Total Film Features

Marvel Phase 2 - The Complete Guide

Simon Kinnear — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:57:21 GMT

Avenge This!

Spring 2012, and The Avengers - or, in the UK, Avengers Assemble - is released to huge critical and commercial success. By the end of the year, it has pipped The Dark Knight Rises to become 2012's biggest box-office hit, earning $1.5 billion worldwide.

The closing credits hint at a sequel involving alien warlord Thanos, but there's a long way to go before The Avengers 2 is released...

Iron Man 3: 50 Best Moments

Total Film — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:13:12 GMT

The big reveal

If you've somehow landed on this page by accident, the following is a massive spoiler. Please don't read on if you haven't seen Iron Man 3.

The Mandarin is a complex and troublesome character to bring to the big screen for many reasons. And while the character has evolved with the times in the comics, it's hard to rationalise a Big Bad who has dodgy racial stereotypes and power-zapping magic rings at his core.

Which is why Drew Pearce and Shane Black did something that - depending on your POV - was either masterful or sacrilegious. While we're massive comic fans here at Total Film, when it comes to the enormous bait and switch behind the movie incarnation, we're definitely opting for the former. All the promotional materials pointed to Ben Kingsley's Mandarin as being a unique and terrifying new villain.

And at least an hour into the movie, we were still waiting for his epic power to strike. But then the most curious, unexpected and hilarious thing happened - the whole character was a joke, and a carefully constructed front for a globally marketable terror.

Kingsley's ridiculous, silly and very common reaction to a bunch of gun-toting superheroes coming for his puffed up thesp was perfectly played out. As was Tony's (and the audience's) reaction.

Remember - if you want to go even more in depth, join the discussion and debate raging on our spoileriffic video analysis.

Video: Iron Man 3 Spoiler-Filled Analysis

Total Film — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:08:24 GMT

The Best, Worst & Funniest Iron Man Cosplay

Matt Risley — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:13:27 GMT

Muscle Controlled Bionic Armour

Before we crack on with the funny/weird/sexy/stupid cosplay costumes, let's take a moment to appreciate the truly amazing work that's gone into making these real life Iron Man suits.

Or parts of them.

Like this one by Advancer Technologies which shows you how to control (and even build) your own muscle-controlled Iron Man replica repulsor.

And if you've seen Iron Man 3, why not watch our SPOILER-FILLED post-analysis below, and join in the debate. Warning though - it is SPOILER FILLED, so don't watch until you've seen the movie.

50 Comic-Book Movies That Must Never Happen

George Wales — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:13:26 GMT

Prez: First Teen President (1973)

The Comic: A regrettable moment for DC, this short-lived series followed the teenage Prez Rickford, who inexplicably becomes President of the Unites States.

Why It Must Never Be Filmed: We don’t want to give them any ideas, do we? They voted Bush in, after all…

50 Greatest Star Wars Characters

Simon Kinnear — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:13:26 GMT

Han Solo

Why So Great? The ultimate Star Wars character: dashing, witty, impetuous, with a grizzled nobility and romanticism that peeks out from behind world-weary sarcasm. The turning point of the Rebellion comes when Solo abandons mercenary principles and comes back to help his friends.

Oh, and he shoots first, but then everybody knows that except Lucas.

Character Trivia: Solo became a depressed drunk after Chewbacca's death. You can't blame him, really.

Behind The Scenes: Harrison Ford beat competition from Kurt Russell, Nick Nolte and Christopher Walken. Not bad for a part-time actor who still practised carpentry.

New Movies Coming Soon At The Cinema

Matt Risley — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 20:22:04 GMT

Iron Man 3

Director: Shane Black

Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley, Gwyneth Paltrow

Genre: Comic Book/Action/Comedy

Plot: Marvel kicks-off its 'Phase II' onslaught with Iron Man 3 and the return of Tony Stark's wise-cracking, jet-booting playboy billionaire. This time around, he's up against The Mandarin (Kingsley) with a little help from his bio-weapon flinging friend, Aldrich Killian (Pearce).

UK Release Date: 25 April 2013

US Release Date: 3 May 2013

And if you've seen Iron Man 3 already, why not watch our spoiler-filled post-analysis below - and let us know what you thought yourself in the comments!

But - **MASSIVE SPOILER WARNING** - it has lots of SPOILERS so please don't watch unless you've seen the movie (or you like to live dangerously)...

Worst To Best: Comic-Book Movie Villains

Catherine Collins — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 15:55:48 GMT

The Joker (The Dark Knight)

"Why so serious?"

Nemesis: Batman

Who? Put simply, the Dark Knight's archenemy is a psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy. His only purpose is pure, unadulterated chaos - which he achieves in spectacular fashion.

Terrifying or terrible? You really need to ask?

The Best Joss Whedon Movie Moments

Matt Risley — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 14:55:59 GMT

X-Men: Dickish Dialogue

Before he was a big 'third biggest movie of all time' director hotshot, Whedon slowly muscled his way into Hollywood by polishing other's scripts. While Bryan Singer's X-Men was a veritable success all its own, there are a couple of unforgettable moments that came courtesy of Whedon's penmanship.

First, the good - nay, amazing. Whedon was able to sum up the entirety of the Cyclops/Wolverine love/hate relationship with one simple exchange. After Wolverine returns from fighting shapeshifter Mystique, he has to prove he is who he says he is.

Wolverine: "Hey hey - it's me."

Cyclops: "Prove it."

Wolverine: "You're a dick."

Cyclops: "Ok."

On the not so great side, he also came up with this amazing stinker, as Storm tries to appear bad-ass (and fails miserably) in a battle with Toad.

Storm: "Do you know what happens to a toad when it's struck by lightning?"

*dramatic pause/audience bewilderment*

Storm: "The same thing that happens to everything else."

Ooh. Terrifying.

The Evolution Of Matthew McConaughey

Josh Winning — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 10:03:06 GMT

Unsolved Mysteries (1992)

The Film: A 23-year-old McConaughey cuts his acting teeth in this real-life mystery series.

In his first ever on-screen role, he plays Larry Dickens, the victim of killer Edward Harold Bell.

Southern Charm: No trouble figuring out why McConaughey was cast – he plays a Texan.

This was also the first of many a shirt-stripping moments for the actor…

Steve Coogan On His Own Films

Matt Maytum — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:22:55 GMT

24 Hour Party People (2002)

“Very happy memories. Probably one of my most enjoyable experiences as an actor. It was a real revelation making that film, about a way of working which is not about being precise, and freeing you from the shackles of having to just be guided by what was funny. It was about what was truthful and interesting and about being submerged in a role and creating a world that seemed real, that’s what Michael [Winterbottom] did on that film.

“So to me it felt very real making it. It didn’t feel like acting even though I was playing Tony Wilson. It felt like I was in that world. I was familiar with it from another perspective because I knew about that world, I knew about Tony so in that way it was familiar, but it felt more familiar to me just by virtue of the fact that Michael created this world. Yes, the Hacienda nightclub was something I used to go to, but when we made the film it had been demolished so they had to rebuild it, and that was very odd to see it rebuilt in a way that seemed completely real and believable.

“But that film was seminal for me because I felt it seemed like a real experience. I’ve not watched it for years, I find it difficult to look at it, because to me it’s like looking at an old photo album of memories - of real memories of a real time - rather then me being in the film so it’s got this quite surreal quality for me.”

Matthew McConaughey On The Making Of Mud

Total Film — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:05:44 GMT

How did you find shooting in the South?

“It’s a beautiful part of the world. You know I’ve never spent time in Arkansas, which is the state Jeff [Nichols, director] is from, which is where we shot this film and it’s called the Natural State and you see why. It’s a really gorgeous place, I loved it, you know.

“The thing about where we shot The Paperboy and where we shot this is that Mother Nature rules down there. I mean, if you look at the way people live in this film, people live in houseboats on the river, you know the houses are on floats so the river, when the river rains come the rivers rise and your raise this morning, if it’s been raining all day, may be 15 feet higher than in the night.

“And they have these steps from the land to the boat house and there were times when we’d show up in the morning and you’re walking down the steps and two days later you’re getting there and you’re walking eight feet up the steps. So you have to really do that dance with mother nature down there.”

30 Damsels In Distress Who Kick Ass

Josh Winning — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:57:22 GMT

Princess Leia – Star Wars: Episode VI – Return Of The Jedi (1983)

The Damsel: From the first time we see her through most of the first two Star Wars films, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) is your common garden variety damsel.

She relies on Luke (Mark Hamill) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) to rescue her, and though she has a bossy viper’s tongue, she’s not exactly the best at finding her own way out of a tight spot.

The Ass-Kicking: That is, of course, until Jabba the Hutt forces her to wear a tiny gold bikini.

Fanboys rejoiced, but Princess Leia wasn’t having any of it, the humiliation prompting her to get pro-active and kill Jabba herself. An ass-kicker is born.

Thor The Dark World Trailer: 10 Questions Raised

Sam Ashurst — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 23:45:06 GMT

Why does everyone hate London?

Here it is, being attacked again, just like in GI Joe: Retaliation / Star Trek Into Darkness / Fantastic Four - Rise Of The Silver Surfer / Skyfall.

C'mon guys, give us a bit of a break. Just for one summer. No? Fair enough.

Still, at least the devastation looks amazeballs. Look at that weird giant black stalactite thing.

Is it a weapon or a ship?

Iron Man 3 Interview: Shane Black Answers YOUR Questions

Total Film — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:37:32 GMT

Hemlock Grove Cast Talk Eli Roth's Shocking Mission Statement

Sam Ashurst — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:08:29 GMT

50 Greatest Iron Man Moments

Josh Winning — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 23:20:15 GMT

Demon In A Bottle

The Moment: Tony Stark is revealed to be an alcoholic.

As Seen In: ‘Demon In A Bottle’ Iron Man #120-128

Why It's Cool: It’s the most famous Iron Man storyline, and easily one of the best (if not /the/ best).

Brilliantly written and adds vital depth to Tony. Iron Man 2 tangoed with it briefly.

If It Had Been Batman: It would be called Demon In A Cave, and delve into Bruce Wayne’s fear of bats.

Seen Iron Man 3? Watch our spoiler-filled post-analysis below, as the TF discusses the twists, action, and whether it's the best Marvel movie yet.

*MASSIVE ENORMOUS SPOILER WARNING* though - we don't recommend you watching it until you've seen the movie.

Ben Kingsley: Career In Four Minutes

Matt Maytum — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 22:29:50 GMT

Evil Dead 2013: Director Fede Alvarez's Commentary On Sam Raimi's Original Evil Dead

Sam Ashurst — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:43:29 GMT

50 Goriest Movie Moments

Josh Winning — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:20:31 GMT

Braindead (1992)

The Moment: “Party’s over”, says Lionel Cosgrove (Timothy Balme), hoisting up a lawnmower and advancing on a horde of slathering zombies.

Look Away When: The zombies rush stupidly at Cosgrove, unaware that the lawnmower’s about to eat them up.

Goretastic.

Total Film enters Arkham Asylum with Injustice: Gods Among Us

Total Film — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:38:47 GMT

50 Weirdest Movie Fan Fiction Stories

Josh Winning — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 23:15:11 GMT

Avengers Assemble (2012)

The Original: The Avengers unite on the big screen for one of the hugest blockbusters we’ve ever seen. Hulk is awesome.

Fan Version: What Happened To Fury’s Eye, alt title Simba, The Almost Avenger. Yes, it’s an Avengers/Lion King crossover…

Most Disturbing Quote: “Simba,” Fury said again. “You're the king of all the sun touches. I like that. How would you like to join the Avengers Initiative? “Nick was trying to be calm and soothing, but his voice and appearance (and his gun) were putting the lion on edge.

The Best Star Wars Episode VII Fan Art, Posters & Trailers

Matt Risley — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 09:22:46 GMT

The Dark Star Wars Knight

The Dark Knight meets Star Wars.

Understandably, things get just a little bit amazing.

Via TheForce.net.

Is It Just Me … Or Did Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla get an unfair drubbing?

Paul Bradshaw — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 19:42:48 GMT

10 Best Moments In The New Man Of Steel Trailer

Sam Ashurst — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 10:43:35 GMT

Big blue boy scout

We love the moment when Superman explains the origin of his suit's S, but that's not our favorite part of this scene.

No, we like the fact that Supes says 'Excuse me' when he and Lois are rudely interrupted by the military tannoy.

One of the greatest aspects of the character is his politeness, and his humbleness. It seems that Snyder and Nolan have retained that key aspect of the comics.

Not only that, but Cavill delivers it beautifully.

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And if you haven't seen it already, watch the epic trailer below...