"THE AVENGERS" - MOVIE REVIEW

Still from The Avengers

Marvel's The Avengers carries the weight of the World - both literally and figuratively - but does it meet the demands of Moviegoers and Comic Fans alike? You bet. Director/Writer Joss Whedon (Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) knows exactly what Fans of the Genre want and delivers item-by-item like a Grocery Checklist.  It's funny, it's intense, it's thrilling and every bit a masterfully-interwoven Spectacle.

The $220-million Blockbuster via Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) brings together Superheroes Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans) and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).  These Superheroes are united by one great Cause to save the Earth from Thor's Brother, the ruthless Supervillain Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his catastrophic Army, in his quest for endless Power and Domination.

The problem with Films boasting All-Star Casts is that Story Lines and Character Development often are skimpy, but impressively Whedon manages to tell each Superhero's Story clearly and concisely, with our attentions focused always on the Mission at-hand.  Anyone walking into Marvel's The Avengers without a clue would be able to enjoy the Film sans confusion amidst all the Sci-Fi jargon.  The beauty is that you don't need to see it in 3-D necessarily to enjoy it - it stands on its own in 2-D glory.  My only concern though is that v. integral The Hulk's Story Line is given the least detail here and perhaps more could have been done to build-up the excitement for his awaited massive transformation.

MARK RUFFALO & COBIE SMULDERS IN TORONTO FOR "THE AVENGERS" | SIGNED PHOTO SET GIVEAWAY

Mark Ruffalo & Cobie Smulders in Toronto - April 2012

Hot on the heels of it grossing a whopping $185.1 million overseas this weekend, Marvel's The Avengers Stars Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk/Bruce Banner) and Cobie Smulders (Agent Maria Hill) are bringing the action north of the Border for the Canadian Premiere of the Action-Blockbuster. If you think that's impressive, consider that it has only thus far opened in 70% of Overseas markets and furthermore, has yet to even open in North America!

Ruffalo and Smulders joined forces for an appearance on CityTV's Breakfast Television. Ruffalo who made his first appearance in Toronto since TIFF 2008, revealed that in addition to slimming down on a strict Regimen for his dual role, he also faced some great challenges. "I enjoy working with Actors" he says, explaining that it was a great challenge filming fight scenes before a Green Screen on his own.

Vancouver Native Smulders made a welcome return her Homeland, ensuring to grab a Tim Hortons Coffee first thing today. The Actress who has gained much popularity for her work on CBS Series How I Met Your Mother as Robin Scherbatsky, praises Ruffalo for giving The Hulk a comedic spin, yet remaining v. human. She also expressed excitement at being able to do her own stunts in some of her more physical scenes in the Joss Whedon Film

The Avengers sees a Team of Superheroes - including Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), The Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) - assembled to fight the evil Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his Army from destroying the Earth. 

Marvel's The Avengers hits theatres in North America Friday, May 4, 2012.

To enter to win a Signed Photo Set from Ruffalo and Smulders, click "like" on this Post at Mr. Will-W.:Pop Maven on Facebook. You must also be following on Twitter also. Your deadline is June 4, 2012.  Good luck!

More to come...

(Photo credit: Mr. Will-W.)

CHAT WITH DIRECTOR AND CAST OF "THE AVENGERS" ON JANUARY 31, 2012

Still from The Avengers

Great news for fans of The Avengers!  The eagerly-awaited Action-Adventure won't be hitting theatres till May 4, 2012, but Fans in the meantime will have a chance to chat with Writer/Director Joss Whedon, Tom Hiddleston and Clark Gregg much sooner.  For the first time ever on the Big Screen, we'll be seeing Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow on-screen together.

Marvel Studios will be sponsoring a 30-minute Live Chat on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 2:00 PM EST and to participate, you can follow @Avengers on Twitter and Tweet with the Hashtag #Avengers. During the Chat, Fans will have a chance to answer Avengers Trivia and win Prize Packs too!

  A 30-second TV Spot will be airing also during Super Bowl XLVI on February 5, 2012 on NBC. Stay tuned.

(Photo credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

FIRST TRAILER: "THE AVENGERS"

Official Artwork for The Avengers

Here it is finally! Walt Disney Motion Pictures' The Avengers, which promises to be just about the biggest Blockbuster to hit theatres in 2012, now has a first official Trailer and it looks pretty epic. Iron Man, Captain America and Thor join forces to save the World in this ultimate mash-up of Marvel Superheroes.  Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson. Need I say more?

Watch the Trailer in full below:

See some Promotional Stills from The Avengers:

WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER? - MOVIE REVIEW

Still from What's Your Number?

As her Sister Daisy's (Ari Graynor) wedding approaches, Ally (Anna Faris) finds herself hyper-aware of her own Singledom.  With the help of her Playboy Neighbour Colin (Chris Evans), she goes on a mission to track down her past 19 Lovers as she questions whether or not any of them might have been "the one who got away".  As Colin and Ally get to know one another, might it be that the v. one they were looking for all along is actually right before their eyes?

Director Mark Mylod, who has made a career out of many successful turns on Television Series like Entourage and United States of Tara, get lots to work with in What's Your Number?, from the super-talented Faris.  The Comedic Genius shows more of a soft side (without foregoing the laughs) here as an addition her repertoire of quirky, often-ditzy Blondes, whom we've grown to know and love over the years.  And wait til you see her BORAT impression.  I was unable to contain my outburst of cackling!

Despite some obvious gaffes in this Adapted Screenplay, such as Ally's half-hearted foray into a career in Sculpture-making and some barely-there attempts at building some push-and-pull in the looming Love Story between Ally and Colin, there never really is a doubt that things will work-out between them even with the presence of a viable Suitor in Eddie (Oliver Jackson-Cohen).  That being said, Faris and Evans are magical together still.  And if all else fails, there is a copious display of Evans' incredibly-ripped physique to satisfy the Rom-Com's obviously Female target audience.   

What's Your Number hits theatres on September 30, 2011 via 20th Century Fox Canada and I dare you not to love Faris allover again.

ENTER TO WIN 1 OF 5 PASSES FOR 4 TO SEE "WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER" IN TORONTO

Official Poster for What's Your Number

What if? Join Ally (Anna Faris) as she reflects on her 20 Ex-Boyfriends, wondering if just one of them might have been her true love. What's Your Number, based upon the Novel 20 Times a Lady by Karyn Bosnak, features an All-star Cast including Chris Evans, Aziz Ansari, Joel McHale, Ari Graynor, Zachary Quinto, Andy Samberg and Faris' real-life Husband, Chris Pratt. See Photos of Faris and Pratt whom I met in Toronto last week here.

20th Century Fox Canada and Mr. Will-W.:Pop Maven want to give five lucky Readers passes for four to see an Advance Screening of What's Your Number in Toronto on Thursday, September 29, 2011.  Also, two of you with the best entries will win a copy of the Novel 20 Times a Lady from HarperCollins Canada!  Your deadline is Tuesday, September 27, 2011.

To qualify for the win, you must "like" Mr. Will-W.:Pop Maven on Facebook and under this Post, leave a comment detailing briefly your own "the one who got away". 

20th Century Fox Canada releases Mark Mylod's What's Your Number on Friday, September 30, 2011.

See the Trailer in full below:

"CAPTAIN AMERICA" SAVES THE BOX OFFICE

Still from Captain America

Captain America not only saves the World, but also the Box Office coming out on top this weekend with an impressive $65.5 million opening, proving that Chris Evans too can be a bankable Leading Man. This result exceeds Paramount Pictures' expectations that the Marvel Comics adaptation would make approximately $60 million. Reviews have been fairly positive, garnering 73% on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomotometer.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 continues to go strong in second week with $48 million this weekend. The entire Franchise just surpassed the $7 billion mark worldwide before the weekend began.

Sony Pictures' Friends with Benefits underwhelms with only $18.7 million in its debut much due in part to its timing of release going up against two Box Office monsters. On the upside, Critics appear to like the Rom-Com, coming in with 70% on the Tomatometer and I must say, I actually loved it!

Transformers: Dark of the Moon slips to fourth spot in this its fourth week of release $12.5 million, just ahead of Horrible Bosses in fifth which impressively was earned over $82 million it its three-week run.

Bad Teacher hangs onto the Top Ten in ninth spot with $2.5 million, putting it just-shy of the $100 million mark in its fifth week and believe it or not, Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris is still in the Top Ten, rounding it all out with $2 million.

TORONTO PREMIERE OF SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (PHOTOS)

I'm finally getting a chance to upload these photos from the Toronto premiere of forthcoming Action-Hero Comedy Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. The film based on the Graphic Novel Scott Pilgrim by Canadian Bryan Lee O'Malley, was filmed here in Toronto under the Direction of Edgar Wright, who brought us Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead.

The invite-only Gala rolled out a Red Carpet at Elgin Theatre for some of today's most promising talent including the film's two main stars Michael Cera (Johnny Pilgrim) and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Ramona Flowers). The film is about Scott Pilgrim wanting to win the heart of Ramona Flowers, but in order to do so, he must defeat her seven ex-lovers. It features an amazing cast of familiar faces like Brandon Routh, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Jason Schwartzman, Aubrey Plaza and Oscar nominee Anna Kendrick - all of whom you will know after this film is released Friday, August 13, 2010 via Universal Pictures.

Although most of the cast were just wonderfully nice (especially Schwartzman and Torontonian Ellen Wong), I am baffled why Kendrick refuses to pose for photos with fans or even sign autographs, as it was reported that she ignored fans on multiple occasions.   It was noted also that our very own Cera is becoming increasingly difficult to interact with as he tends to keep a distance, not posing for photos with fans.

To learn more about Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, click here.  Check out some pics I got from the Red Carpet below:

SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON WRAPS UP

Now I wish we had something like this in Toronto, but I suppose TIFF will have to do!  The 41st annual San Diego Comic-Con held at the San Deigo Convention Centre just wrapped-up and it is said that over 120,000 fans attended the event this year.  The Pop Culture convention gives fans an opportunity to connect with their favourite icons and get the scoop on forthcoming projects pertaining to a Superhero, Comic, Fantasy or Sci-Fi nature. 

Stars to turn up this year included the likes of Seth Rogen, Ryan Reynolds, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Angelina Jolie, Natalie Portman, cast members of Glee and many, many more.

Check out these photos below from the festivities:

REVIEW: THE LOSERS

Warner Bros.' The Losers is what it is.  Is it a great epic film?  No.  Is it carefree entertainment dead-aimed at a primarily male audience?  Yes.  The action-comedy based on the DC and Vertigo comic of the same title follows the story of five members of the United States Special Forces on a mission in Bolivia.  They wind up being betrayed at the hands of a powerful man known as Max (Jason Patric) and narrowly escape death after rescuing 25 innocent children from criminal Fadhil (Peter Francis James), having them board a plane to safety.  They realize only moments later that they, led by Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), were in fact the intended targets of the hit which destroyed that same plane.  The team of five are then declared dead back home in the United States, but meanwhile they are still in Bolivia plotting their revenge plan against Max which brings them back to the United States.

Appearing out of nowhere is sexy Aisha (Zoë Saldana) whom Clay clearly has an attraction to, but all is not well as he soon realizes that this mysterious girl is indeed dangerous after a vicious yet sexily choreographed fight sequence with her.  He learns that she also holds key information that might aid him in his revenge plot.  Roque (Idris Elba) is distrusting of Aisha who joins the team of five and this dissolves the bond among them, particularly with Clay. 

Meanwhile, we learn that Max is looking to acquire high-tech weapons of mass destruction from India, thinking that he has successfully assassinated the team of five.  He learns though that this isn't the case and pulls out all the stops with his money and power to stop them in their tracks, but the question is whether or not the team will in effect self-destruct with all their internal conflict.