Coventry Telegraph - The Geek Files

Buffy bloodsucker James Marsters lands role on The Witches Of East End

2014-06-20T13:37:30Z

Former TV vampire James Marsters is about to make viewers fall under his spell by appearing on hit American supernatural fantasy series The Witches Of East End.

The Californian-born actor, who found fame as British bloodsucker Spike on Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel, will play an old friend of Joanna's (Julia Ormond) who reappears in her life.

The role means Marsters has had to pull out of a planned dates in Europe next month with his band Ghost Of The Robot.

Go to www.facebook.com/JamesMarstersLive for details.

Geek Gossip: Sin City, Street Wars, The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1

2014-06-05T23:04:17Z

A series of new character posters gives some clues as to what we can expect from the upcoming Sin City sequel that hits cinemas in the UK on August 29.

Nine years after the 2005 hit Sin City, the stories of the notorious city dwellers resume in Sin City: A Dame To Kill For.

]]> Boasting an all-star cast led by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises), Eva Green (Dark Shadows), Juno Temple (Killer Joe), Jessica Alba (Sin City, Fantastic Four), Bruce Willis (Looper) and Josh Brolin (Old Boy), this next instalment aims to take audiences on "a visceral ride into the twisted minds of Frank Miller's
unforgettable characters."

The new posters feature Gordon-Levitt, Alba and Brolin, along with co-stars Mickey Rourke and Rosario Dawson.

Co-directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller reunite to bring Miller's Sin City graphic novels back to the screen. Weaving together two of Miller's classic stories with new tales, the town's most hard-boiled citizens cross paths with some of its more reviled inhabitants.

More gritty and action-packed crime drama can be found in Steven Seagal's new film Street Wars, which hit Redbox rentals on June 3.

Street Wars follows Elijah Kane (Seagal) and his team as they battle to find out who is behind a new drug that is raising the body count among young people in Seattle.

Their case becomes even more difficult when Gates (Kyle Cassie), the mayor's nephew, joins the team, and we learn that Kane's right-hand man Andre (William Stewart) is hiding something. More information on the official Facebook page.

Fans of The Hunger Games have been given inside access to the next instalment in the franchise.

A digital first look at The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 features an exclusive look at District 13's President Coin along with a video interview with Julianne Moore and a Q&A with director Francis Lawrence, producer Nina Jacobson, and screenwriter Peter Craig.

Additionally, there are first look images and behind-the-scenes stills, an interactive sneak peek at a page from the film's script, and the official motion poster. All this can be found at The HungerGamesExclusive.com

Mockingjay Part 1 finds Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) in District 13 after she shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin (Julianne Moore) and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and a nation moved by her courage.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 - directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by Danny Strong and Peter Craig - hits cinemas on November 21, 2014.

Why X-Men: Days of Future Past is the new Dark Knight of the superhero genre

2014-05-30T18:50:20Z

It's easy to get overexcited and prone to hyperbole when caught up in a new film after all the build-up of personal anticipation and global marketing.

But I've now seen X-Men: Days of Future Past three times - once at an advance press screening, twice in cinemas - so I don't say this lightly: This is the new Dark Knight of the superhero genre.

And here's why.

]]> We're in a golden age of comic book adaptations - and this is the third such release this year (following Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Amazing Spider-Man 2), with one more superhero movie to come (Guardians of the Galaxy).

But hundreds of movies come out each year so the notion of there being too many, or of the idea of superhero fatigue, is not at all true.

Comic books and the films made from them are today's mythology, wrapping (hopefully) powerful stories and relevant themes in sci-fi spectacle.

X-Men: Days of Future Past never forgets the human part of the superhuman, and thus delivers a story-driven tale full of emotion, drama, stakes and surprises.

Whereas Marvel's The Avengers celebrated the genre and fulfilled our expectations of seeing a comic book team brought to life on screen, this goes far beyond and exceeds our expectations. Just as The Dark Knight did back in 2008.

X-Men: Days of Future Past acknowledges the comics on which it is based, stays true to all the previous films, provides deep layers of emotion, builds a powerful mythology and, without giving anything away, will make X-Men fans truly happy at the result of its time-hopping antics.

The story begins in a terrible future where mutants (and any humans supporting them or capable of giving birth to mutant children) are being targeted by Sentinels, robots now able to adapt so they can withstand superpowered attacks.

Among the survivors are members of the X-Men; Ian McKellen's Magneto; and a handful of other characters we haven't met before. The remaining X-Men include Ellen Page's Kitty Pryde whose power has expanded from three dimensions to four: in addition to 'phasing' matter (herself or others) through solid objects, she has now learned to move people's minds through time. Also there is Patrick Stewart's Professor Xavier who, as we saw in an end-credits scene in X-Men: The Last Stand, transferred his own consciousness to survive being disintegrated in a battle with Jean Grey.

These future survivors band together and come up with a last-ditch plan to send someone's mind back in time and prevent the terrible war from ever happening. It turns out that Wolverine is the only one who can make the trip, because his healing powers mean he can handle having his mind flung back 50 years into his younger self.

Once there, he must find the younger Xavier (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) and stop the pivotal moment, which occurs when younger Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) assassinates the man who first created the Sentinels (Bolivar Trask, played by Peter Dinklage). The assassination led to her being captured and her transformative abilities used to build a new generation of super-adaptive Sentinels in the far future.

In the past - where the 70s are very well re-created - Xavier and Magneto are in very different places, and Wolverine has quite a job on his hands getting everyone on his side. Amid some powerhouse acting from everyone on screen - especially McAvoy and Fassbender - Jackman and the others seek the help of superfast Peter Maximoff (aka Quicksilver in the comics) to carry out a daring prison break in the Pentagon. It's one of the highlights of the movie, all the more special because initial images revealing the look of Evan Peters' quirky, goofy teenage speedster didn't go down too well with fanboys. The reality of seeing the character in the movie sweeps away all that and shows the filmmakers had it right all along.

Suspense is cleverly built during the middle of the movie towards a grand finale that could go in any number of directions. And when it does come, it doesn't disappoint. The climax is a refreshing change from the usual explosions of vehicles and buildings. Instead, the film ramps up the tensions by switching cleverly from past to future at key points. As the Sentinels close in on the future team who are guarding Wolverine during his time-travel slumber, the character's mission back in the past becomes more and more desperate.

And what will the outcome be when he returns to the future? What will he find has changed? Will it be for better or worse? Let's just say the devoted followers of these films will absolutely love it.

Skilfully using a well-written time-travel tale, Bryan Singer and screenwriter Simon Kinberg leave us in a position where - in many ways - we see the torch passed from the older cast to their younger incarnations. It's a resetting of the franchise that makes so much sense. Not only is this a feast of solid filmmaking and fantasy spectacle but it clears the table and leaves it open for new adventures.

No longer is the past (or future, for that matter) restricted to lining up with the previous films, as each has been given a fresh start freed from the complexities of continuity.

Future Past is a solid stone in the franchise's foundation for the future, and an end-credits teaser provides a hint at what's to come.

And I assure readers that there's no fanboy hysteria to be found here in this review. Singer is back in the franchise where he clearly belongs and judged purely on technical levels - acting, writing, directing, visual effects, cinematography, etc - this is an amazing film that deserves much love from the mainstream viewer as well as X-Men devotees. A Dark Knight that creates a bright future for this series.

Go to see it if you haven't already - and if you have, I can promise that further viewings only enrich the experience.

Rating: 9 out of 10 (and I could be pushed to 10/10 after my latest viewing, as the quibbles are so minor).

Simply Spe-X-tacular!

14 things you need to know about X-Men: Days of Future Past

2014-05-15T23:32:26Z

May 22 sees the release of the hotly anticipated new X-Men movie, Days of Future Past.

The time-hopping tale marks the return of Bryan Singer to the mutant movie series and sees new and old casts brought together for an epic adventure.

So what's it all about?

Here are 14 things you need to know about X-Men: Days of Future Past.

There is a general overview of the story but no spoilers about specific events or character fates in the movie.

]]> 1. What's the plot of the movie?

In a nutshell, Wolverine is sent back in time from a terrible future to change history and prevent that future from ever happening.

The story is adapted from a 1981 X-Men comic that, in fact, was published several years before time-travel movies The Terminator (1984) and Back To The Future (1985).

To add a little more detail, mutants are being hunted to extinction in a dark, dystopian future by robots called Sentinels. As the situation gets bleaker and bleaker, a band of surviving mutants - some of the remaining X-Men and a few other characters - figure out a way to attempt time travel so they can try to stop the war from ever happening.

2. So who time travels?

It's Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) who is sent back - but only his consciousness. Using some of the mutants' abilities, the X-Men figure out how to send his mind back into his younger body in 1973.

In the comic book story, it was Kitty Pryde whose mind was sent back in time, but the film version of Kitty would not even have been born in 1973.

Wolverine goes back because he was definitely around back then and, more significantly, because his healing abilities will enable him to survive the strain of being flung 50 years into the past. And, of course, Wolverine has always been a central character in this film series.

3. What does he have to do when he arrives in his younger body in 1973?

Wolverine needs to stop the Sentinels being created. He has to work with the younger versions of Xavier (James McAvoy), Magneto (Michael Fassbender) and Beast (Nicholas Hoult) to stop Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) doing something that will unwittingly bring about a future where mutants are wiped out.

To make matters more complicated, Magneto is now in prison and Xavier has sunk into a depression.

By all accounts, the time-travel provides plenty of twists and surprises, including chance to 'correct' some events from the existing films. I've heard several rumours and am intrigued as to how it will all work out in the end.

4. Are there any other characters in the past?

Yes, the creator of the Sentinels is Bolivar Trask, played by Peter Dinklage. He believes mutants will replace normal humans as the dominant species and so he sets about controlling and, ultimately, exterminating them. He unveils the very first Sentinels - a more basic Mark 1 version - in the past.

We also meet Peter Maximoff, aka Quicksilver, a mutant with the power of super-speed, played by Evan Peters. Early reviews say a sequence where he uses his abilities is a highlight of the movie.

Others include Havok (who was in X-Men: First Class and is played by Lucas Till), a younger version of Toad (played by Evan Jonigkeit), and a mutant called Ink (Gregg Lowe).

5. So the Sentinels already existed in the past?

Yes. Remember the scene in X-Men: The Last Stand, where the X-Men battled a Sentinel in a training sequence in the school's Danger Room? We could take that as an indication that Sentinels were once a much greater presence. Clearly, they were reactivated further into the future as mutant/human relations fell apart.

The website for Trask Industries - a viral site created by the studio - indicates that Sentinels were no longer being made after 1996. Maybe they were deemed a weapon of mass destruction and were not being actively deployed after that date, much like nuclear weapons in our own real world. But they were still included in the Danger Room computer programs as a potential opponent. However, the Sentinels that did reappear in the further future had been upgraded to be far more deadly than the X-Men could have imagined.

6. So do these films have a timeline and continuity?

The series has been running for 14 years, with five different directors and many different writers, so there have been some creative liberties taken over that time.

But, despite any creases and crinkles in the overall road map, there is a timeline. It was laid out in Empire magazine, and details how the existing films fit together.

Briefly, X-Men: First Class was in 1962 and the past setting of Days of Future Past is 1973. X-Men took place in 2005, X2 in 2006 and X-Men: The Last Stand in 2007. The Wolverine took place in 2013 and the future part of Days of Future Past is set in 2023.

7. So who is in the future part of the new film?

Familiar faces including Magneto (Ian McKellen), Xavier (Patrick Stewart), Wolverine, Storm (Halle Berry), Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page), Iceman (Shawn Ashmore), Colossus (Daniel Cudmore) and Rogue (Anna Paquin)

Plus some mutant rebels we haven't met before, including Bishop, Blink, Warpath and Sunspot. They're played by Omar Sy, Bingbing Fan, Booboo Stewart and Adan Canto, respectively.

8. That's a lot of characters. Will there be too many characters to do justice to in a two-hour movie?

Director Bryan Singer loves ensemble movies and has a lot of experience in doing them, so it doesn't seem a major cause for concern.

Also, remember that some of these characters are there to populate the story and build a world where mutants exist, some are there to show what is at stake - in other words, don't expect them all to survive if the Sentinels are as deadly as suggested.

9. Bringing all these characters together sounds like Avengers? Is that why they're doing it?

Producers have been wanting to adapt Days of Future Past for many years. And then the ready-made existence of young versions in the past setting of First Class, and the older versions of the original trilogy, provided the perfect platform to do it.

It's not like Avengers though - in this film, there are two time periods and the characters don't all have their own solo movies (except Wolverine, so far). It's also supposed to be darker and more complex than Avengers. But there's still enough spectacle, action and fun for the casual moviegoer and for families with kids.

What Marvel Studios' successful Avengers franchise is providing a template for is a more structured 'mapping out' of future films, and the interconnection of stories so they really do feel part of one grand saga. The return of Bryan Singer should help ensure a stronger and more consistent overall vision for this continuing series.

10. How long is the film and what's the rating?

It's 131 minutes (2hrs 11minutes) and has a UK rating of 12A (meaning no one under age 12 may see it unless accompanied by an adult).

11. What's the buzz online? Is it worth seeing?

The buzz is very good. At the time of writing, X-Men: Days of Future Past has an overall score of 94 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes (where critics' reviews are compiled into an overall rating). Looking at other movies in the superhero genre, we find a score of 89 per cent for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and 54 per cent for The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

On the similar review aggregator Metacritic, X-Men: Days of Future Past has 72 per cent, Captain America: The Winter Soldier has 70 per cent and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has 53 per cent.

12. There seem to be a lot of superhero movies these days. Can we cope?

Hopefully! As long as they are made well, and as long as they each try to be original and have something different to offer, and if they are nicely spread apart across the calendar. There are plenty of other films around and only four superhero movies this year among the hundreds of films released in 2014. The powerful fan/geek presence online makes it seem like there are more of these superhero films than there actually are.

13. What's the particular appeal of the X-Men movies?

They have a brilliant cast, and they offer deeper themes (discrimination, persecution of minorities, tolerance) than is sometimes typical of this genre, as well as great stories and fantastic action.

14. So what's next for the X-Men series?

The next movie after X-Men: Days of Future Past is X-Men: Apocalypse, which is due out on May 27, 2016, and we can expect a scene hinting at that after the credits of Days of Future Past, so don't leave the cinema as soon as the main feature ends.

Another Wolverine movie is set for March 3, 2017 and Fox has booked July 13, 2018, for an untitled comic book adaptation that many assume is some sort of X-Men crossover.

Channing Tatum has just been cast as a new version of Gambit (replacing Taylor Kitsch who played the part in X-Men Origins: Wolverine) and is expected to appear in X-Men: Apocalypse as well as in a planned solo spin-off.

Check back for my review of X-Men: Days of Future Past.

The Wolverine roars to top of China box office as it becomes most successful X-Men film outside USA

2013-10-22T21:08:17Z

Released here in the UK back in July, The Wolverine still has plenty to roar about.

Hugh Jackman's second solo X-Men spinoff has just become one of the few Hollywood movies to be granted a release in China - and it went straight to the top of the box office.

]]> The Wolverine took $18.17million in its first week - according to latest figures from The Hollywood Reporter - and this will push its global total towards $400million.

Such a late release for a movie in another territory normally means poor ticket sales because many people would already have seen it on bootleg DVDs or illegal downloads.

Jackman no doubt helped raise the film's profile when he flew to Beijing for promotional appearances directly after performing a one-man show in Los Angeles for the Motion Picture Television Fund.

As the Los Angeles Times reports, China only allows about 20 foreign films to be shown in its cinemas each year. And that's under an agreement in which studios collect less than 20 per cent of the box office takings, compared to more than twice that in the USA and other international markets. Talks are under way to try to persuade the Chinese government to increase that quota.

The Wolverine now has the highest gross overseas (outside North America) of any of the six films in the X-Men franchise to date. Previously, X-Men: The Last Stand had held that title.

Conversely, The Wolverine had the lowest domestic (North American) gross and lowest domestic opening weekend in the franchise, perhaps because its story is set largely in Japan and features a large cast of lesser-known Japanese actors. But that didn't give it much of a Japanese box office boost - it opened in third place there last month.

Nonetheless, the latest tally from China is great news for this series of comic book adaptations, which will release its next instalment, X-Men: Days of Future Past, in May 2014.

James Spader cast as Ultron in Avengers 2

2013-08-29T15:48:37Z

Well, that was fast. Following the recent web chatter that Paul Bettany could be playing Ultron in the Avengers sequel, Marvel has rushed to dispel the swirling rumours by announcing that James Spader has been cast as the robot villain.

Reports had suggested that Bettany - who voices Tony Stark's household AI program JARVIS - may have become Ultron in the upcoming film.

But it appears not to be the case. However, with Ultron being a robot that doesn't have a human face, the specifics of the role aren't clear. Will Spader be inside a metal suit, or doing motion capture, or just providing the voice?

Avengers: Age of Ultron is released on May 1, 2015.

Will Paul Bettany's JARVIS turn into Ultron in Avengers 2?

2013-08-28T23:05:20Z

When Marvel announced at San Diego Comic-Con that the Avengers sequel would be called Avengers: Age of Ultron, it also told fans the name of the villain.

Followers of the franchise had all been expecting it to be Thanos, the red-faced baddie glimpsed at the very end of the first Avengers film.

Ultron (above) is a near-indestructible sentient robot, created by scientist Hank Pym (aka Ant-Man). Taking on an evil life of its own, Ultron has an array of abiltiies including superhuman strength and speed, flight and weapons such as energy blasts and a coma-inducing 'encephalo-ray.'

]]> Director Joss Whedon told Entertainment Weekly that some of those powers would be reduced or removed for the film world.

Whedon has also clarified that the big-screen Age of Ultron tale would be unrelated to Marvel's recent crossover comic book series of the same name.

In that comic, the A.I. menace had taken over the world, and Wolverine and Invisible Woman travelled to the past to kill Pym so that Ultron would never be created.

Whedon explained to Marvel LIVE! at Comic-Con: "A lot of people - because we called it Age of Ultron and there was a book Age of Ultron just recently - assumed that was the storyline we are doing, which is not the case. We're doing our own version of the origin story of Ultron.

"And the other thing is in the origin story there was Hank Pym, so a lot of people assumed he was going to be in the mix but he's not, because we're basically taking the things from the comics that we need and can use. A lot of stuff has to fall by the wayside."

Ant-Man is instead being introduced in his own solo movie on November 6, 2015, six months after Age of Ultron's debut on May 1, 2015.

So, in the absence of Pym, Ultron will arise in some other way.

Whedon hinted: "We are crafting our own version of it where his origin comes more directly from the Avengers we already know about."

That seems to suggest Tony Stark and his various armoured suits - which can operate without him even being in them, as we saw in Iron Man 3 - could be the key to the movie version of Ultron.

But what about the being's artificial intelligence?

Well, according to Unleash The Fanboy, sources have indicated it will be Stark's household AI computer program JARVIS that will transform into Ultron. It seems a logical step within the existing framework established by the films.

Paul Bettany voiced JARVIS in Avengers and the Iron Man films. He'll definitely be returning as the virtual butler and we now have to wait to find out if he will also be appearing in a physical role as Ultron or if some other scenario is happening instead.

It opens the door to possibilities such as the eventual inclusion of Vision, the android Avenger created by Ultron in the comics.

In the source material, Vision becomes romantically involved with Avengers team-mate Scarlet Witch, who has been confirmed to be a new character in the upcoming film. Saoirse Ronan had been linked to the role but reportedly declined, with Elizabeth Olsen now the hot contender.

Doctor Who - The Ice Warriors (DVD Review)

2013-08-24T23:09:16Z

By Gary Young

Doctor Who - The Ice Warriors (RRP £20.42, released August 26, 2013)

With the Doctor Who publicity juggernaut grinding remorselessly towards the 50th anniversary celebrations, the programme's past is being highlighted like never before.

The latest classic story to be dusted off and lovingly restored is the Patrick Troughton epic The Ice Warriors.

With two episodes missing from the BBC archives, previous releases have always been unsatisfying - but the sterling work of the Doctor Who restoration team in animating the missing segments to the surrounding soundtrack result in an effect similar to replacing a missing tooth in a much-loved smile.

]]> Patrick Troughton has always been the Doctor's Doctor - all subsequent actors who have taken on the role seem to fall over themselves to praise his performance.

Following the irascible anti-hero first Doctor William Hartnell, Troughton set the template of the kindly, gentle but morally-driven Time Lord - and introduced us to some of the major characters, baddies and situations that sustain the show today.

UNIT, the Brigadier - the Time Lords themselves - were all introduced on his watch, along with the Ice Warriors.

Troughton's tenure on the show is obviously still resonating with the current production team, with The Great Intelligence and the Ice Warriors both cropping up in the latest season of the show.

And it is the actor's warmth and charisma that light up the screen whenever he is in a scene, making The Ice Warriors such a delight.

As a child I was brought up on the classic Pertwee and Tom Baker episodes, but Troughton was always my favourite Doctor, simply from reading the Target novelisations. The stories seemed taut, imaginative and ambitious in scope, with deft characterisations and classic adversaries. I never dreamed I would be able to watch them - especially with so many episodes missing - all of which makes the current releasing of reconstructed stories such a treat.

It is fair to say though, that to modern sensibilities the Troughton shows are not without their faults. The pace can be plodding, the production values laughable, and the old cliché of endlessly running up and down corridors, screaming assistants and pointless captures and escapes are not without foundation - with the grinding need to create a cliffhanger every 25 minutes.

At six episodes the pace of the Ice Warriors does slacken occasionally, some of the action sequences are positively clunky, and the Ice Warriors themselves are the epitome of the classic Doctor Who villain - men clad in ridiculous, oversized costumes lumbering about slowly with limited visibility, often bumping into the sets and making them wobble.

But these 'faults' frankly add to the charm of the shows - especially when measured against modern episodes with their frenetic pace, sketchy characterization and occasionally over-wrought plotting.

Troughton himself, with his gift for whimsy and slapstick matched only by his sense of kindly integrity and bursts of righteous indignation, keeps the show grounded - and his chemistry with companions Jamie (Fraser Hines) and Victoria (Deborah Watling) is a delight to watch.

The supporting cast is also excellent. Peter Barkworth chews the scenery to great effect as the anti-hero Leader Clent, and Peter Sallis (pre-Last Of The Summer Wine and Wallace and Gromit) gives an unexpectedly gritty turn as the gruff and rebellious scientist Penley.

Bizarrely, the lead Ice Warrior, Varga, is played by the much-loved Carry On stalwart Bernard Bresslaw, who is completely unrecognizable under the mask and shell armour.

And yet under the reptilian hiss the voice is recognizably his, and he manages to invest the faceless creature with a distinctive and dominating character.

The discs come with the usual commentary - provided by Hines and Watling with a selection of supporting cast members and production staff - and extras include a short but satisfying 25-minute making-of documentary, a feature on the animation company, a profile of Fraser Hines and some charming contemporary footage of a Blue Peter design-a-monster competition.

All-in-all, The Ice Warriors is a must-have for any fan of Classic Who.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Scream queen DeeDee Bigelow takes on monster catfish in Animal Planet's Hillbilly Handfishin'

2013-08-24T19:01:38Z

Scream queen DeeDee Bigelow - whose credits include Machete Betty, Violent Blue and upcoming movies Legend of the Red Reaper, Spreading Darkness, The Road Killer and Scarlet Samurai: Incarnation - has netted a new role and a change of genre.

DeeDee will appear in Animal Planet's adventure show Hillbilly Handfishin' on August 30.

On the show, she will compete with several others in the sport of noodling, which is catching catfish using only the bare hands and feet.

]]> Bigelow will appear in Season 2 of the show, in the episode Luck of the Irish.

This episode features three pairs of people, from different walks of life, who take a shot at fishing in the Red River of Oklahoma. Bigelow is no stranger to physical roles, but the catfish in this river bite back.

Two early stills have been released from this episode. The first shows Bigelow behind the scenes in makeup. This episode will offer a fright and a surprise, thanks to Robert Hall (Almost Human) and Chase Birdsong's makeup effects.

The second still shows Bigelow in the waters of the Red River as she is set to catch her first catfish.

DeeDee has appeared in more than 30 film and television projects.

In Hillbilly Handfishin', the horror starlet appears with fellow genre actress Jillie Riel to get down and dirty in the rough Oklahoma waters.

They are joined by Simon and Joanne, an Irish couple from Boston, who travel down south with the hopes of wrangling the biggest catfish in Cotton County.

But before they do a victory jig, Trina and Scott, a pub owner and assistant from Savannah, Georgia, prove it takes southern charm, grace and a little bit of muscle to nab these monster catfish from their underwater lairs.

X-Men: Days of Future Past finishes filming, latest images tease 70s setting and mutant museum

2013-08-18T23:03:56Z

Production has officially wrapped on Bryan Singer's new epic X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Filmed in Montreal, Canada, with 3D cameras, the movie is due out in May 2014 and brings together cast from the past setting of X-Men: First Class (including Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult and Lucas Till) with cast from the original trilogy (including Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Ellen Page, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, Daniel Cudmore).

]]> As principal photography ended on Saturday, the director tweeted a picture from the set showing (below, from left) writer Simon Kinberg, Bryan Singer, Hugh Jackman and producer Hutch Parker.

Another still from the production (featured at the top of this article) has also surfaced, showing a 1973 scene with Nicholas Hoult as a very human Beast (the change from the blue furry version seen in First Class will no doubt be explained in the story) alongside Wolverine and McAvoy's Xavier.

The cast also features Josh Helman as a younger version of William Stryker, an anti-mutant military scientist who was also in X2 and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. In addition, some new characters are introduced including Quicksilver, Warpath, Bishop, Blink and Sunspot.

The story revolves around Wolverine being sent back in time to prevent a terrible future from ever happening. Jackman recently dismissed reports that he had been offered $100 million to play the role in four further films, saying his approach was instead to consider individual projects on their own merits.

Also at the heart of the Days of Future Past story is Peter Dinklage's character Bolivar Trask, who is known to comic book fans as creator of the Sentinels, robots built to protect mankind from the 'threat' of mutants. You can find some background material on the Trask Industries promotional website.

Below are some images released earlier of the Sentinels, one with Bryan Singer, another showing a Sentinel at Ronald Reagan's inauguration.

There's also a couple of Sentinel-themed posters along with stunning posters showing the film's two versions of Xavier and Magneto.

Another recent image tweeted by Singer shows some kind of mutant museum, housing artefacts including what appear to be the coin Magneto used to kill Sebastian Shaw, the first costume worn by Havok, Magneto's original helmet taken from Shaw and one of the wings from Zoe Kravitz's Angel Salvadore.

Little is known about the details of the story, but with nine months to go before release (which will be taken up with post-production work such as adding special effects) we are sure to get plenty more information. Follow Bryan Singer on Twitter for more tidbits and images.

New poster for Thor: The Dark World shows Christopher Eccleston as evil elf Malekith and Natalie Portman in Asgard armour

2013-08-01T15:55:16Z

The final entry on the 2013 superhero calendar is Thor: The Dark World and a new poster has today been sent over to us for the upcoming Marvel Studios release.

It comes a week ahead of the arrival of a new full-length trailer. The existing teaser trailer is included below.

Thor: The Dark World continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that pre-dates the universe itself.

]]> In the aftermath of the events of the Thor and Avengers films, Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos, but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith (Christopher Eccleston, looming over the cast at the top of the poster) returns to plunge the universe back into darkness.

Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

Thor: The Dark World stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano, Jaimie Alexander, Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins and is directed by Alan Taylor.

The film is produced by Kevin Feige, from a story by Don Payne and screenplay by Christopher Yost and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely and is based on the Marvel superhero who first appeared in the comic book Journey into Mystery 83 in August, 1962.

The film releases in the UK on October 30, 2013, and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

SDCC 2013 round-up: X-Men Days of Future Past, Avengers 2, Man of Steel 2 to feature Batman

2013-07-21T23:04:28Z

The geek epicentre and sheer madness that is San Diego Comic-Con is always known for surprises and announcements but this year it seemed to surpass itself.

Among the massive moments at the 2013 convention was an amazing line-up of talent from 2014's upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past. They were director Bryan Singer, producers Hutch Parker and Lauren Shuler Donner, writer Simon Kinberg and cast members Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page, Shawn Ashmore, Nicholas Hoult, Peter Dinklage, Evan Peters and Omar Sy.

Ashmore said of the upcoming movie: "There's some really cool stuff that people don't expect to see or are possibly waiting to see from these characters."

Dinklage confirmed his character is Bolivar Trask, creator of mutant-hunting robots called Sentinels. Various posters at Comic-Con teased Trask Industries and the designs of its Sentinels, and there was a model of a Sentinel head on display. Elsewhere, images of some of the cast in futuristic costumes surfaced, with (above, clockwise) Patrick Stewart as Xavier, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Omar Sy as Bishop and Daniel Cudmore as Colossus.

Singer showed the excited crowd some 3D footage - not released online - and as the panel answered audience questions, he agreed the X-Men had vast potential for expanding into further team movies and spin-offs, though no announcements were made and no further news given on X-Force.

]]> Singer said: "The X-Men universe is every bit as large as the remaining Marvel Universe and the DC Universe and I think if carefully explored, movie by movie, much the way Marvel's done and DC is beginning to do, I think there's a lot of room for growing, expanding the film canon for X-Men. Some people can have their own movies, combined movies, all those things are obviously possible because we've seen them working."

At the Marvel Studios panel, Joss Whedon announced that the official title for the Avengers sequel will be Avengers: Age of Ultron. The film is set to begin production in March 2014 ahead of release on May 1, 2015.

The title indicates the villain won't be the cosmic baddie Thanos, who was teased at the end of the first Avengers film, but the artificial intelligence Ultron.

In the comic books, Ultron was created by Ant-Man and was itself the creator of the android called Vision, who becomes a member of Avengers and has the ability to alter body density to become intangible and ghost-like or as hard as diamond.

The reveal of the title adds more momentum to the chatter that Vin Diesel may be in talks to play Vision. The actor has already confirmed he has had meetings with Marvel but won't disclose what has been discussed.

Originally, Age of Ultron was a comic book crossover series in which Ultron had taken over everything and everyone on Earth. It involved not only the Avengers but also Wolverine and the Fantastic Four, though the big-screen version isn't likely to see such an expansive roster unless Marvel and Fox are doing a deal behind the scenes.

The other big news emerging from the convention was the announcement of a Man of Steel sequel that will feature Batman.

It will be the first time the two DC Comics heroes have been in the same movie, though the new caped crusader is yet to be cast. Leading fan choices in one recent poll was Ryan Gosling.

Man of Steel director Zack Snyder is co-writing the story with David Goyer, who will then pen the screenplay. Production is set to begin in 2014, with an anticipated release date in summer 2015.

Zack Snyder said at Comic-Con: "I'm so excited to begin working again with Henry Cavill in the world we created, and I can't wait to expand the DC Universe in this next chapter. Let's face it, it's beyond mythological to have Superman and our new Batman facing off, since they are the greatest superheroes in the world."

Emma Thomas, who will serve as an executive producer on the project along with husband and Batman filmmaker Christopher Nolan, said: "Whilst our Dark Knight trilogy is complete, we have every confidence that Zack's fresh interpretation will take the character in a new and exciting direction. His vision for Superman opened the door to a whole new universe and we can't wait to see what Zack does with these characters."

Film Review: The Wolverine (3D, 12A, 126mins)

2013-07-21T22:30:22Z

Providing a blockbuster breath of fresh air, The Wolverine ditches the usual end-of-the-world perils in what is Hugh Jackman's sixth turn as the mutton-chopped mutant.

Instead the film chooses a more personal path, adds a distinctive flavour of the Far East and, in setting itself apart in such a way, deserves to claw itself a solid position at the box office.

So far this summer we've had a world-threatening, skyscraper-toppling onslaught of big action movies such as Star Trek Into Darkess, Man of Steel and Pacific Rim, so it's a relief to bring things down to earth a little in the sci-fi/superhero genre.

The Wolverine still has action, of course, but far more character-focused than yet another computer-generated city or two falling down in obvious echoes of 9/11.

Director James Mangold's movie is intense, impressive and involving, with a densely-plotted story of dynastic struggles offering intrigue and betrayal, plus franchise-bridging links to films of the past and future and the requisite comic-book touches via the camp-vamp villainy of the Viper and the armoured might of the Silver Samurai.

And, yes, there's humour. Plus some James Bond influences, including a balcony moment borrowed from Diamonds are Forever.

Seen at an advance screening in London, where director James Mangold and star Hugh Jackman were the surprise guests and drew cheers and screams from an excited crowd of bloggers and other film fans, this latest offering in the X-Men franchise definitely delivered the goods.

]]>

The story, based on a celebrated comic book arc by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, is not a sequel to 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine but is set sometime after the dramatic and tragic events of 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand. That film saw Logan forced to kill his beloved Jean Grey to stop her reign of death and destruction as she spiralled out of control into the Dark Phoenix.

Clearly those events took their toll and Wolverine, now dishevelled and living a solitary life as a tortured soul like some wild man of the woods, has abandoned all sense of purpose that life with the X-Men had given to him.

Then, out of the blue, he is called to Japan to say goodbye to a dying man whose life he saved decades earlier when the atom bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. The invitation comes from Yukio (Rila Fukushima), a scarlet-haired warrior who proves very useful company for Wolverine in the events that unfold.

It transpires that the dying man is Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi), now the most powerful tycoon in Asia, and he wants more than to say a fond and grateful farewell. He sees Wolverine as a ronin - a samurai without a master, adrift in the world - and offers to take away his mutant healing ability. By acquiring it for himself, Yashida would be able to live on and protect his increasingly threatened empire while Wolverine has the chance to settle down and grow old like any other normal human being.

But nothing is that simple and Wolverine finds himself caught up in a complex power battle involving Yashida's granddaughter Mariko (Tao Okamoto), with whom he develops a romantic attachment after protecting her from hit-men and kidnappers. It's only then - as he fends off various assassins in tense battles including an amazing fight atop a 300mph bullet train - that he discovers his regenerative abilities seem to have somehow been removed against his will.

Slithering among the deadly nest of deceit is Yashida's doctor and resident scientist, the slinky snake-mutant Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova), and as the stakes get higher, tensions lead to a thunderous life-or-death showdown featuring comic book archnemesis Silver Samurai and a very real sense that Wolverine might not survive this time after all.

It has to be said, though, that one particular revelation during this Silver Samurai sequence may at first strain the suspension of disbelief but what happens makes sense narratively and climactically.

Facing questions of mortality and the possibility of death during the film, Wolverine is haunted by visions of Famke Janssen's Jean Grey calling on him to give up his struggles and join her on the other side.

As fans of X-Men comics lore will spot - and mainstream critics would not know - these sequences are clearly inspired by the White Hot Room, the afterlife realm where Jean Grey becomes the White Phoenix as she awaits rebirth and resurrection to human form. Could this be a hint at Jean Grey's return in the franchise?

An additional scene midway through the credits offers two other familiar faces who are definitely returning in next year's X-Men: Days of Future Past. It's easily the best such teaser sequence in any Marvel-related film yet, drawing screams and applause from the audience, so be sure not to leave when the credits start to roll.

Jackman had promised big things from The Wolverine when he appeared on stage at the central London screening, saying: "We're re-correcting the character more than re-defining it."

And that is true to a great extent. The movie does bring a new sense of personal struggle and vulnerability to the metal-laced mutant that really does leave you wondering if he will be alive at the end of the movie. The fight scenes pitting claws against swords are vicious and visceral - skilfully shot to retain a 12A certificate - and the bigger action sequences have a powerful impact.

"Nothing here is without meaning," Mariko tells Logan in one scene as he wrestles with the country's customs and traditions, and that applies largely to the film as a whole, which uses themes and symbolism far more than in the previous instalment.

The Japanese setting (made all the more authentic with location filming) and some stylish cinematography help bring something fresh to the superhero genre, although it has to be said that the eastern exoticism is sometimes sacrificed for the inevitable requirements of the Hollywood blockbuster formula (which were also very obviously brought into play in Man of Steel and Pacific Rim).

Most noticeable among the more excessive elements is Viper, who seemed a little overused. While Russian actress Svetlana does look suitably slinky, lethal and treacherous, it feels like her poison powers are shown a few times too often, including a moment where she kills a complete stranger who propositions her in the street; it's a scene that makes no real contribution to the plot. Less is always more when it comes to depicting villains who are supposed to be slippery and traitorous.

A few other scenes, such as Wolverine's early encounter with a grizzly bear, also didn't feel to me like a necessary part of the atmosphere the film was trying to create.

But these are minor quibbles and at least this film isn't stuffed with distracting cameos like X-Men Origins: Wolverine, so we get plenty of breathing space to explore the character and get a good grasp of the other leading players such as Yukio and Mariko.

It's a movie I certainly want to see again when it's released on July 25 and some reviewers' disapproving comments that The Wolverine is not like Avengers or the Dark Knight only serve to illustrate the erroneous approach of trying to pigeonhole this film rather than judge it for what it actually is.

The X-Men franchise is clearly its own beast - somewhere between those polar opposites, making its own mark on the big screen - and that beast has plenty of power in this particular adventure.

8/10

(Note that the 3D was reasonable, and very good in places where it did seem to add to audience immersion in the intensity and aesthetics of parts of the story. The film has a decent running time of 2 hours and 6 minutes, close to the length of the franchise's most highly-regarded instalments, X-Men: First Class and X2.)

Ryan Gosling leads fans' choices for next Batman as Dark Knight named best superhero movie

2013-07-16T16:58:59Z

The Dark Knight has been named best superhero film in a new poll, with Christopher Nolan's follow-up The Dark Knight Rises second and Marvel's team-up The Avengers in third position.

Illustrating the hugely polarised views in fandom these days, all three also featured among the results in a question about the most overrated comic book movies.

And although Catwoman was voted worst superhero film, the feline felon was also the character most superhero fans would like to take out on a date.

In the survey by OnePoll, carried out for Ladbrokes Games, there was biggest demand for Wonder Woman to be next on the big screen, and then The Flash.

But despite the love of Batman and the call for fellow DC heroes Wonder Woman and The Flash to be up next for cinematic adaptation, it was Marvel who won in a question pitting it against DC to find the best comic book publisher.

More than 75 per cent of respondents said they pursued their interest in superheroes via film adaptations, 11.6 per cent through comics, 7.1 per cent by watching animated series, 4.8 per cent by playing computer games, and 1.2 per cent via other media.

Full details of the results are included below. Among them, fans name who they would like to see as the next Batman when the caped crusader is inevitably relaunched on the big screen following Nolan's self-contained blockbuster trilogy.

]]> Just over 24 per cent declared Hulk the toughest superhero (excluding Superman). Next came Batman (21.2 per cent) and Wolverine (15 per cent), then Thor (9.8 per cent), Spider-Man (6.6 per cent). Bottom of the list was Magneto (1.20 per cent), while Hit Girl (1.3 per cent) and Professor X (1.7 per cent) didn't fare much better.

Voting on the best superhero vehicle, an overwhelming majority of 61.6 per cent opted for the Batmobile. The X-Men's Blackbird jet was next with 12.2 per cent, followed by the Silver Surfer's surfboard, SHIELD's Helicarrier from the Avengers and then the Owlship from Watchmen.

Asked whether they would choose Marvel or DC comics, most (58.9 per cent) went for Marvel, 22.1 per cent said neither and 19 per cent chose DC.

Spider-Man's web shooters were voted best superhero gadget (38 per cent), followed by Thor's hammer Mjolnir, Batman's grappling-hook gun the Batclaw, Wonder Woman's lasso of truth, Captain America's shield and Batman's batarang.

The Dark Knight came top in a question asking people to name the best superhero film, taking 18.8 per cent of the vote. Next was The Dark Knight Rises (17.7 per cent), then The Avengers (15.8 per cent). Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man came next (10.2 per cent), narrowly beating X-Men (10 per cent). This was followed by Iron Man (9.7 per cent), Superman (8.9 per cent), Kick-Ass (3.2 per cent), Watchmen (2.4 per cent), The Incredible Hulk (1.2 per cent) and 'other' (2.1 per cent0.

Halle Berry's Catwoman won the vote for the worst superhero movie with 22 per cent, followed by Elektra (15 per cent), The Green Lantern (10.6 per cent), Hulk (10.3 per cent), Daredevil (9.1 per cent), Batman & Robin (8.3 per cent), Spider-Man 3 (7.9 per cent), The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises (each with 4.5 per cent), The Spirit (4.3 per cent), and 'other' (3.5 per cent).

Catwoman is the comic book character most fans (16.7 per cent) would like to date, followed by Wonder Woman (15.5 per cent), Iron Man (11.9 per cent), Batman (11.1 per cent), Wolverine (10.7 per cent), Superman (9.7 per cent) and Thor (7.9 per cent). There wasn't much love for the X-Men's female members, with Storm bottom of the list (3.4 per cent) and Jean Grey (4.3 per cent) just above. Black Widow wasn't much more popular either (5 per cent).

Broken down into gender, this particular vote shows men favouring Catwoman and then Wonder Woman, with Black Widow a distant third, followed by Jean Grey and (in what could be seen as an acknowedgement of the top choice for gay male voters) Superman. Female voters preferred Iron Man, then Wolverine, followed by Batman, Thor and Superman.

As for who they want to see next on the big screen, fans mad a decisive call for Wonder Woman (32.8 per cent), then The Flash (18.4 per cent) and Avengers archer Hawkeye (14.1 per cent). There was a considerable demand for the return of X-Men teleporter Nightcrawler (12.7 per cent) and then for Deadpool (10.4 per cent), more than the desire for Aquaman (8.5 per cent).

The Joker had last laugh by winning the vote for toughest supervillain with 24.8 per cent of the vote, beating Magneto (16 per cent), Bane (15.3 per cent), Lex Luthor (12.4 per cent) and Green Goblin (7.9 per cent). Next on the list was General Zod (5.8 per cent), Loki (4.9 per cent), Doctor Octopus (4.2 per cent), Two-Face (3.1 per cent) and then 'other' (2.1 per cent).

The Incredible Hulk was named most overrated superhero movie ever (17.5 per cent of the vote), followed by Kick-Ass (12.2 per cent), Watchmen (10.8 per cent), The Amazing Spider-Man (10.6 per cent), The Dark Knight Rises (10.1 per cent), Thor (8.6 per cent). X-Men: First Class (7.8 per cent), The Avengers (7.3 per cent), The Dark Knight (6.3 per cent), Iron Man (5.3 per cent) and other (3.5 per cent).

While most people (25.5 per cent) opted for 'no one' when asked who should play the next Batman, it does seem likely we will get another caped crusader on screen at some point but very unlikely that Christian Bale will return. The next top choice in this question was Ryan Gosling (15.9 per cent), who leads the actors named as possible replacements to don the Batsuit, then Michael Fassbender (13.2 per cent), Jake Gyllenhaal (13 per cent), Bradley Cooper (11.5 per cent) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (7.9 per cent). Other names that came up were Josh Brolin (4.3 per cent), Sam Worthington (3.9 per cent), Armie Hammer (3.1 per cent) and Jon Hamm (1.7 per cent).

Superhero enthusiasts love to imagine showdowns - most of which would probably never happen on the big screen - and fans said they would most like to see a fight between Batman and Iron Man (19.1 per cent)

But only just. Wolverine vs Iron Man came a very close second with 19 per cent. Others wanted to see Hulk vs Optimus Prime (17.5 per cent), Batman vs Captain America (15.5 per cent), Magneto vs Iron Man (11.9 per cent), Hulk vs Bane (11.2 per cent) or some other face-off (5.8 per cent).

Poll winners recap:

Toughest superhero (apart from Superman) - Hulk

Best superhero vehicle - Batmobile

Best superhero gadget - Spider-Man web-shooters

Best superhero film - The Dark Knight

Worst superhero film - Catwoman

Superhero you'd most want to date - Catwoman

Superhero you want to see next on big screen - Wonder Woman

Toughest villain - Joker

Who should be next Batman - No one (and then Ryan Gosling)

Lamest sidekick - Jimmy Olsen

Most overrated superhero film - The Incredible Hulk

Most wanted superhero fight - Batman vs Iron Man

Worst superhero disguise - Superman/Clark Kent

X-Men spin-off X-Force in development, Kick-Ass 2 director rumoured for hotseat

2013-07-13T23:23:19Z

Twentieth Century Fox's plans for the X-Men franchise are likely to become more apparent during its presentation at San Diego Comic-Con on July 20.

But in the meantime, some interesting gossip indicates an X-Force spin-off is being developed, possibly as the next film after 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past.

]]> Fansite X-Menfilms.com spotted that the studio had registered the domain XForceMovie.com.

And this was followed with Rob Liefeld suggesting on Twitter that such a project would feature Cable and Deadpool as main characters, with Ryan Reynolds reprising the Deadpool role he first played in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Liefeld has been an artist on several X-Men comic titles, including X-Force and also Deadpool, which he co-created.

But the American comics creator cautioned against too much premature excitement over an X-Force movie until it had become more definite by moving beyond development and into the casting stage.

However, it's clearly proceeding at some pace because The Hollywood Reporter says Jeff Wadlow has been hired to write and possibly direct the X-Force feature. Wadlow is the writer-director of Kick-Ass 2, released in the UK on August 16.