Forget The Avengers Sequels, I Want A New Blade Film

With the recent release of Iron Man 3 and the upcoming release this year of Thor: The Dark World, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is beginning to expand beyond its original conception; and why not, it is a successful series. Add to this other successful Marvel Franchises like the X-Men and Spiderman and it is clear to see that Marvel are not leaving any stone unturned within any of their franchises when adapting into films……….except for one, and it is a big one. It is the franchise that kickstarted all the Marvel Films all the way back in 1998, BLADE.

Blade is a Vampire Hunter as well as one of the most interesting characters in all of the Marvel Franchises. He is a dangerous person, no doubt about it, almost indestructible, but he is also cold, does not show much (or any) emotion. He is the kind of guy who would go into an enemy stronghold, through the front door and into reception before killing everybody (who is a threat that is). In terms of his movie career, his first film was back in 1998 followed by two sequels in 2002 and 2004. The films starred Wesley Snipes in the title role and Kris Kristofferson playing the part of Blade’s Mentor. The films also starred many major actors and actresses around today including Udo Kier, Ron Perlman, Danny John-Jules, Jessica Biel and Ryan Reynolds. Following on from the film series was also an Incredible TV Series starring Kirk Jones as Blade along with Jill Wagner and Neil Jackson. So with all this success, why is it that the Last Blade film was released back in 2004 while all the other Marvel Franchises have received constant attention?

Since Blade Trinity was released there has been an assortment of films:

• Elektra
• Man-Thing
• Two Fantastic Four Films
• Three X-Men Films (a Sequel and Two Prequels)
• Two Ghost Rider Films
• Two Spiderman Films
• Punisher: War Zone
• The Incredible Hulk
• Three Iron Man Films
• Thor
• Captain America: The First Avenger
• The Avengers
• And more of the above currently in Production.

So with this Great assortment of films (19 in total), I continue to ask the Question, Where is Blade?

It is even more interesting considering the success that Vampire based films have achieved in the last few years. I am of course talking about films like The Twilight Saga starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson which as a whole has grossed over Three Billion Dollars Worldwide. As well as the Twilight Saga you also have the Underworld Series starring Kate Beckinsale which also includes Vampires. So once again I ask the question, Where is Blade?

In terms of how the film’s were presented, they were different to every other Marvel Film. The Blade series had a dark tone to it while also having a lot of action too, but not just that, it had great characters. The film’s were involved in their own storylines and had no connection with other Marvel Franchises, something it shares with the X-Men series. By being contained, it does not explode and can keep its quality at a high standard. You as a viewer are not having to think about a lot of things and can enjoy the film more as a result as you are only concentrating on the here and now instead of the when. Blade also targeted the more mature audiences and so was able to have an exciting story along with huge amount of action as well live up to its dark depiction in the comics as well. So why is Blade not getting any attention like every other Marvel Character?

All of these things aside, I would love to see a New Blade film, and I don’t mean a reboot, I want a sequel. I want Wesley Snipes in the lead role, I would quite like to see Jessica Biel make a return too. You could have Guillermo del Toro return to direct it. What is stopping Marvel? They have the movie rights to produce it. The Avengers films are sure to both be good and produce lots of money, stop worrying about them and bring back the one responsible for starting Film Productions back in 1998 (Don’t put Blade in the Avengers though, it won’t work, I will say why later). It has been far too long (About Nine Years) since the Best Vampire Slayer in Movie History last made an appearance. Marvels continued success at the box office proves that now is the right time to bring Blade back. Forget the Avengers, it’s time for a New Blade Film.

GENEPOOL

Transformers Film Series – Top 5 Autobots

The Transformers Films are some of my favourite films, the Trilogy is also one of my favourite film trilogy’s (alongside the Dark Knight Trilogy and the Heisei Gamera Trilogy). I absolutely love the films. I remember when I first saw a poster for the films and eventually they were released and I could not get enough of them. When Dark of the Moon was released in 2011 there was questions if it was the end of the series, however this is not the case as the series is to continue next year. I have been wanting to do posts on this for a while now, and so I am going to begin with My Top 5 Favourite Autobots (Check back soon for my top 5 Decepticons). The Autobots are of course the heroes of the series, so no real explanation is needed there. So let us Roll Out.

5. Roadbuster – You may not be all that familiar with this character. Roadbuster is one of the Wreckers in the third film. While he does not have much of a starring role he is an important character, alongside with the other wreckers he is extremely dangerous, as the name wreckers may suggest. To me this character stands out above many in the series thanks mostly to his incredible Scottish Accent, which makes him look and sound Awesome and adds to his rough exterior (as in what he does). While he may be a strange choice for this list (particularly when there is also Sideswipe to think about), he is in it mostly to his accent (which is why he stands out).

4. Jazz and Bumblebee (Joint) – While trying to come up with this list it was hard finding enough Autobots that I really liked, so I sort of kept forgetting about both Bumblebee and Jazz, but when I thought about it, the films would not be the same without them. What’s good about Jazz is the way he talks but also his enthusiasm in battle, particularly when he gets straight in and challenges Megatron, however this does not go well. Bumblebee on the other hand is a tough fighter but also a loyal friend. One of his most outstanding features is of course his inability to talk (except at the end of the first film) and so communicates through the use of his car radio. Both of these characters are important to the films in both their position and their own way, without them, the films would probably not be the same.

3. Jetfire – A wise old transformer with knowledge about almost everything in the history of the Transformers. When he first appears in the second film he is represented as being old and this can be seen through his beard and walking stick and in some way, his accent. He is generally funny throughout the film and his incredible British Accent helps this. Jetfire is also a strong and powerful warrior as shown when he goes into combat against the Decepticons at the end and helps the Autobots by making Optimus Prime more powerful. Jetfire is an Awesome Transformer and like Ironhide should return to the series in the Future.

2. Optimus Prime – The leader of the Autobots and one of the series main leads. A strong and powerful warrior and loyal too. He leads the Autobots to Earth to search for the AllSpark which eventually gets destroyed. Optimus then has to deal with The Fallen (who may be a relation). He combines with Jetfire to accomplish this before finding out that the original commander of the Autobots; Sentinel Prime is on the moon and revives him, this appears to be a mistake however when it turns out that Sentinel Prime is on the side of the Decepticons (check the movies for full details). Optimus Prime is a fantastic character and Warrior (even though fans of Transformers are probably wondering why he only comes to number 2 on this list), and I find it hard to say anything more than that about him without going into a full analysis (much like the holder of the number 1 spot).

1. Ironhide – When I saw the first Transformers film one character stood out for me. He also appeared in both the second and third films. He is my favourite Autobot from the series and is also an honorary inductee into the Transformers Hall of Fame. He is Ironhide. What I like about him is that he seems like an Autobot that is genuinely dangerous. Other Autobots seem to have not much in the way of weaponry, but when Ironhide first shows up, the first thing he does is show off his weapons, well he is a weapons specialist. He is also very soft-spoken most of the time but when he is in battle he lets his animal side out along with his attitude. It’s hard to say more than that really (which is pretty much the same for Optimus Prime). Ironhide is my Favourite Autobot from the film series, as well as my Favourite Transformer from the series.

GENEPOOL

Film News – Catching Fire and Other Things.

Some time has passed since the last time I did a general film news round-up and there has been some updates, so here is the latest news in the movie world. As you may notice by the title and the picture, there is some news on the sequel to The Hunger Games; Catching Fire. The Main news being that the trailer has finally been released. The Hunger Games was one of Last Years stand out films, and while it was not the highest grossing film of last year it did set some records of its own. I was originally unsure about the film when I first heard about it but after seeing it, I loved it and I am currently two-thirds of my way into the second book (that book being Catching Fire). The new film will once again star Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and the Brilliant Donald Sutherland and will be directed this time around by Francis Lawrence. The trailer looks very interesting and sorts of sets the mood to how the next film is going to be. The film is set to be released this coming November, and while that is sometime away, the release of the trailer shows that the film is now incoming and won’t be long until we finally get to watch it. Here is the trailer, check it out.

Now for a quick roundup of other news.

• Principal Photography has begun on X-Men: Days of Future Past. Set to be released next year, the film will once again star much of the same cast from First Class (Fassbender, McAvoy and Lawrence) along with some of the stars of the original X-Men trilogy including Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart.
• Being released sooner than Catching Fire despite no trailer is The Seventh Son. Based on the hit books by Joseph Delaney, I recently started the second book in the series. I suggest you keep an eye out for this film as it could be a surprise hit.
• Pacific Rim has a new trailer, pretty much similar to the first one, however this one does show more action from the robots including several more viewpoints.

Elysium finally has a proper poster and so I won’t have to keep using the District 9 poster every time I refer to it. A trailer has also been released, it looks absolutely incredible and has a sense of the Director’s (Neill Blomkamp) previous film District 9. Elysium which stars Matt Damon and Jodie Foster is scheduled to be released in August.

Finally, I have just discovered that both a title and a trailer for the upcoming Alan Partridge film has been announced. Not much idea on what the plot is, but if Alan Partridge is anything to go by, expect plenty of laughs in what could be the funniest film this year, the title itself is quite funny; Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa. The film is set to be released in Early August.

That’s all the major film news for now, don’t forget to check back soon for more, thank you.

GENEPOOL (don’t forget to have a look at the film study series I recently started, the first film being Battle Royale)

Movie Preview: Iron Man 3

With only about 10 days to go until the release of Iron Man 3 (according to the adverts) and so I thought I would do a quick preview of one of the years upcoming biggest films. A film that I rated as the seventh biggest film that I am currently looking forward to this year and to date I have only been to the cinema once this year, that was to go and see the Fantastic British film; Welcome To The Punch. To be honest when I first heard about Iron Man being turned into a film (2007, I was on Holiday in Holland in the seaside resort of Scheveningen) my initial reaction was, oh no. Yes it’s true I was unsure at the prospect of it. However I eventually went to see the film and enjoyed it quite a lot even stating the film as the first proper rival to the X-Men Film Series. Then there was a sequel which was also pretty awesome and so now we have a third film about to be released.

The film will be once again be starring Robert Downey Jr. as the Iron, sort of caped, not really a crusader, basically he is playing the lead role of Tony Stark wo is of course Iron Man. The film will also see the return of Gwyneth Paltrow as Stark’s assistant Pepper Potts. The dynamic between the two is one of the best relationships in Cinema for years and it is good to see that they are both back. Don Cheadle returns too playing the role of War Machine. The film also sees a return of Jon Favreau but sadly not as the director this time around. Shane Black is helming the new film, his only film to date being the 2005 film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Also in the mix for the new film is Guy Pearce playing the part of Aldrich Killian, creator of the Extremis Virus. Along side him there is Oscar and Bafta award-winning actor Ben Kingsley playing the films lead villain (as suggested by the trailer), the Mandarin. My knowledge of the comics is not all that great, the only time I have really read a comic with Iron Man in was in Essential X-Men. So I don’t know how this Mandarin character is going to work or is like but when compared to the pictures in the comics, he looks awesome.

The trailer for the new film has already been out for the last few months and it looks interesting, just remember that you make sure that you don’t confuse the trailer for Iron Man 3 with the trailer for the upcoming Monster Film from Guillermo del Toro; Pacific Rim. Lets take a look (Iron Man 3 I mean, not Pacific Rim, yet).

The trailer does show and mention quite a bit. It kind of shows how the Mandarin is going to be the major villain and is going to be involved in a lot of terrorism. Basically the film from the looks of the trailer looks like a Giant disaster movie but will also involve some heart bits between Paltrow and Downey. However the film looks very similar to a certain Christopher Nolan film that came out about 10 months ago. Such as the parts where it asks where Tony Stark is, and where he is in the snow. The terrorism looks a lot like the work of the main villain from the suggested comparison. While the film is obviously going to go down its own route, it is plain to see that there is something of the afore-mentioned Christopher Nolan film that can be seen in the new Iron Man film. One thing that I am really interested in from the trailer is also all those other Iron Man suits, probably have to wait a few more days until the films release before this part is explained.

With the film shaping up very well and now with only a few days left it won’t be long until we can finally sit down in the cinema (VUE in my case) and watch the latest installment in the series. Personally I am really looking forward to this despite my above comment of this film already being out in a different and probably far superior film. However it turns out though, I am still very excited about this new film (and hope that a recent crossover film does not affect the quality of the Iron Man series through this film), are you?

GENEPOOL (100 posts for my Film Blog)

Top 5 Monsters For The 2014 Godzilla Movie

With the 2014 Godzilla Film from Legendary Pictures currently in production, there has been some talk recently about which monsters Godzilla will be fighting. It has been known for a while that in the new film Godzilla will be fighting two other monsters. which two monsters those are is another big question and there has been some potential ideas. Last month you may remember me showing you a fan made poster for the film which showed Godzilla with another strange-looking creature to which I said it looked like Biollante. However I think the idea of Biollante appearing in the new film is possibly fueled by the recent DVD and Blu-ray release of Godzilla vs Biollante. Personally I think it is too early to introduce Biollante to a new generation of Godzilla Audiences as Biollante requires a lot of explaining and I do think that most of the film’s explanation should be on the film’s main star. This is also why I think that King Ghidorah should not appear in the new film either, lot’s of explaining to do. There has actually been a lot of talk at the possibility of King Ghidorah appearing in the new film thanks to an April Fool’s joke this past week on Facebook. I would like King Ghidorah to appear in an American Godzilla Film but maybe wait until a potential sequel, just like not having the Joker in Batman Begins (and maybe wait for a third film before introducing MechaGodzilla).

So which monsters do I think should appear in the new film. Well, due to the complexity of some of the other monsters, I think simplicity is the best option, the kind of monsters that the audience could instantly understand. So I have chosen 5 monsters that fill this category with ease (well 4 technically, 1 is a bit more difficult to understand but their application to the series is a Fantastic Idea). So here we go with what I think are 5 ideal monsters for the new film; Mr. Edwards, I hope your reading this.

5. Ebirah – With only two appearances to date, it may seem strange to argue the case that Ebirah should make an appearance in the new film. But why not, I mean; what’s wrong with a Giant Lobster. Ebirah’s first appearance was in the film Ebirah: Horror Of The Deep where Godzilla fights the Giant Lobster and eventually rips his claws off and while it may be gruesome what happened to Ebirah but don’t forget, it took two attempts by the King of the Monsters to defeat him. Ebirah would not appear again for close to 40 years later when he made a brief appearance in the 50th Anniversary film, Godzilla: Final Wars. Ebirah is an excellent choice for the new film due to him being simple to understand on a level that is similar to creatures from American Monster Movies like It Came From Beneath The Sea and The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (both produced by the Great Ray Harryhausen).

4. Gorosaurus – To me, possibly one of the most if not the most underrated monster in the Godzilla series. Gorosaurus has made 4 appearances to date, firstly by fighting and almost defeating King Kong. He then appeared in Destroy All Monsters where he lived on Monster Island along with the rest of the world’s monsters, before attacking Paris and then teaming up with all the world’s monsters to defeat King Ghidorah. He has also appeared in All Monsters Attack and Godzilla vs Gigan. He is a dangerous fighter who possess a Kangaroo style kick, twice flooring King Ghidorah. A very basic monster to introduce but by no means weak and is a monster who I would like to see again.

3. Battra – This is the one that is not so simple to explain, but is a fantastic choice for another reason. Because of who Battra is; that is a creature that is a lot like Mothra, Battra has a Larva Form and this is a unique plot device. When Battra first appeared in Godzilla vs Mothra, he was shown to be this incredible destructive force, becoming possibly the first monster that could finally go toe to toe with the King of the Monsters. While Battra would eventually disappear, he would return and turn into his Flying Form and cause even more destruction. It is that which I think could work for the new film. Battra could be in his Larva form for the first film and could potentially return in the second or third film in his flying form. While the character will require some explanation, it would be a Fantastic inclusion into the new film.

2. Rodan – One of the oldest monsters in the series. In total Rodan has made 10 Film appearances, 8 of them featuring Godzilla. Rodan has both fought and aided the King of the Monsters on several occasions, even once reviving Godzilla. Rodan though is a very simple monster as he is just a flying pterodactyl. Rodan also has the ability to breathe fire, on some occasions. Because Rodan is already well known along side Godzilla, not much explanation is required for the character and so while a simple choice for the series in that context, it is a Fantastic choice for the new film.

1. Anguirus – Obviously Anguirus is the Best option for the new film. Anguirus was the first monster Godzilla fought. The second monster to be introduced into the series as well as one who has made several appearances throughout the series, some of which have involved both fighting and assisting Godzilla. Anguirus is a tough fighter  and has fared well in combat on several occasions including battles with Gigan, King Ghidorah and MechaGodzilla. More than any monster; Anguirus is the perfect monster to help introduce a whole new audience to Godzilla, and who knows, we may get to see a rematch of that fight that took place between Anguirus and Godzilla 58 years ago.

So there you have my opinions for who I think should appear in the new film, so what do you think to these potential monsters. If you have any better ideas for who should appear alongside Godzilla in the new film, please let me know. for the most part now, we just have to wait for about 13 – 14 months for the new film to be released and then we shall see who will be fighting The King Of The Monsters.

GENEPOOL