Marvel Release New "The Avengers" Banners

I have been eagerly following news of the upcoming release of Marvel’s The Avengers for some time.  This is quite an ambitious project, drawing together the massively popular storylines from the Iron Man films, as well as The Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America and judging from the teaser trailers, it is going to be amazing. 

Of course, considering my proclivity for dark, twisted characters and villains, I am especially looking forward to seeing the return of Tom Hiddleston as Loki.  I am also hoping for some serious screen time for Jeremy Renner in his role as Hawkeye.

The Avengers has an all-star cast and is directed by Joss Whedon.  The film stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye and Samuel L. Jackson as S.H.I.E.L.D director Nick Fury.

Featuring the Super Hero team of a lifetime, The Avengers is based on the Marvel comic book series of the same name that was first published in 1963.  In the film, the team has to pull the world back from the brink of disaster as an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security. 

The Avengers is due for release in the UK on 27 April 2012.

 

Official The Avengers Website

The Avengers Facebook page

Marvel UK YouTube channel

Click on the images above for high resolution images.

Read more »

Music Video: “A Forest” (Bestival Live 2011) – The Cure

Wow. There are some concerts that will go down in history as iconic moments in musical history and surely The Cure's appearance at Bestival 2011 will be one of those performances.   Of course, the heart-breaking fact is that I wasn’t there.  I was so disappointed by Faith No More’s performance at Exit Festival 2010 that I decided not to attend Bestival 2011, even though two of my favourite bands of all time were performing there: The Cure and Cranes.  Maybe it was because two of my favourite bands were performing there.  I would rather have remembered The Cure as they were at the height of their career in 1995, when I watched them from my front row place at Glastonbury Festival, then watch a train wreck in motion (I’m talking to you, Mike Patton).

Well, the good news for fans around the world is that The Cure were absolutely brilliant at Bestival 2011 and they had so much fun that they have recently released a new double album Bestival Live 2011 featuring a whopping 32 career-spanning tracks.  In the words of the legendary Robert Smith, “We had such a great time in the Isle of Wight at Bestival that we wanted to release this show as a way of thanking fans and islanders alike. Bestival is the best!”

Today, the band is premiering the live video for “A Forest”, one of my favourite The Cure tracks of all time.  I was blown away by the quality of the sound and the strength of Robert Smith’s vocals.  To be honest, the band don’t look much older than when I saw them 16 years ago which goes to show that boys don’t cry but they don’t exactly grow up either.  What do you think of the video below?

Damn! It doesn't look like they're releasing the concert on DVD or Blu-ray. I haven't bought a live DVD for years but this is definitely one that I would buy.

Bestival is held each year in the Isle of Wight and all proceeds from album sales benefit a local charity, the Isle of Wight Youth Trust.  This organisation offers counselling, advice, information and support services to young people under the age of 25 and they make a massive contribution to the wellbeing of local residents.

Read more »

The Amazing Spider-Man Poster is Revealed

Thanks to SuperheroHype, we got an early look at the first official poster for The Amazing Spider-Man, starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, and it definitely has a mysterious vibe. If this image is any clue, we're in for a darker (perhaps creepier) Spidey tale than we've ever seen before.

Two things are worth noting with this poster - first, there's no Spidey logo or title (besides the shadow), which is an interesting choice. Just guessing, but apparently Sony Pictures believes the spider shadow alone is so recognizable that a title is unnecessary - after all, everybody knows who Spidey is, right?

Second cool thing about this poster are the words "the untold story". Again, I'm speculating here, but I think that's referring to the story of how Peter Parker was orphaned and wound up being cared for by his Aunt May and Uncle Ben. I'm not being a spoiler, because the trailer that was released months ago hints at that in the first few seconds. (see below) We already know that Richard and Mary Parker (Peter's parents) will appear in the movie, so I'll wager that their backstory is a big plot element. Think I'm wrong? Let me have it in the comments.

We only have to wait until July 13 to find out.

This is a guest post by Matthew Killorin of the incredible superhero blog Capes on Film. Visit Matthew's blog for news and reviews of the best comic book and super hero films out there.

Read more »