Thor (Super Bowl TV Spot)


The second Marvel Pictures superhero is plain and simply the awesome Asgard Thunder God himself. Thor is the Kenneth Branagh directed adaptation which will help tie-in with the rest of the Marvel Pictures produced superhero hero film of the last 3 years.

The Super Bowl tv spot shows new scenes in addition to those already shown in the official trailer released a couple months ago. This tv spot is all about Chris Hemsworth being Thor. There’s action sequences involving him battling Odin’s weapon of mass destruction in The Destroyer in what’s probably a town in New Mexico. We don’t see much of any of the other Asgardians like Loki, Sif, The Warriors Three and Heimdall.

Of all the superhero films Marvel has been working on since they decided to handle making films of their comic book properties this one has to be the wild-card of the bunch with the highest chance of failing. So far, the hype for the film has been even with many loving what they’ve seen, so far. Then there are those who seem to be hating what they’ve seen, so far. We’ll see on May 6, 2011 which side ends up being correct.

Super 8 (Super Bowl TV Spot)


I’ve always looked at all J.J. Abrams productions with some guarded optimism since so many people seem to hype his stuff. I liked his reboot of Star Trek, but was very so-so on his Mission Impossible 3. I will admit that he does have a good batting average when it comes to tv and now film. His latest film is Super 8.

This Super Bowl tv spot shows more than the teaser trailer with the train wreck and the steel door being pounded at. The film looks to be set sometime around the 1950’s if the set is to be believed. Some have reacted to info leaked about this film as Abrams’ homage on a certain family-friendly Spielberg alien film from the early 80’s.

Super 8 looks like the one film this summer that the less I know about it the better I’ll enjoy it when it finally comes out on June 10, 2011.

Captain America: The First Avenger (Super Bowl TV Spot)


Ok, one of the big Marvel Pictures blockbusters finally gets it’s first ever trailer/tv spot release. I am talking about Joe Johnstone’s upcoming film adaptation of Captain America.

The trailer shows Chris Evans in the role of Steve Rogers both in his super-soldier persona and the before version when he’s a short, sickly and thin recruit. I will say that it was a tad disconcerting to see Chris Evans so sickly. The rest of the tv spot showed Captain America fighting the Nazis during World War 2 and I think there’s even a super brief glimpse of Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull removing his mask or, at least, losing his face which would be replaced by the iconic red skull head mask.

The film has been titled Captain America: The First Avenger and is set for a July 22, 2011 release.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Super Bowl TV Spot)


I think most everyone will admit that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen wasn’t very good and to some people it was just one piece of turd. Even Michael Bay himself has admitted that the first sequel just tried to do too much without any sort of plan on how to pull it off.

Now, we have the third film and what looks like, at least from the trailer, may be a tad better. There seems to be more focus on the transformers themselves and the two sides fighting it out with lots of human collateral damage.

I sure hope this third film is not going to be like the second and more like the first but this time with invasion to make it more epic. The film comes out on July 1, 2011.

 

Fast Five (Super Bowl TV Spot)


I know that the Fast and Furious franchise has been milked for as long as decent, but this latest tv spot for the fifth film in the series has made me rethink about not seeing it when it first comes out.

It looks to be concentrating more now on the action and less on how cool the cars are though from the looks of it they’re still driving around i some cool ass cars. Plus, this fifth one has the Rock back. I don’t mean Dwayne Johnson, but the Rock. Ever since he dropped the Rock moniker he had relagated himself to family-friendly films. He was truly cool on-screen when he was just the Rock.

Fast Five comes out this April 29, 2011.

Battle: Los Angeles (Super Bowl TV Spot)


This site has been pushing the upcoming alien invasion film, Battle: Los Angeles since the first trailer started coming out several months ago. Sony Pictures has just released the latest one and this Super Bowl tv spot is shorter than the usual trailers, but it definitely shows the potential for this film’s awesomeness.

It pretty much uses some of the same footage from the previous trailers, but shows new ones of the soldiers’ reaction to the initial stages of the invasion and how they’ll be the one’s to have to fight the big fight.

The film comes out on March 11, 2011.

Kung Fu Panda 2 (Super Bowl TV Spot)


Here’s another tv spot to air during Super Bowl XLV and this time around it’s the one for the upcoming sequel to Dreamworks Animations very popular and successful Kung Fu Panda.

This one using that Queen arena anthem chant from “We Will Rock You”. The 30-second ty spot shows more action with the requisite panda shenanigans from Jack Black’s character.

Kung Fu Panda 2 is one sequel I’m definitely hyped to see as the first film I ended up watching over and over and over and over and over again. The film comes out on May 26, 2011.

Cowboys & Aliens (Super Bowl TV Spot)


Super Bowl XLV hasn’t even started and the very first summer blockbuster tv spot has already been released by its producers. While it still hasn’t premiered on tv it has already aired on the internet as Jon Favreau and crew continues to build up the hype the film got from its panel at 2010’s San Diego Comic-Con.

The tv spot that will air during the game is only half a minute long, but during that small time frame we see a lot more action with clear glimpses of the alien machines/spacecrafts that will be doing some abducting and probing in the Old West.

If this film end ups being as fun as the original Men In Black then I’m there. But part of me fears that it could turn out to be something like Wild, Wild West which would definitely make it a major fail. Here’s to hoping it’s more like the former and not the latter when it comes out on July 29, 2011.

Hottie of the Day: Jessica Canizales


JESSICA CANIZALES


It is Super Bowl Sunday and while most of the nation and also others around the world will be watching this event as if their life depended on it for some it’s just another Sunday. These people, some of them at least would rather be watching the Lingerie Bowl. In honor of the latest Lingerie Bowl we have a new “hottie of the day”. The hottie chosen is the lovely model and Playboy Playmate Jessica Canizales.

Ms. Canizales was born in Brazil, but spent most of her childhood growing up in Panama and Idaho as her family moved several times. Once she was 18 she moved to Miami where she began to go to school to become an interior designer. While going to school she worked part-time at the local Hooters. It would be while she was employed at Hooters that she began modeling for the Hooters calendar.

It sounds cliche but she was discovered by a Playboy scout while walking down South Beach and asked her if she was interested in posing for the magazine. Her decision to take the offer would payoff for Jessica as she became a Playmate for the Spanish version of Playboy. She has since appeared many times on special editions of the magazine and has begun working for Playboy TV.

Jessica has now begun to branch out and started her own official website where she interacts with her fans.

Official Website: Planet Jessie

Songs of the Day: Anvil of Crom & Riddle of Steel/Riders of Doom (by Basil Poledouris)


For today’s “Song of the Day,” I couldn’t decide between two tracks I had in mind—so I decided to feature them together. This time, it’s not just a “song of the day,” but “songs of the day.” Once you hear what I’ve chosen, you’ll understand why they belong side by side.

The latest selections come from film score composer Basil Poledouris, taken from what many consider his finest work and one of the greatest film scores ever written for the big screen: Conan the Barbarian (1982). The two tracks—Anvil of Crom and Riddle of Steel/Riders of Doom—especially in the Varese Sarabande release, form the powerful and unforgettable musical introduction to the Hyperborean world Conan inhabits.

Anvil of Crom opens the film with thunderous intensity. Timpani drums drive the rhythm while a massive ensemble of 24 French horns and bold brass deliver an overwhelming sense of might and grandeur. This introduction has become synonymous with Conan the Barbarian, earning fame well beyond the film itself—it’s often reused by other filmmakers in trailers for its commanding energy. Even though the piece runs under three minutes, Poledouris’s composition immediately establishes the epic tone audiences should expect from the journey ahead.

Following it is Riddle of Steel/Riders of Doom, which introduces the musical motifs for Conan and his nemesis, Thulsa Doom. The track begins peacefully, gradually building into Conan’s theme—the “riddle of steel” referenced in the title. This serenity is soon shattered as Riders of Doom emerges, dark and orchestral, marking Thulsa Doom’s presence. The second half bears a clear resemblance to Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, and while some critics suggest Poledouris leaned too heavily on Orff’s influence, I disagree. He may have drawn inspiration, but his execution stands triumphantly on its own, resulting in one of the most iconic pieces of film music ever composed.

Heard back-to-back, it’s evident why these two tracks must come as a pair. Anvil of Crom and Riddle of Steel/Riders of Doom are inseparable—an epic one-two punch that gives real force to the film’s opening narration by Conan’s chronicler, who speaks of “the days of high adventure.” The music doesn’t just accompany the words—it drives them home with a surge of raw, mythic power that perfectly captures the spirit of ancient legends and the world’s forgotten ages.