Guest Writer, Ethan Smith - The Dark Knight Rises Trailer 5 - “Journey”

YAMB Welcomes Guest Writer Ethan Smith from Ethan Unscripted

The Dark Knight Rises is only a week away, and if you’re between the ages of 5 and 95, you’re excited about it. As if Warner Bros. needed to add any more fuel to the fire, they have released one final trailer that highlights some key moments from the previous two films. This is especially exciting for those of us who are nerdy enough to go see the marathon before the midnight showing on the 19th. (9 hours of Batman! I hope we get bathroom breaks!)

The trailer begins with a quote from good ol’ Alfred, one of the many characters who provides moral direction for Bruce Wayne. “I never wanted you to come back to Gotham. I always knew there was nothing here for you, except pain and tragedy.”

Creepy Batman is creepy...

Well, that’s kinda depressing! Alfred never wanted Bruce to come back (he was probably enjoying having the mansion and the cars to himself), but it is a good point. As long as Bruce is in Gotham, he will always be reminded of his parents’ deaths, and as long as that reminder is there to drive him, Bruce will never be able to escape the Batman.

Next we get a shot of Bruce in the well, being swarmed by bats from Batman Begins, before seeing the screen title: “The Beginning of a Legend.” This is followed by the often repeated lines, “Took quite a fall didn’t we, Master Bruce?” (Alfred) “And why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up.” (Bruce’s dad) We see Bruce kneeling over his fallen parents.

Updates from Zack - 24 April 2012 (Iron Man 3 and The Dark Knight Rises)

Zack has been an awesome addition as a Guest Writer! So much so, we've made him a member of the prestigious B*Team! Stay tuned for a short intro to Zack...

This is going to be the staple image for my updates.  Just imagine it's me in that suit, looking super serious.

        In an attempt to generate more traffic bring you more comic book news, as well as get an idea into your heads just what we at YAMB at working on in the future, I decided to write this nice article for views you.  Since I'm still technically a guest writer, you're welcome.  In a different reality (obviously not this one) I'm really just writing more so that I can figure out how to use the writing tools for the site.  However like I said....different reality...

Marvel's Expanding Universe, Pt. III

Just two guys. Or gods. Whatever.

What do I want to see more than a Stanley Kirk Burrell cameo in Thor 2? Nothing. However with a director like Alan Taylor and the current script being reviewed and edited by Robert Rodat, I don't think I'll be getting my wish... If these names aren't familiar to you, then listen up. Alan Taylor is known more in the television industry than the movie industry, due to his direction of things like Sex and the City, Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos, an episode of Law and Order, and even an episode of Lost. Oh and don't let me forget this one: Game of Thrones. Yes, the director of the popular TV series Games of Thrones is directing Thor 2. How do I feel about that? Pretty durn great.

God of Mischief. And Ridiculous, Insect-Like Headgear.

On to the other guy. Robert Rodat is probably not a name that's familiar to you, but it should be. He's an Oscar nominated writer for his work in Saving Private Ryan. What's that you say RottenTomatoes? 93%? Sounds good to me. I think we'll be seeing a very serious Thor 2, with some intense character moments and action. We've already seen in this new clip from The Avengers that Thor and Loki are good at creating moments where you feel chilly inside and as though the air around you is literally tightening up. Alan and Robert can bring us plenty of moments like that. Needless to say these men can write a good story. So what story will they be writing?

Because... because you're welcome.

The Avengers is going to test our bulky, blonde hero. While most of the team is trying to avoid a war, and will stop Thor's treacherous brother, Loki, by any means, Thor is trying to keep his family from falling apart. He doesn't believe that his brother is pure evil. He's just misunderstood! Like how Hitler should have been given a second chance, because all he really wanted was some attention from daddy, so he tried taking over the human race. I might not be historically accurate but whatever. Also, Hitler joke… (we’re going to get so much crap for that…) Insert snarky comment about non-successful artists and mental problems.

I hope that in The Avengers we see Loki finally realize the pain he's caused. I don't know if I could see Loki vs. Thor round 3. What I would LOVE to see is Loki AND Thor vs. some cosmic bad guy. Who might that be? Well, currently a Marvel cosmic baddie has a confirmed cameo in The Avengers.

(extreme spoiler alert)

The Avengers Preview, Mk. II

The city is collapsing out of the sheer awesomeness.

When this blog was still young, we'd heard that Marvel was going to make an Avengers movie. I had the privilege to write a preview article for it. Here we are two weeks before the worldwide release of the greatest undertaking in comic-book movie history. Two weeks from this time the reviews will be out, you and your friends may have seen it, and a TON of people are going to be talking about it. Two weeks until Marvel's The Avengers comes out, and here's preview article Mark II.

If you think early reviews are anything to go on, then you'll be interested in reading this. If you aren't the kind of person who wants to hear anything about a movie before you see it, then this isn't the article for you. Also, how did you get here anyways? No, but really...

I see an awesome movie for you...
and millions of dollars for me.

Joss Whedon is one of my favorite writers and directors. He's also a huge Marvel fan. A lot of people could make an Avengers movie work. What sets Joss apart in my mind is that I believe he can make it work, and also make it amazing. My feelings about this movie were already very positive. After reading early reviews for The Avengers, I was left feeling extremely confident that The Avengers was going to be a good movie.

Did I have crucial plot points spoiled for me by a few poor reviewers? Yarp. Will that ruin the movie for me when I see it May 4 at 12:01? Not even a little. Today though the icing was placed on the cake, and it is yummy icing indeed. I'm generally a huge fan of the website RottenTomatoes. I rarely have an argument with the percentage a movie is given on their site. If you are feeling uncertain about how The Avengers is going to turn out, then hopefully this rating will put you at ease.

Can you say Hulk smash box office? How about great character moments? Good storyline? I hope you can. Otherwise...sorry. Here's what we can expect from this movie.

 Spoiler alert on.

Marvel's Expanding Universe, Pt. II

What a guy.

The film that started this whole thing off was Iron Man, starring Tony Sta-Robert Downey Jr as the charismatic, egocentric genius that is Tony Stark.  I think we can easily say that the main reason why Marvel has had the success they've had so far with this adventure is largely thanks to Mr. Downey Jr.  It's impossible to imagine anyone else in the role.  Like, say, Tom Cruise...? or something ridiculous like that.  Which definitely didn't almost happen for 9 years... Iron Man enjoyed great box office, as will as critical success.  It raked in over $90,000,000 opening weekend, and currently has grossed over $500,000,000 worldwide. The critics favored it as much as the audiences did, as well.  

Rottentomatoes.com gives it a rating of 94% on the tomatometer.  For comparison and contrast, The Dark Knight (seemingly the benchmark for superhero films) also has a 94% rating.  The difference between the two lies in the audience review section, where Iron Man has a nice 91%, whereas The Dark Knight has a 96%.  

...stop staring at me like that...
I'm not insulting your movie... promise........

Personally (and also because I'm a crazy Marvel fan) I do think Iron Man is a better movie than the The Dark Knight, although I believe Batman Begins to be superior to both (I believe that some of my fellow writers here disagree with me...).  Rottentomatoes disagrees and Marvel fanboys reading this (if ever such a thing happens on this site) have zero respect for me now, but you have to admit Nolan does one hell of a job.  Back to what we're here to talk about.  

The "button" at the end of Iron Man was the real start of the Avengers story-line.  When that shadowy figure came out of the dark and was in fact Samuel L. Jac-Nick Fury, and then uttered those wonderful words that had those fanboys (that hate me now) screaming all over the world: "I'd like to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative."  CHILLS.  Plus other things.  

Guest Writer: Marvel's Expanding Universe, Pt. I

get. pumped.

With mere weeks left until the premiere of the Marvel juggernaut, The Avengers directed by Joss Whedon, it's kind of hard to think about anything else in the Marvel universe. For instance, Peter Parker and Mary Jane have gone to another reality where they have no memory of each other, have never met, and maybe will never meet again, and they did so by choice! "whaaa...?" is the appropriate response. Captain America was dead, but not really. He was just in a different time stream because bullets do that because comics. And in the ultimate universe Spiderman is Latino and can turn invisible? Cool beans! *Insert Bill Nye sound effect of "now you know..." here*.

Anyways, it seems like Marvel is always up to something awesome, and so soon we have to ask ourselves, "what's next?" See how soon that was? At this point I have 100% confidence in Whedon and the Avengers team that The Avengers movie will be fantastic. Early clips show witty dialogue, insane action, cool effects, and classic character moments (Hulk smash!).

(Guest Writer) Upcoming Film: The Avengers

Unofficial tagline: "Party in the U.S.A. has a whole new meaning.

UPDATE: Get the Latest Avengers news here!

Watch the Trailer Here!

I realize this is supposed to be a preview of The Avengers, but you'll have to be patient for my expectations, because there's a lot of lead-up.  I won't get to The Avengers itself for a little while.  

So, many of you may have realized that there has been a large upheaval of comic book movies in the past 10 years, especially in the past 4 or 5.  Marvel and DC have been going absolutely crazy lately.  They bust out superhero movies so often it's like having Christmas twice a year (if you’re into that sort of thing).  The only problem is that since they're getting rushed into production and release so quickly, it's as though the hero doesn't have time to put on his suit, and he dashes boldly into the fray, then realizing that he forgot his mask, hammer, flight-stabilizer, side-kick, underwear, etc.  My point is that comic-book franchises are cranking out movies so quickly they aren't getting the greatest products.

Guest Writer Review: The American

Pictured: Nothing actually happening.

The American, starring George Clooney, is . . . well . . . not much. I assumed this movie would involve a fair amount of action and violence, after viewing multiple previews involving Clooney being buff and “playing” with guns, but tragically this is not the case. Nor is this movie really in the category of “romance:” despite multiple scenes of Clooney having sex with a prostitute, the focus is clearly not on one specific relationship. After looking at numerous lists of film genres and sub-genres, it’s genuinely hard to figure out where this would fit under. Perhaps in a trash bin? That’s where I put it.

Guest Writer Review: Salt

In case you were confused.

This action-thriller starring Angelina Jolie as Evelyn Salt has its ups and downs . . . but mostly downs. Salt works for the CIA, but after confronting a Russian defector she is accused of being a Russian spy who will soon assassinate the Russian President. Salt runs for her life, convincing her teammates and the CIA that she has become a threat to the United States. Her escape rapidly degenerates from flight into a battle between Russia and the United States. An all out war, if you will, started and continued by, you guessed it, Angelina Jol- I mean, Evelyn Salt.

Guest Writer Review: Law Abiding Citizen

Congratulations to Mark Bykerk! First Guest Writer on Yet Another Movie Blog.

This should have been the promotion poster.

Law Abiding Citizen focuses on one man's view of the criminal justice system. Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is this man. Witnessing the rape and murder of both his wife and five year old daughter, he wants full retribution on the attackers. He hires one of Philadelphia's top prosecution lawyers, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), who has a firm 96% conviction rate. Not wanting to ruin this percentage, Rice decides to make a deal with Clarence J. Darby (Christian Stolte), the rapist and murderer. As long as Darby pleads guilty to the third degree murder and provides testimony that will send his accomplice, Rupert Ames (Josh Stewart), to death row, he will receive little jail time. Shelton feels betrayed by this, but since he cannot change Rice’s mind, he decides to take justice into his own hands.