Apple.com has the first concrete look at Joss Whedon’s Marvel ensemble, The Avengers. Fans no longer have to grasp at 30 second preview snippets or shaky phone cam location footage. The trailer hits audiences with Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and finally the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) in action, being led by S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). The trailer also contains some serious scenes of destruction along with shots of Thor’s villainous brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) wreaking havoc on New York City.

Nothing more to say about the reveal other than that I believe it justifies my anticipation. Whedon looks to have done a commendable job so far.

The Avengers hits theaters May 4, 2012.

Gavin and Jeff return with Thor highlights, a discussion on events in comicdom, and highlight some recent events that happened in Toronto.

Gavin then takes some time to address the emails he received in response to his Fortress of Baller-tude Steampunk video.

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I realize I’m about a week late for the start of the month, but I just bought a baby bulldog, so when you have your own poop factory to take care of, feel free to criticize. Lots to like here: a summer tentpole, a B-movie starring Roy Batty; even a Terrence Malick sighting. Perhaps even more incredible is that someone hired Mel Gibson for something.

May 6

The Beaver
Those in major cities gets first crack at Jodie Foster’s dark comedy about a man who has a mental breakdown and begins to wear a beaver hand puppet to speak for him. Foster directs Anton Yelchin (Like Crazy), Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) and lead Mel Gibson who himself has had a decades long mental breakdown. But instead of wearing a piece of decorated fabric, Gibson thought best to rant against homosexuals, Jews, African Americans, then threaten to kill his girlfriend and mother of one of his children. Tough to decide which one sounds crazier.

Hobo with a Shotgun
Anyone familiar with 1986′s The Hitcher know what kind of monster Rutger Hauer can portray. Just say his name outloud. Rutger Hauer. Gives me chills. Here, he’s a homeless guy carrying heat, but what’s even cooler is that this film stemmed from a trailer (and a public outcry) shown in between Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s grossly underrated Grindhouse. The trailer below is red-band, which should be a requirement for all R-rated works. Note: Hobo with a Shotgun was released in Canada on March 25.

Thor
Marvel’s Norse God gets his crack on the silver screen, in what’s to be the first of many comic book adaptations seen this summer. It already made 25 million on Friday alone, proving that there’s an apparent audience for mythology. Thor, along with Iron Man and Captain America: The First Avenger (July 22), serve as a precursor to the much ballyhooed Avengers film which will land in just under a year (May 4, 2012). Note: You can read our reviews of Thor here and here.

May 13

Bridesmaids
Kristen Wiig gets a crack at headlining a film for the first time, and from the look of the trailers she’s hit it out of the park. Early buzz from festivals has been extremely favourable, and not for nothing, but I’ll never think of the word ‘undercarriage’ the same way again.

May 20

Midnight in Paris
I’ll watch any new Woody Allen film, even though he may have peaked in the late 70s. He’s had way more misses than hits in his later years with the exception of Match Point (great story with Scarlett Johansson) and Vicky Cristina Barcelona (decent story with Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz). Paris is a romantic comedy, and Allen’s first foray into the city of light/love. As usual, the cast is stellar: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams (!), Marion Cotillard (!!), Adrien Brody, Michael Sheen, and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy – rhe first lady of France.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Even though Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley have shoved off, the Pirates gravy train will continue to roll as long as Johnny Depp remains as Captain Jack Sparrow. Depp is joined by series newcomers Ian McShane and Penelope Cruz as various parties search for the location of the Fountain of Youth. In my book, the only good film in the series so far was the original. Is it any coincidence that it’s the only one that featured Zoë Saldaña? I’m just saying.

May 26

The Hangover II
My buddy Zed remains the only person in the western world who still hasn’t seen the 2009 comedy about a dentist, a school teacher, and a halfwit who black out and must find the groom-to-be before his impending nuptials. The original struck a chord with audiences to the tune of a $460 plus million gross. Not too shabby on a budget of only $35 mill. That being said, the looks we’ve seen for this one seem to be an exact clone of what worked the first time. Most definitely a smart move, but not the bravest.

Kung-Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom of Doom
A surprise Dreamworks animated hit; one that somewhat halted the mammoth entity that is Pixar. Jack Black voiced the titular bear in the film that mixed a perfect blend of comedy and ridiculous martial arts. All of the voice talents are back (Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Dustin Hoffman), while Dennis Haysbert (Far from Heaven), Michelle Yeoh (Super Cop), and Jean-Claude Van Damme (JCVD) join to try to recapture that spark.

May 27

The Tree of Life
Easily one of the most anticipated releases of this or any recent year. Terrence Malick is notorious for taking his time between films – his last being 2005′s The New World. Brad Pitt is the father (who plays an asshole) of a nuclear family in suburbia, whose grown up son ends up being Sean Penn (supposedly a real life asshole). There are some truly beautiful celestial images mixed into the familial drama. The less I know of this going in the better. Note: The Tree of Life will not be released in Canada until June 10.

You can read more of Adam’s film musings over at his blog: Cinema High.

I should preface this review with one caveat: I’ve never read or watched — or heard of Thor at all, really — before seeing the film. As you can probably guess from the preceding sentence, I don’t even know what format of text or media from which its story originates. Was Thor a comic book? Was it a television show? Cartoon? Movie from the 1980s? Colour me uneducated and largely incurious. Instead of attempting to hide this gaping hole in my nerd credentials, I’m sure that highlighting my lack of Thor knowledge will make for a pretty interesting review.

Spoilers ahead.

After watching Shakespearean-stalwart Kenneth Branagh’s film adaptation, I have come to understand that the character of Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is a “God of Thunder” who lives in the “Realm Eternal”, otherwise known as Asgard. The people who live there — Asgardians? — are unimportant in the long-run, assuming importance correlates with the amount of screen-time the average Asgardian citizen is provided. There are maybe three or four scenes with larger groups or crowds and almost all of them are scenes of war. I’m sure these scenes were filmed during those short moments when Branagh remembered he wasn’t directing a play and could have more people in a scene than just the essential cast.

Thor, the aforementioned God of Thunder, has a father named Odin (Anthony Hopkins) who appears to be dying, despite the Asgardian’s apparent claim to immortality. Because of this — never quite explained — confusion about supposed immortality, Thor’s father decides to abdicate the throne of Asgard, naturally choosing to give his crown to his smug first-born, Thor. Thor’s younger brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), is rebuffed by this decision but appears to accept being overlooked by his father well enough. However, Thor has blonde hair and wears red; Loki has dark hair and wears green. Any costume designer (or reader of any fantasy novel series) could tell you that, yeah, Loki is probably the villain of this piece.

Rounding off the Asgardians that you actually get to see in the movie are the all-seeing, all-hearing sentry Heimdall, Thor’s mother and his gang of ruffian warriors. These warriors include “the female one”, “the Asian one”, “the one who looks like Thor but isn’t Thor — wait, no, he’s just blonde” and “the fat one” (Ray Stevenson, in a role that made me weep for this wasted Rome talent). They fight and are loyal to their friend Thor. That’s basically it.

Because Thor isn’t content with the universal admiration of his people, his chiseled abs, (questionable) immortality, upcoming coronation and overall blondness, he decides to confront Asgard’s greatest enemies, the Frost Giants, defying both his father and logic in the process. Unsurprisingly, these Frost Giants are very large people who wield ice powers. They are a very literal people, apparently, and they live their lives on a planet of ice, spending most of their time being blue — both in colour and temperament — while hating on Asgard and its king.

The aftermath of Thor’s decision doesn’t go so well and, after some hammer-throwing and war-provoking, Thor’s father banishes him from Asgard. Thor is then teleported from their planet — and ends up on ours. Branagh, much to the audience’s probable content, decided to spend as little screen-time as possible on Earth. The film’s greatest moments — from its fantastical origins to its inevitable fight to the death — are set on Asgard. While on Earth, the banished Thor meets astrophysicist Jane (Natalie Portman) and the members of her research team, played by the horrifically underused Stellan Skarsgard and Kat Dennings. With the exception of some “stanger in a strange land” physical humour, most of the Earth scenes are largely forgettable. I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy some of the Earth scenes, but after a battle with insanely-blue, gigantic aliens, immortal gods and rainbow bridges, it’s more than a little funny to see see Thor incapacitated by an undergraduate with a taser. There is also a very memorable barbecue featuring a cameo appearance from the father of Marvel comics, Stan Lee.

Halfway through the film, Thor’s brother Loki discovers something about himself that reshapes his worldview, adding numerous layers to a character already overshadowing everyone else in regard to development and personality. This new development should have been the lynchpin of the entire narrative arc of the film, but the screenwriters pass on this opportunity. Instead, they revert the character of Loki into a caricature of the jealous usurper, depriving the audience of more screen-time with the stellar Tom Hiddleston in order to add more Natalie Portman. Sad to say it, but Hemsworth and Portman have absolutely no chemistry and share only a handful of scenes together. Thus, it appears that Thor and Jane fell in love after a trip to the hospital, a cup of coffee and a rooftop conversation about constellations. If you’re sensitive to this underdeveloped relationship, you’ll be questioning Thor’s behaviour at the end of the film much like I did.

Overall, I felt that Thor was an enjoyable and much better film than expected. It benefited from an ambitious depiction of Asgard, both in terms of scope and visuals. Unfortunately, Natalie Portman’s character and the use of 3D are largely superfluous. The film also suffers from a bland, unforgettable protagonist, Thor; as well as a deformed development of its antagonist, Loki.

For those unfamiliar with the Thor universe — like me — there will be a few moments which will pull you out of the film, as the script does a poor job establishing the rules of the universe. Examples of this include:

• How can you be immortal and potentially die?
• How can Loki duplicate himself?
• How can Loki teleport to Earth and appear suddenly invisible?
• Wait, Thor can fly?

Despite these flaws and questions, Thor is an admirable installment in the Marvel universe of films, and I would be ecstatic to see Tom Hiddleston return as Loki. Also, the bonus scene at the end of Thor with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is worth the excruciating wait through the very, very poor end-credit song choice.

I didn’t know it until I saw it, but I have been waiting for a summer movie like Thor for a long time. It is fun, far more fun than any comic adaptation I have seen in years. Admittedly, I say that as someone who does not read a lot of comics and is not familiar with the source material. And to me, that is the beauty of this film. This movie knows its material is not as invested in a legion of fans such as follow Batman or Superman, and its British director brings to it a distantiation that allows for investment in the fun of it all: the outrageous narration, exaggerated and impossible action sequences, and actors who can just let go and enjoy the ride without any pressure while still maintaining their integrity and talent. This, my friends, is what a summer movie should be: exciting, clever, comedic, and a joyride.

Kenneth Branagh has been much maligned in the press in recent years, to my mind unfairly. Yes, he has had some duds (Frankenstein comes immediately to mind), but his good films (Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Dead Again, Sleuth) far outweigh the bad, And even with their faults, Branagh is willing to take risks where very few other (i.e. Hollywood) directors are not; sometimes it doesn’t work, but more often than not it does. At first he might have seemed like an odd choice for this film, but actually he is perfect. Thor is not Batman; he does not have the following or the pressure. So it takes a director from outside the genre to make this kind of film, who can look at the source material with a less interested eye and find the key, transferable elements.

Thor is the son of Odin, King of Asgard, central of the nine worlds (of which Earth is one.) Odin has managed to maintain peace with the Frost Giants after a great battle many years ago, but Thor feels the kingdom is threatened. In a fit of youthful egoism, he and his band of followers, including his brother Loki, go to the Frost Giant’s kingdom and almost start a war. As punishment, Odin casts Thor down to earth until he can prove he is worthy of being King. And as write this, it sounds laugh-out-loud absurd, but you have to get into the rhythm of the film.

There are two worlds the film inhabits: Earth and Asgard. Asgard is gorgeously rendered in golds and reds, exactly what one would expect of such a kingdom in the sky, where everything is taller, brighter, and more formal. Earth (in the setting of New Mexico) is dirty, dusty, and laid-back. In the opening scenes of the film, the two worlds and their characters are separated. The collision that takes place once Thor falls to earth is nothing short of brilliant; classic fish-out-of-water comedy that borders slightly on predictability and yet is just clever enough to elicit great laughter. The action sequences, through both real acting and CGI, are exciting and not drawn out as too many film try to do these days.

Branagh’s directorial strengths lie in two areas: text and actors. The man knows words. And it is through the dialogue that Asgard and Earth are differentiated. Asgard is the Shakespearean side: everyone speaks in rather lofty tones, which a first seems a little strange, but again, just get into the rhythm and it seems perfectly natural. Earth is, well, Earth, and colloquial. The trailer gives away some of the jokes in Thor’s first encounters with earthly communication, and yet this did not stop me from laughing when I saw the film. The Asgardian characters never seem untrue in their dialogue, nor do they waver in its delivery. I have a feeling that this dialogue, in script form, might be a little less than impressive, but the actors pull it off. They know this is not actual Shakespeare, nor is it meant to be delivered as such; but they do understand how to say the words without making them seem trivial or incomprehensible or silly.

Of course, if you’re going to have a king of Asgard, you’d do no better than Anthony Hopkins. I was also surprised to discover that Canadian actor Colm Feore was the King of the Frost Giants (though his performance is vocal, as it is a computer generated character; not that that is a problem with Feore.) The film needs strong older actors such as these, as well as Stellan Skarsgård as an Earth scientist, to helm the film for the younger actors. Chris Hemsworth is perfect as Thor (and he certainly isn’t hard on the eyes either.) I never once failed to take him seriously or believe anything coming out of his mouth. His transformation from arrogant boy to wise adult doesn’t happen in one fell swoop, it happens with every smashed cup and every kick of a bodyguard. Tom Hiddleston is the perfect foil as Loki, and it is a credit to him that, although one knows that in Norse mythology he is the trickster, I was still surprised by each further trick he pulled. And will someone please give Kat Dennings more films roles! She is horribly underused in this one, providing most of the earthly comic relief, and I wonder why she wasn’t cast as the lead female, Jane Foster. I continue to be baffled by the popularity of Natalie Portman. I’m sorry to be harsh, but she is as dull as dishwater, and I could see no reason why Thor would have any interest in Jane. And for those very few racists out there who insisted that a black man shouldn’t play Heimdall, all I can say is just watch the damn movie. Idris Elba is a force of gravity, and in his scenes he draws everyone into him.

In other hands, this film would have been terrible. With Branagh at the helm, I have no doubt it’s going to be one of my top films this summer, and likely the year. He picked the right actors (well, mostly), he directed them well, and he paced the movie perfectly, weaving together its strange and frenetic generic, geographical, and linguistic distinctions seamlessly. My only regret is that due to the few locations where 2D viewing was available, I had to watch it in 3D. It is not necessary, and in fact I would have enjoyed it more in 2D. It looks glorious, it sounds glorious, and I haven’t had so much fun at a film in a long, long time. Bravo, Branagh.

A new trailer for Kenneth Branagh’s live action adaptation of the Marvel’s Thor has hit the web. The action epic stars Chris Hemsworth as the titular Norse god, robbed of his power and cast down to Earth by his father Odin. The film also stars Anthony Hopkins as Odin, and Natalie Portman as his love interest, Jane Foster. See the trailer below.

This new trailer features quite a bit of material not covered in the previous trailers, TV spots or sizzle reels. We’re still a little skeptical about the whole venture, but this trailer has sold us a little more on the idea. Let’s just hope that Thor doesn’t suffer from Iron Man 2-itis, and become nothing more than a setup for Marvel’s mega tentpole Avengers film.

Thor thunders into theatres May 6, 2011.

Superbowl viewers were treated to a quick glimpse of the God of Thunder tonight in the new TV spot for Thor. The Kenneth Branagh directed action epic stars Chris Hemsworth as the titular Norse god, robbed of his power and cast down to Earth by his father Odin. The film also stars Anthony Hopkins as Odin, and Natalie Portman as his love interest, Jane Foster. See the trailer below.

Entertainment Weekly has posted two brand-new photos of Captain America and Thor. Both characters are part of the upcoming Avengers film and have respective movies coming out this year.

Click to enlarge.

Captain America: The First Avenger is directed by Joe Johnston (The Wolfman, The Rocketeer) and stars Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Hugo Weaving, Stanley Tucci, Sebastian Stan and Dominic Cooper. This is the first official shot we have of Chris Evans as Steve Rogers in full Captain America regalia (although the film is said to have a few costume switch-ups throughout). A teaser trailer for the film is expected to arrive soon.

Click to enlarge.

Thor is being helmed by veteran actor/director Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet, Sleuth) directing another solid cast, including Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston and Idris Elba. You can view the trailer for Thor here.

Click to enlarge.

In a recent interview, director Johnston commented that it was very important to have the Captain America costume feel real, while remaining faithful to the comic – aside from just using the colours and shield. For example, Captain America needs the wings on his mask; having them painted on his helmet is much cooler and less campy than having actual pieces attached. Branagh has gone on record with similar feeling towards the look and feel of everything in Thor.

These two films are Marvel Studios’ buildup to the eventual Avengers film, and things look to be shaping up nicely. There looks to be something here for newcomers as well as old-school fans.

Thor hits theatres on May 6, 2011, followed by Captain America: The First Avenger on July 22, 2011.

The Shelf rings in the new year by waxing nostalgic about 2010′s best and worst games and movies, and talk about what we’re looking forward to in 2011. Will and Zack are joined by Emily and our old friend Lucas for this best/worst of ought ten show. The episode also has the distinction of being the only podcast you’ll ever hear successfully segue between Gaspar Noé’s brutal Enter the Void and Pixar’s heartwarming Toy Story 3. To read more of our favourites be sure to check out our recently published “Best of 2010″ lists.

What were your favourites of 2010? What are you looking forward to in 2011? Comment and let us know.

Download: Dork Shelf Podcast 4 Season 2 (52 MB, MP3, 1:14:50)
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Programme:

• 0:00 — “Super Inuit (Live)” by Holy Fuck
• 1:50 — Games of 2010: Snakes & Lattes and obscure board games, Halo: Reach, Darksiders, Red Dead Redemption, Fragile Dreams
• 8:55 — Split/Second, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Metroid: The Other M
• 16:00 — Bayonetta, Fallout: New Vegas
• 19:10— Indie Games: Minecraft, Angry Birds, VVVVVV, Super Meat Boy, Limbo, Amnesia: The Dark Descent
• 27:20 — Films of 2010: Enter the Void, Toy Story 3, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
• 37:46 — The Social Network, Black Swan, Rubber, Jackass 3-D, TRON: Legacy, True Grit
• 51:15 — HBO’s Game of Thrones, Thor, Green Lantern, Captain America
• 1:01:50 — Hayao Miyazaki’s Ni no Kuni, Catherine, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus HD
• 1:06:20 — Nintendo’s 3DS, Mortal Kombat, Portal 2
• 1:13:00 — Outro
• 1:14:10 — “The Parachute Ending” by Birdy Nam Nam

Marvel has released the first official trailer for Thor. The Kenneth Branagh directed action epic stars Chris Hemsworth as the titular Norse god of thunder, robbed of his power and cast down to Earth by his father Odin. The film also stars Anthony Hopkins as Odin, and Natalie Portman as his love interest, Jane Foster.

If you saw the Thor showreel that Marvel debuted at San Diego Comic Con then you’ve already seen much of what is contained in the trailer. While the visuals are stunning, we’re still having a hard time reconciling the huge tonal differences between Thor in the heavenly kingdom of Asgard and Thor stuck on Earth in small town America. The trailer makes Thor feel like two completely different movies, hopefully director Branagh will be able to successfully balance the finished product.

We’re still cautiously optimistic given the huge talent that is involved in the film. As long as Thor can stand on its own two feet as a film and avoid the “Avengers-setupitis” that plague Iron Man 2, Marvel fans should be in for a treat.

Thor thunders into theatres May 6th 2011.

The trailer isn’t the best quality, but I’m beginning to understand why people at Comic Con were so jazzed by it. The costumes, which looked a little stiff in stills, look fantastic in action. Branagh has given the film a sense of scale and grandeur that I really wasn’t expecting. The general consensus amongst fans now seems to be that Thor might actually be pretty good.

This link probably won’t be online for long, but the cat is out of the bag and we’ll repost it if it goes down.

Thor is scheduled for a May 6th 2011 release.

From left to right: Robert Downey Jr., Clark Gregg, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, writer/director Joss Whedon and Marvel head Kevin Feige. (Click to Enlarge)

Marvel Studios brought out the big guns for their panels at the San Diego Comic Con this weekend. In addition to showing off the first footage from Thor and The First Avenger: Captain America, they assembled the cast of the upcoming Avengers film. Joss Whedon (Serenity, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) was officially announced as the director of the film. Marvel also announced that Mark Ruffalo would indeed be replacing Edward Norton as Bruce Banner/The Incredible Hulk, as had been rumoured. For those unfamiliar with the comics, The Avengers are a team of Marvel Comics superheroes made up of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Hulk, Hawkeye, Nick Fury, Black Widow, various “lesser heroes” and  S.H.I.E.L.D agents.

The film is basically the biggest comic book movie anyone has ever attempted to make. My own personal feelings about Joss Whedon aside, I tend to agree with people who say he is a great choice for such a large ensemble piece. Whedon has made a career out of ensemble pieces full of witty dialogue and clever retorts and Serenity proved he could do big budget action. It’s going to be a tough balancing act, but at this point you would be hard pressed to name an a suitable alternative.

The success of The Avengers is going to depend greatly on how well the Thor and Captain America films do critically and financially. With the Iron Man and Hulk films laying the groundwork for this new contiguous Marvel film universe, the studio is off to a pretty good start. It is the upcoming films on the Marvel slate that have some heavy lifting to do: Joe Johnston’s Second World War Captain America film and Kenneth Branagh’s cosmic Thor adaptation have their work cut out for them if The Avengers is to be a success. Fan reaction to footage from both films has been overwhelmingly positive, so things at least seem to be on the right track.

Marvel has launched a teaser site for the film, complete with the famous “A” logo, which you can see here.

The Avengers is set for a May 4th, 2012 release.