Trailer Debut: The Fantastic Four

First Teaser for Summer Reboot Debuts

The first two Fantastic Four films were awful.  Jessica Alba as Susan Storm?  Galactus as a weird giant cyclone thing?  Michael Chiklis.  So, it wasn't a huge surprise when Twentieth Century Fox announced that they were going the reboot route to try and bring one of Marvel's longest running properties to prominence on the big screen.  It started out promisingly enough.  Fox announced that Josh Trank would direct the reboot.  He was just coming off the well received, found footage teens with powers flick, "Chronicle."  It all started to unravel a little bit when the cast was announced.  In case you didn't know who was in the movie, Miles Teller is Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Kate Mara is Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Jamie Bell is The Thing and Michael B. Jordan is Johnny Storm/the Human Torch.  There was the ridiculous faux controversy of casting an African American actor as Johnny.  Again, dumb.  My main issue with this cast is the fact that all of them save Mara are under thirty.  I can kind of understand the studio wanting to cast younger actors, but it's hard for me to take Reed Richards seriously, when the actor playing him is younger than I am.  

More red flags popped up when the cast and director began describing the film.  Mara was told by Trank that she didn't have to read up on any of the source material.  What?!  Look, I get trying to bring your own style to it, but you should have some sense for who this character is.  Then, there were reports that this was going to be a more "realistic" take on Marvel's First Family.  Really?  Realism?  The word "fantastic" is in the team name.  There should be a sense of wonder.  They are a team of adventurers.  Now we get this first teaser trailer.  You would think that this would clear up some of the doubts that people are having, but instead it just muddies the waters further.  This looks like another ploy to turn a franchise that is about as far as it could be from Batman into a Dark Knight retread.  It's dark and grimy.  You get some fast cuts of the team using their powers, but nothing too concrete.  It's unclear how the team gets their powers.  You see them entering these strange pods and then they are maybe transported to another planet?  There is an Ominous Voice Over Promising Impending Doom™ that is maybe provided by Victor von Doom.  

I don't know about this you guys.  Nothing in this trailer gives me Fantastic Four.  There is no sense of camaraderie.  No humor.  Who knows.  Maybe the person who cut this trailer just didn't know the actual tone of the movie, so they gave us this.  The people involved in Marvel's second big summer movie, "Ant Man," faced some criticism when it was released because of it's serious tone.  The actors and filmmakers were quick to respond that there was humor and light heartedness that the trailer didn't convey.  So, maybe that will be the case with this movie?  I mean, if worse comes to worst, and this flops, Marvel will get the rights back and maybe we will finally get the live action Fantastic Four that fans deserve.  Here is the trailer:

What do you guys think?  Am I missing something?  Is there someone out there really excited to see this in August?  Convince me in the comments.

Stop! Collaborate and Listen! - The Best Albums of January

January Is the Worst, But These Three Albums Will Make It a Little More Bearable

January sucks.  There is no need to sugar coat it.  It may be the worst month of the year.  January is like being stuck at the bottom of the hill on a roller coaster.  You are coming down from the highs of the holidays and making your New Year's Resolutions and convincing yourself that you are going to keep them.  Two weeks into January, you are already giving up on those hopeful resolutions and you've settled in to the funk you will most likely be in until at least April.  

Knowing that January is the worst, you would think the entertainment industry would kick it into high gear to help us forget about how it's not even worth it to leave your house, but you would be wrong.  January is a dumping ground for movies that studios have zero expectations for and music that the artist and the producers don't really want people to hear.  This January gave us all a nice surprise with three albums being released that should help us trudge through the winter doldrums.

The Best Albums of 2014: #20-11

The Best Albums of 2014: #20-11

It is that time of year again.  As we prepare to bid adieu to 2014 and say bonjour to 2015, it's fun to look back at the things that we really enjoyed throughout the year.  2014 was a pretty great year for music even if it wasn't good for much else.  We didn't get a surprise Beyoncé album at the end of the year, but we did get stellar albums from established greats and new talents ready to take their place.  This list will be long, so I thought I would go ahead and split it into two.  Feel free to comment with your picks or to disagree.

Gotham Review: Fly Away

Gotham, Episode 3: "The Balloonman"

This episode of "Gotham" found the city dealing with it's first? vigilante as a man starts attaching weather balloons to various corrupt people in the city.  Montoya and Allen probe deeper into Oswald's disappearance and Gordon's connection to it and another mob boss enters the fray for control of Gotham's underworld.  All this and a familiar face re-enters the city.

Gotham Review: Cat's in the Cradle

Gotham, Episode 2: "Selina Kyle"

Tonight we got a sense of what "Gotham" is going to be like from week to week.  Focusing on one of it's copious amount of characters while still moving the overarching story of the season.  From the title of this episode, you may assume that this episode would give us a character study of the young, runaway thief, but you'd be wrong.  For an episode bearing her name, very little time was actually spent with or on  young Selina Kyle.

Fall TV Preview: Once Upon a Time - Season 4

ABC Show Hopes Introducing Characters From One of the Biggest Disney Movies Ever Will Bring More Viewers to the Fairy Tale Drama

"Once Upon a Time" had a pretty stellar third season.  It took the some of the characters out of Storybrooke to a familiar yet unfamiliar Never Land and gave us a new villianous take on classic character Peter Pan.  The second half of the season introduced the how's take on the land of Oz as the residents of Storybrooke especially Regina clashed with the Wicked Witch of the West.  Creators and executive producers, Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis, began teasing the introduction of a Disney character a couple of weeks before the season finale leading to lots of fan speculation on who they might be introducing next.  I don't think anyone guessed that the person emerging from the bottle Emma and Hook brought back from Rumplestiltskin's vault would be Elsa from maybe the biggest Disney movie of all time, "Frozen."  "Once" has introduced characters from various Disney properties before, last season introduced the Little Mermaid herself, Ariel, but this is the first time they have brought in characters this fresh.

Elsa isn't the only "Frozen" character who will be gracing TV screens.  She's bringing sister Anna and her boyfriend, Kristoff, and evil prince  Hans.  Elsa will be played by actress Georgina Haig, who played Olivia and Peter's daughter in the FOX sci-fi drama, "Fringe."  Anna is brought to life by newcomer Elizabeth Lail.  There will be flashbacks to the sisters time in Arendelle that seemingly take place after "Frozen" and it seems Elsa will be misunderstood by the denizens of Storybrooke. She also brings a snow monster with her.  So there's that.  One character who will not be making an appearance is sun loving snowman, Olaf, which is probably for the best.  Elizabeth Mitchell of "Lost" has been tapped to play the as yet unnamed antagonist of season 4A.  Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, they are dividing up the season again this year.  The first half airing uninterrupted in the fall and then returning in the spring.  

Even as the "Frozen" arc wraps up, there is much to be excited about.  Will Scarlet, the Knave of Hearts from the doomed spin-off "Once Upon a Time in Wonderland" will be joining the cast full time.  There is the matter of Belle and Rumple's marriage which is surely in for tough times once Belle finds out the Dark One dagger she has is a fake and that Rumple seemingly killed Zelena.  I say seemingly, because I really hope we haven't seen the last of Regina's green hued half-sister.  There is also the ramifications of Emma's do-gooderness to deal with.  She saved Marian from being executed not knowing that who she was saving was the thought dead wife of Robin Hood, the man who may be Regina's last chance at true love.  Will this be what pushes Regina back to the dark side, basically undoing the majority of the development that she went through last season?  It's rumored that she will be bringing her Magic Mirror, Sidney Glass, out of "retirement."  I'm really hoping that this is just a stepping stone and not the full fledged return of the Evil Queen.

I know that everyone is super excited about the "Frozen" characters showing up and being the focus of 4A, but I think I'm more psyched for 4B since it's been revealed that the amazing Kristen Bauer van Straten will be taking up the villain role and bringing Maleficent back to Storybrooke.  A character who hasn't been seen since season one.  Not much is known about what brings her back or what the nature of the story will be, but I'm ready.  

So, are you a dedicated "Once" fan or a newbie that is being enticed to watch the show because of the inclusion of the "Frozen" characters.  I'd love to hear from both in the comments.  "Once Upon a Time" returns tonight at 8/7c on ABC.

Fall TV Preview: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season Two

Can Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Keep It Up?  Producers Hope That Show Keeps Momentum It Gained Last Season

"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was one of the most heavily promoted shows last season. The first TV show to spin out of Marvel's hugely popular cinematic universe?  It is going to be hugely successful right?  The biggest show of the new season, right?  Not so fast.  The show opened huge, but then lost viewers until finally stabilizing around the midway mark of the season.  What was the reason for the loss of viewers?  Well, there are a few reasons that viewers could have tuned out.  It's Tuesday at 8/7c time slot was tough.  It was facing off against "NCIS," the most watched show on network television.  No matter how many times I type that or say it or hear it, it is still hard for me to believe.  It also faced off against NBC's reality powerhouse, "The Voice."  "Agents of  S.H.I.E.L.D.", despite it's high profile pedigree, is still a genre show.  Genre shows sometime have a hard time finding a wide audience.  

It didn't help matters that the show didn't have a lot of momentum.  The characters were good, but there seemed to be limited story progression.  You weren't sure why you should care about what was happening.  This was billed as a show that would impact the Marvel movie universe and vice versa, but it felt like it was constantly treading water.  Turns out, it was.  

In "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (SPOILER ALERT: if you've been living under a rock) turned S.H.I.E.L.D.'s world upside down by revealing that it had been infiltrated by the terrorist organization HYDRA.  This revelation kicked the series into high gear, because it caused the titular organization to not exist.  Throwing true believer and team leader, Phil Coulson, into turmoil.  The pace picked up and never let down.  From the reveal that do-gooder agent, Grant Ward, was actually a HYDRA agent to the season finale revelation that Coulson was promoted to director of an organization that doesn't really exist anymore.   

The big question is: Can the show maintain this momentum and will modern day fickle viewers still care enough to show up to find out?  As for the former, I think they can.  Lots of great casting announcements have made the rounds over the summer.  Lucy Lawless will be appearing as S.H.I.E.L.D agent, Isabelle Hartley, a bad ass who I expect to clash with Coulson and Ming-Na's, Melinda May.  In preparation for the upcoming, "Agent Carter," which will be taking the show's place while it's on hiatus, Hayley Atwell and the Howling Commandos from the first Captain America movie will be appearing in flashback.  The casting announcement I'm most excited about is Adrianne Palicki as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Bobbi Morse aka Mockingbird.  In the comics, Mockingbird is the ex-wife of Avenger, Hawkeye.  Does this mean that Jeremy Renner will be making a guest appearance?  Probably not, but I can dream.  

The show has lots of loose threads to pick up on like Skye's mysterious origin.  It was revealed at the end of last season that Skye is an 0-8-4, or an object of unknown origin.  We will get some answers to her parentage when Kyle Machlaclan shows up as her father who is just being id'ed as "The Doctor." For now.  Coulson is still dealing with being brought back from the dead and the weird drawings that he was scribbling on his wall in the finale.  Will Ward prove himself to the team and work his back into their good graces?

I have high hopes for the show's second season, and I think that it can keep up with the quality that it was producing at the end of it's freshman run.  Are you ready for more Agents?  Did you give up and are thinking about rejoining the fold?  Let me know in the comments.