New teaser poster for Captain America: The Winter Soldier

The first teaser poster for Captain America: The Winter Soldier was unveiled at Comic-Con today. As far as teaser posters go, this is probably one of the least revealing. Just a rusty shot of Cap's shield along with the film's official release date. But hey, on the plus side, at least we're getting the first official piece of the film's marketing campaign, though I doubt we should be expecting a trailer any time soon.

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First look at the Man of Steel limited edition blu-ray

Today we're getting a first look at the packaging for the limited blu-ray 3D edition of Man of Steel. The set includes a 3D blu-ray version of the film, as well as regular blu-ray, DVD and an Ultraviolet copy, presumably on four or five discs. 

Best start saving up pennies in your piggy-banks early cause Warner Bros. is not kidding about this edition being "limited". Only 35,000 copies of this set will be put into production, so if you're a fan of the film you may want to pre-order this one ASAP. 

Man of Steel will be hitting shelves this October.

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First poster for Spike Lee's "Oldboy"

Today we got our first real look at Spike Lee's remake of the South Korean film "Oldboy" in the form of a poster. It's a very unorthodox image that hints at a very unique film, perhaps one that vastly differs in tone from the original film.

We'll be getting a more substantial look at the movie this Wednesday when the first trailer is supposed to be released.

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Under the Radar: The Gamera Trilogy (or, Giant Freakin’ Firebreathing Turtle of Awesomeness!!!)

Tired of ego-centered anti-heroes? Done with movies where 99% of everything you see is grainy CGI? Overwhelmed by flicks that keep throwing moral complexities and ethical conundrums in your face? Want to watch something that’s…wait…what’s it called again? Oh yeah….FUN? Then scrounge up a whole $8.99 and buy The Gamera Trilogy. It may be the best Bluray purchase you make all year.

$8.99? For over 5 hours of hi-def monster awesomeness? C’mon. That’s just a bucket of popcorn at most theaters!

 

A few weeks ago the big boss man at Action A Go Go asked me to write up a piece on monsters attacking cities in preparation for the release of Pacific Rim. Being the sci-fi guy at AAGG, I said “No problem.”

But there was a problem. After careful thought and consideration, I couldn’t think of one flick I’d seen in recent years that fit that category. Well, at least any film worth writing about. Even just a few months ago I tried watching one of the original Godzilla movies from the 1960s but I couldn’t get through it. The pacing and the editing were just too damn slow. You’re leaving the camera in place for how long?

Gamera says,”Grahhrhhhhyahhhh!!!!”

With just days to go before my deadline, went to a local Best Buy determined that I’d find something to write about.

Within seconds, I saw it there on the shelf. Giant fanged turtle. Shooting fire from his gaping maw. Cities in Japan reduced to rubble and ashes. Villain monsters that looked like Rachni from Mass Effect. And perhaps most important of all? The box contained three full length films on Bluray for only $8.99.

I popped the first flick in the player with some trepidation, thinking “Okay. This won’t be good, but it’ll give me something to write about, I’ll have something to compare to Pacific Rim, and it’ll probably be so bad, at least I’ll get a few laughs. And I only have to watch one anyway.”

 

Gamera says,”GrahhhhhrYAHHHRAAAAAHHH.”

Three days later, all three discs have been viewed.

There is absolutely no reason to describe plot points. They’re there and for the most part make sense. Kind of. A bit. If you’re really, really creative in your thinking. But the words “thinking” and “Gamera Trilogy” don’t really need to be found in the same paragraph do they?

However, one recurring thought in my mind while watching the movies did keep arising.

This is a complete, total and absolute cleansing of the mental palate.

The flicks are an awesome way to simply defrag, frequently smile and laugh and enjoy all the cheesy goodness of a giant turtle saving the world.

 

Gamera says,”GRAAHHHHYEAHHHHHAHHR!”

In a time when thousands of pages of commentary are being written online about the moral underpinnings of superheroes and should such and such an actor be paid $20 million to be in the next comic-based blockbuster, The Gamera Trilogy simply reminded me of one of the most important aspects of film going.

Having fun.

Here’s the Japanese trailer for the first of the films. And don’t worry. On the Bluray you can choose from the options of dubbed English vocals or English subtitles. But ultimately, no one needs translation for “GRARRRGHHAAYYYYAHHHURGHAH!!!”

Stephen Sumner is the sci-fi columnist for Action A Go Go. You can find him on Twitter at Sumner@vierlights and on Tumblr at vierlights.tumblr.com. “Vier” is German for “four.” If you’re a Trekkie, it makes sense. If you’re not a Trekkie, look for the upcoming series “Trek for Rookies” and discover why you should be.

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THE LONE RANGER: The Wild West Has Never Been This Weird

Directed by Gore Verbinski

Starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer

How do you go about spending 200+ million dollars? If I had they type of scratch lying around I’d probably get a couple of awesome homes, fast cars, and spend the rest of my time throwing parties until my wallet was empty. Apparently if you’re the Walt Disney Company you take stories that are in the public domain (or you just happen to have the rights to) and turn it into a really big movie. They did that with John Carter and created one of the biggest flops of the century and a textbook example on how to NOT name a movie and then market said movie to the public.            

Well, they are at it again, but instead of feeding on the corpse of a literary classic like a giant corporate vulture they are mining everyone’s favorite 20th century radio and T.V character, the Lone Ranger. The last time they tried to reeducate a new generation to a hero of the past it was met with a resounding thud, but they have Johnny Depp this time and the power of the wild west.

THE STORY AND THE PEOPLE WHO GET PAID TO TALK....

Armie Hammer does starring duty as John Reid/The Lone Ranger while Johnny Depp plays Tonto. The plot of the movie centers around a collection of criminals trying to the railroads to consolidate power, monetary and otherwise, across the U.S and The Lone Ranger and Tonto trying to stop them. But that’s been done to death. What’s really on display here is Johnny Depp’s performance as Tonto and Reid’s growing into the role of the Lone Ranger. And they do have chemistry, each taking turns being ridiculous while the other manages to be the straight man.

The supporting cast manages to shine as well, and I have to tip my hat to Gore Verbinski for bringing such a diverse array of characters to the screen. While I am not a huge fan of the Pirates Of The Caribbean series his willingness to make the characters around the core cast distinct and allow them to even steal the show at times was a great strength to the series and helped give it the traction it has had with audiences. The Lone Ranger share’s in that benefit.

THE GOOD….

Besides aforementioned chemistry between Depp and Hammer and the supporting cast the action in this movie delivers. Shootouts are intense and explosive. Some of the stuff they’ve done with trains in this movie was pretty incredible as well. The icing on the cake is the world building that goes on. The costumes are great and when they are in the dessert you can feel the dryness on your lips.

THE BAD….

            The Disney Co has a bad habit of shoehorning children into their movies and this film is a prime example. Also, while the story is good, towards the end the movie turns into forced climax after forced climax that gets tiring and actually makes you wish the movie would end sooner rather than later. And it would have been nice if it had decided to be a bit more of a serious film than a comedy film. But that is the nature of the beast with this type of movie.

THE VERDICT 

3 OUT OF 5 ARNOLDS!
 

This is not one for the ages, and who knows if it will make back its enormous budget, but this is ACTION A GO GO because of the strength of the cast and the relentless wild west action it manages to bring to the screen.

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America! @#$% Yeah!

Happy 4th of July, Uh-mari-kuh.

Let's try to put aside the disdain for our lopsided governmental policies, our crippling economic woes, and our endless hang-ups about race and religion. Instead, let's just celebrate a country that can be properly encapsulated with an image of a Samoan action star/wrestler in front of a fighter plane.

We love you, America...you meatheaded, burger-lovin' moron.

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Artist Jeff Victor Gives Us 31 Years of Arnold Schwarzenegger

In the above image, artist Jeff Victor pays homage to actor and involunatry AAGG mascot, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Not only is it desktop-ready, it's ready to **CLAP** pump you up!

Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I'll go away now.

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