Articles by matt-raub
Wed Jul 9, 2008 — by Matt Raub
ComicMix TV: Doug Jones and the 'Hellboy II' Interview
Abe Sapien chats up ComicMix as the 'Hellboy II' release date approaches!
Doug Jones is a name that doesn’t get used lightly when it comes to comic book fans. He’s had roles ranging from Abe Sapien in both Hellboy films, to Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four 2. See what Doug had to say when it came to his newly expanded role in the sequel, as well as a possible future for Silver Surfer (maybe written by J. Michael Straczynski!).
Catch Hellboy II: The Golden Army in theaters Friday, July 11.
Missed one of our Hellboy II: The Golden Army interviews this week? Here are links to all of the recent ComicMix TV interviews with the Hellboy II cast and crew:
Tue Jul 8, 2008 — by Matt Raub
ComicMix TV: Luke Goss Talks 'Hellboy II'
Prince Nuada and the perils of taking on Hellboy
Luke Goss has played some of the best bad guys in film in the past 10 years, from Blade 2 to Steven Seagal’s Mercenary for Justice, and now he fills the role of “Prince Nuada” in Hellboy II. We got to chat with Luke about his makeup in the film, his relationship with writer/director Guillermo del Toro, and even his take on comic book fans.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army hits theaters Friday, July 11.
Missed one of our Hellboy II: The Golden Army interviews this week? Here are links to all of the recent ComicMix TV interviews with the Hellboy II cast and crew:
Mon Jul 7, 2008 — by Matt Raub
ComicMix TV: Selma Blair and the 'Hellboy II' Interview
Liz Sherman sets ComicMix TV on fire!
Selma Blair returns to the Hellboy franchise as Liz Sherman, this time a little with a little less angst, and a little more sass. See what Selma has to say about her favorite comics growing up, coming back to the character, and her experience on the set of Hellboy II: The Golden Army, in theaters this Friday, July 11.
Fri Jul 4, 2008 — by Matt Raub
Review: Will Smith in 'Hancock'
Does Will Smith's superhero fly?
With comic franchises pouring from Hollywood’s every orifice this year, something like Hancock would normally be considered a breath of fresh, creative air. This can be said for the film on paper, but it fails to deliver in the latter half of the film. That said, Hancock is still good fun in a theater, and delivers with all the things we wanted to see Superman Returns 
The plot follows an unruly asshole (not being vulgar, this term is important to the character) of a superhero who resides in downtown Los Angeles, attempts to keep people safe from the ever-rising crime rate, but ends up causing more damage than he prevents. This makes Hancock (Will Smith) the ultimate antihero, being hated by just about everybody in the world (or at least L.A.) He crosses paths with an up-and-coming Public Relations guru (Jason Bateman) who thinks Hancock can become the hero that the world needs, but with a little bit of help.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: The text of this review posted after the jump contains descriptions of significant plot points, so consider this your official SPOILER ALERT. -RM]
Sun Jun 29, 2008 — by Matt Raub
Review: 'Wanted'
Can Timur Bekmambetov's comic adaptation bend bullets?
Reviewing Wanted
Those of you who remember the comic series remember a truly raunchy adventure about an assassin named Fox who recruits a cubical jockey to take his father’s place in a secret society of supervillains known as The Fraternity. From there, we get a few twists and turns thrown our way, but primarily, this was a comic book about all things comic books: superheroes, villains with puffy capes, a cannibal baddie, and even a few digs on other genre flops like Adam West’s Batman
With that in mind, the movie takes its own liberties, and generously at that. Replace “supervillains” with "assassins," “puffy capes” with “bullets that curve," and “cannibal” with Morgan Freeman. It is totally understandable how this movie was sold, because people are so afraid of doing superhero films that don’t have names like “Iron Man” or “Batman” attached to them, so instead they were going for a Matrix
Wed Jun 25, 2008 — by Matt Raub
Viral Marketing and 'Futurama: Beast With a Billion Backs'
Behold and love Yivo!
The Earth is being invaded!... sort of. While Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs
From ilovebender.com:
CENTURY CITY, CA – The Yivo invasion has arrived! Crash landing in key markets nationwide, Yivo has a tentacle span of 20 feet, and will be in constant tentacle motion! In Boston, Detroit, San Diego, Minneapolis and Chicago, each Yivo inflatable will be accompanied by “Space Babes” who will be distributing out-of-this-world promotional items, including T-shirts, tattoos and signed DVDs.
A “Mega-Invasion” is approaching Philadelphia when a 30-foot-tall Yivo takes over Love Park. In addition to “Space Babes” and giveaways, visitors will have a chance to meet Bender himself and get “Yivo-ized” via green screen!
According to various reports, Yivo's next big invasion is planned for Wizard World Chicago this weekend. You can find out more about Yivo, shlis or shler lovers, check out shlis or shler (trust me, I'm typing that correctly) on MySpace and Facebook. You can also check out my ComicMix review of Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs.
Fri Jun 20, 2008 — by Matt Raub
Review: Futurama - The Beast with a Billion Backs
Bender and Co. are back for another feature-length DVD
Coming up behind their first direct-to-DVD film, "Bender's Big Score," Futurama
The premise of the “movie” (which is technically four interwoven episodes) begins up with a tear in the sky, seemingly to another universe. When panic ensues and the world’s two smartest minds battle it out to figure out who gets to explore it first, our hapless hero, Fry, jumps in the hole and stumbles across something Earth-shattering. There are several other subplots that all come together in the end a la Seinfeld, but the main focal point is this interdimensional “beast.”
Each of these films seems to have a central theme, and if the theme of “Big Score” was time travel and friendship, the theme here must be love and jealousy. Even stated by Bender in the film: “You can’t have complete love without complete jealousy,” which may be poetic, but is still hilarious. The structure follows that of a cheesy romantic comedy, while still mocking itself by having the “romance” occur between the titular beast and every being in existence. (It's your typical "beast meets everybody, they fall in love, everybody feels betrayed, they break up, then try to fix the relationship" story... but with robot pirates.)
Continue reading Review: Futurama - The Beast with a Billion Backs ›
Thu Jun 12, 2008 — by Matt Raub
Review: 'The Incredible Hulk'
Does 'The Incredible Hulk' Smash?
Going into this film, you will need to play a bit of a trick on your brain. You need to completely forget everything you experienced in Ang Lee’s 2003 version of the film, while still comparing this film to its predecessor.
You're going to want to compare this film to Marvel’s previous blockbuster, Iron Man
That said, this film certainly delivers for the franchise, with the only major problem being the anticlimactic fight scene at the end, but we’ll get to that.
Starting off, the abbreviated back-story of this film is given to us in the form of the opening titles. Changing from the books: there is no Rick Jones and no Gamma Bomb, but instead a quiet gamma test on our Dr. Bruce Banner that goes horribly wrong, causing him to “hulk-out" and destroy the facility while also injuring his assistant/girlfriend Betty Ross. He goes on the run from the government, and we come into the story a few years later in Brazil, where Banner has now gone five months without “incident.” The first 15 minutes of the film keep the audience well entertained without the need of the Jade Giant, with some great character development and a fair amount of humor.
On the critical side of things, the biggest change from the first film was easily the look of the hulk and computer-generated imaging throughout the film. This was a drastic change from 2003’s “Shrek on Steroids” look. We're given plenty of shots of the hulk in plain daylight and in action, and the look is next to flawless. If you are not a fan of CGI to begin with, you have to understand that you are going to see a movie about a gigantic green monster here, and no one is throwing Lou Ferrigno in green makeup this time around.
Wed Jun 11, 2008 — by Matt Raub
ComicMix TV: The 'Incredible Hulk' Interviews
What does Star Trek have to do with Hulk? Watch and find out!
With a brand new Incredible Hulk ready to hit theaters this Friday, ComicMix TV talks to producers Kevin Feige and Gale Anne Hurd, as well as the film's director, Louis Leterrier, about what fans can expect -- and how it will compare to the Hulk's previous, much-maligned turn on the big screen.
Wed Jun 11, 2008 — by Matt Raub
'Incredible Hulk' Director Discusses Deleted Captain America Cameo
It's sort of like 'Where's Waldo' except a lot more patriotic...
Many rumors have been spreading since the release of the latest Incredible Hulk television spot, in which the Robert Downey Jr. (as Iron Man's Tony Stark) cameo is revealed. But was this the big cameo we were all waiting for?
One of the big rumors was that a Captain America scene was more than definite after an interview with Incredible Hulk director Louis Letierrer on G4’s Attack of the Show, where Leterrier stated, “You will see Captain America in this movie."
Later at a press event, Leterrier was questioned by Collider.com about the quote and said, "That’s crazy. Did I say that?"
"I threw [an Easter Egg into the movie] like this [and] I was like, 'Let’s see how many pick it up,'" he added, confirming that any Captain America appearance in the movie is more an Easter Egg than a true cameo.
Collider then asked the director to get more specific, to which Leterrier replied, "No, I can’t. Otherwise it’s not fun. Are you crazy? It’s an Easter Egg."
He eventually offered, "It’s not like 'Oh, it’s Captain America and it changes everything.' It’s still a Hulk movie, but it’s really Captain America and it’s there, you’ll see. It’s the real deal. You have to look for it."
Finally, at the same press event, Brazilian news website SOS Hollywood asked Leterrier the same question, and got a very different response:
There's a point when Bruce Banner gives up on his quest for the cure and decides to kill himself. So he travels far North and reaches the Arctic Circle. You might have seen bits of it in some of the promos. The result was a very dark and strong scene, which Marvel, me and everyone else's considered to be too hard [for] young audiences to take, so we've cut it. Having that said, when Bruce arrives at his destination he meets up with Captain America! At some point this week, we will make it available on the Internet – but I cannot tell you where or when – and the material will definitely be on the DVD.
Other sources state that the DVD is now slated to have an extra 70 minutes of deleted footage (which will no doubt be where we can find the missing Doc Sampson footage as well). So will we have to wait for the DVD to get a glimpse at Marvel’s American Eagle? Or is this all part of a bad viral marketing plan to get more DVD or ticket sales?
You can also read a bit more about the alleged Captain America cameo at Cinematical.
Mon Jun 9, 2008 — by Matt Raub
Iron Man Featured in New 'Incredible Hulk' Trailer
Robert Downey Jr. makes cameo in new 'Hulk' film preview
As most of you know by now, Marvel and Universal are taking the Incredible Hulk marketing into full swing this week, with one TV spot that may just be giving away a little too much.
Those of you who stayed till the end of Iron Man know that Sam Jackson pops up as fellow Marvel character Nick Fury, and rumor had it that we would be getting the same treatment with the next film from Marvel Studios, with Robert Downey Jr. rumored to appear as Tony Stark in the upcoming Incredible Hulk.
Well, it looks like the cat is out of the bag here, because according to the TV spot that hit the airwaves last night, Downey is definitely in the picture. It seems bizarre that the studios would spoil what could have been another big cameo, but such a move is likely indicative of the studios' worries regarding the film -- and an effort to ride the coattails of the biggest movie of 2008?
Check out the video below, but beware: If you would rather enjoy the surprise in the theater, stay away!
You can also view the video here.
Incredible Hulk hits theaters this week on Friday, June 13.
Sat May 10, 2008 — by Matt Raub
Review: 'Speed Racer' - Emile Hirsch Gets Behind the Wheel
Is it a warning flag or checkered flag for the popular anime's big-screen adaptation?
So here we are, a mere two weeks into the Blockbuster Season and the veil of bedazzlement has already been lifted. If you are a fan of the original Speed Racer franchise, animated films, or even decent films in general, you will more than likely be disappointed with the film that should've been more accurately named Speed Raver. From start to finish, this film is very much like what an 8-year-old would do if he were given a crate of Pixie Stix and free run of a CGI studio, with no knowledge whatsoever about pesky details like story structure, character development or any shred of realism.
For those not in the loop, the story of Speed Racer surrounds not just the titular character (played by possibly one of the better actors of his generation, Emile Hirsch), but his über-supportive family. Pops and Mom Racer, played by John Goodman and Susan Sarandon, respectively. Balancing out the cast was Speed’s girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci), his obnoxious and extraneous little brother and pet chimp, and by far the MVP of the film, in Matthew Fox as Racer X.
The plot, or at least what one can gather about it after two hours in the theater, takes place in a world where car racing is king and the car-building Racer family takes aim at the allegedly fixed world of professional racing with their prodigal son, Speed. The plot is almost beaten into our heads for the first hour, with cartoonish performances and poorly rendered backdrops aiding along the way.
Continue reading Review: 'Speed Racer' - Emile Hirsch Gets Behind the Wheel ›
Mon May 5, 2008 — by Matt Raub
Update: 'Iron Man 2' Likely Thanks to Box Office Reports
It's official: Iron Man is a pretty popular film...
Following up on the previous story that Iron Man placed 14th in the "highest grossing opening day," reports are now coming in that Marvel Studios' first production brought in an estimated $104 million since Thursday here in the states and an estimated $96 million overseas.
This ranks Iron Man as the 10th highest grossing film on opening weekend, and easily the highest-grossing film for 2008 thus far. The film also produced the fourth highest-grossing opening weekend ever for a superhero movie.
This will no doubt provide the go-ahead for the proposed sequel, getting Robert Downey Jr. back into the suit in around five months for an expected May 2010 release.
We'll be tracking the box office numbers for all of the big comics-related films this summer, so check back here at ComicMix for more to come!
Sun May 4, 2008 — by Matt Raub
Box Office Report For 'Iron Man' Could Mean Sequel
Will we see 'Iron Man 2'? Survey says... quite possibly.
It was an auspicious start for the Metal Marvel Hero, as Iron Man grossed an estimated $5.5 million at around 2,500 theaters during its Thursday night previews and made an estimated $32.5 million at 4,105 theaters on Friday, making it the 14th highest-grossing opening day on record. (You can read the ComicMix reviews of the film here and here.)
The Friday gross was comparable to X2: X-Men United, which debuted May 2 five years ago, bringing in $31.2.
Paramount big-wig Brad Grey went on record last week by saying that as long as the flick does "as well as expected", the studio wants to get a sequel in theaters for the same May weekend in 2010 -- and with numbers like these, that could be more realistic than we imagined.
While this is actually a Marvel Studios-produced film, with Paramount distributing, it's no surprise after these numbers that they will be rushing to get Downey Jr. back in the red-and-gold ASAP. Director Jon Favreau has already stated that he planned a loose structure for three movies, with the Mandarin presumably making an appearance somewhere down the line.
Keep your eye on ComicMix for more updates on how the first big blockbuster of the summer does in the box office!
Fri May 2, 2008 — by Matt Raub
Robert Downey Jr. and the 'Iron Man' Review
Does Marvel Studios have what it takes to bring comics to the big screen?
First off, right out of the bullpen, I want to warn readers that this review of Iron Man
With that said, this film should be labeled “FFBF”, meaning “For Fanboys, By Fanboys” because director Jon Favreau seems to know what the comic fans wanted to see. One gets the impression that if he were sitting in the seats, he’d want the same thing from this comics-famous tale of a millionaire, arms-manufacturing playboy Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) who decides to craft a supersuit and fight evil. Over the course of the film, anyone familiar with the character and the greater Marvel Universe will likely enjoy the references (sometimes subtle, but not always) to things ranging from War Machine to the Mandarin... even to S.H.I.E.L.D.
So make sure to pay attention, and most importantly, stay in the theater until after the credits!
Continue reading Robert Downey Jr. and the 'Iron Man' Review ›
