factored into Levine’s use of Pearl Jam in his end credits; in any case, using the “Jeremy” B-side “Yellow Ledbetter” to close the film was an inspired choice. As Adam ( Joseph Gordon-Levitt ), having survived cancer, tentatively embarks on his first date with Katie (Anna Kendrick) — the start of new possibilities, a new hope — the strains of “Yellow Ledbetter” tentatively begin. And while nobody really knows the actual words that are coming out of Eddie Vedder’s mouth, there’s an optimistic melancholy to the song that just works. Legend has it Vedder wrote the song after walking with a friend who’d just learned his brother had died in the Gulf War, watching as patriotic neighbors shunned the grieving friend; easy to see how thematically this works with Adam’s movie ending, having been in close proximity to death while everyone else — except that one special someone — doesn’t quite understand. Honorable mention: 50/50 ‘s use of Radiohead’s “High & Dry” as Adam learns he has cancer. Drive : “Tick of the Clock”/”Oh My Love” But let’s be honest — the entire Drive soundtrack has been in heavy rotation for me and many others all year, and I’ve raved about it here so much already. But a closer examination of how Refn uses his song selections is worth a look, Cliff Martinez’s throbbing score notwithstanding. Two scenes in particular conjure that magical musical feeling for me. One is the early getaway scene in which the pulsating beat of Chromatics’ “Tick of the Clock” sneaks in as Ryan Gosling ‘s Driver is introduced during his latest getaway job. His clients have taken too much of their five-minute window, the cops are wising up, and the clock is literally ticking; Johnny Jewel’s beat kicks in as the real action starts, accelerating and swelling as this simple job turns into a chase. It’s pure aural adrenaline we hear, approximating the same daredevil juices that flow through Gosling’s calm, coiled being. Like the track itself, Gosling is just so motherfucking cool . It’s a brilliant way to jump into Driver’s life in a snapshot that instantly informs us of who he is, what he does, and that he’s cruising on the razor edge of danger. The better song in Drive , however, is also the most underappreciated track in the bunch, possibly of the year: Riz Ortolani’s original recording of “Oh My Love,” sung by Katyna Ranieri decades ago. Recall the film’s turning point, as the soaring operatic tune plays while Driver finds Shannon (Bryan Cranston) dead, then stalks and confronts Ron Perlman’s Nino — the most imposing of his enemies, even if Albert Brooks’ Bernie Rose emerges as the one to be feared the most — culminating in a moonlit beach attack. Now, in a soundtrack filled with contemporary electro tracks (including College’s “A Real Hero,” the theme song of Drive ) and fleshed out by Martinez’s complimentary score, “Oh My Love” seems an oddity — but it’s the most inspired, and the most brilliant choice of them all. Originally recorded circa 1971 for the infamous Italian exploitation flick Addio Zio Tom ( Goodbye Uncle Tom ), a mondo faux-documentary about American slavery reviled for its terribly misguided content, the song is a beautifully evocative, lyrical ode to the inherent darkness in our nature — but also to the redemptive potential in man. Take a closer look at the lyrics, and watch the sequence in which it appears: Oh my love, look and see The sun rising from the river Nature’s miracle once more will light the world But this light is not for those men Still lost in an old black shadow Won’t you help me to believe that they will see A day, a brighter day When all the shadows will fade away That day I’ll cry that I believe That I believe Oh my love High above us The sun now embraces nature And from nature we should learn that all can start again As the stars must fade away To give a bright new day It’s a sequence featuring a swirl of emotion and action — sadness, hope, revenge, bloodlust — marking the moment when Driver, pushed to the brink, throws any chance for a peaceful happy ending away and instead embraces the darkness within. This is the defining moment for Driver, and for Drive , the instant in which our hero truly becomes an anti-hero, choosing to avenge Shannon and preemptively protect Irene over the possibility of running away with her and Benicio — a future in which they would have run, together, but would’ve always lived in fear of retribution. Ortolani and Ranieri’s song perfectly illuminates Driver’s place in this world of hard, dangerous men, but it also, importantly, gives us hope for his future. So, gauntlet thrown: Do you have a better pick for best song use in the movies this year? Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Back in October, Marvel released the first trailer for Joss Whedon’s superhero supermovie Avengers , which will feature Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). My only complaint with the first trailer was that it didn’t give enough screen time to Scarlett Johansson ‘s Black Widow, whose role in the preview seemed to be limited to Sexy Background Extra in Black Spandex. Now, a foreign trailer finally gives Johansson’s Black Widow — one of the only females in the male-dominated superhero industry — an actual speaking part. The only problem… is that here, the lines are in Russian. Did I mention there aren’t captions either? Well, who needs captions to understand what is happening: Robert Downey, Jr. delivers some quippy dialogue, Captain America throws a shield, the Avengers bust a lot of bad guys and in the process, a lot of sh*t is blown up.
Rihanna is Esquire magazine’s Sexiest Woman Alive 2011! For her sweaty photo shoot, she got down & dirty (literally), stripping her clothes off completely and covering her parts with only natural leaves. Inside, she (of course) is asked about Chris Brown: “It’s incredible to see how he pulled out of it the way he did. Even when the world seemed like it was against him, you know? I really like the music he’s putting out. I’m a fan of his stuff. I’ve always been a fan. Obviously, I had some resentment toward him for a while, for obvious reasons. But I’ve put that behind me. It was taking up too much of my time. It was too much anger. I’m really excited to see the breakthrough he’s had in his career. I would never wish anything horrible for him. Never. I never have.” Do you ladies believe in letting go of grudges, too? (P.S. Rihanna takes the “SWA” title after following in the footsteps of Angelina Jolie in 2004 and Halle Berry in 2008. Nice.) Rihanna: “Being In A Relationship Can Feel Like A Chore” 6 Reasons Why Rihanna Stays Winning Rihanna Stars In Sexy Armani Jeans Short Film [VIDEO ] And check out a behind-the-scenes video:
Comic book fans are currently glued to his or her computer screens, watching Marvel’s “The Avengers” first trailer! “The Avengers stars “Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Cobie Smulders (S.H.I.E.L.D Agent Maria Hill) and Tom Hiddleston (the evil Loki), the film is wrapping up a far-flung production schedule that saw filming in New Mexico, New York City and Cleveland, amongst other places.” Click here , for the full story at HuffingtonPost.com
