The Avengers

Marvel

So, I finally got a chance to see The Avengers last night and I have to say LOVED IT!! I've been a total Marvel fan for years, so I've been waiting for this movie for awhile. And it was co-written and directed by Joss Whedon; who could be better?

I won't give any spoilers here because I hate it when I really want to see a movie or read a book and someone comes along and tells me the best or worst part. I will say that the casting in this film was spot-on in my opinion. These talented actors have truly come to embody their characters. I'm sure it helps that this is the second film for most of them, and the third for Robert Downey, Jr as Tony Stark/Iron Man. I love him as Tony Stark! He is so perfectly arrogant and elitist. It's fantastic! And Mark Ruffalo gave a great performance in his first time out as Bruce Banner/The Hulk. I really enjoyed the previous Hulk film with Edward Norton, but Mark Ruffalo is better.

The Avengers is filled with the expected drama of getting the team to come together to save the world and has a ton of action. Each characters first appearance seems perfectly timed to help the story along. All in all, it was a great addition to the ever growing Universe of Marvel movies. And by the way, don't forget to stay at least part way through the credits. As I'm sure you know if you've seen the previous films, a cliffhanger/teaser awaits if you do. If you enjoy Super Hero movies or Marvel comics, be sure to check out The Avengers. You won't be disappointed.

I would recommend watching the previous films before seeing The Avengers. I was surprised at how many MacGuffins that referred to the other films could be found in each movie. To understand all of the references, the movies should be watched in this order:

          Captain America: The First Avenger

Iron Man

Iron Man 2

The Incredible Hulk

Thor

There are a million in-jokes between the films that are a lot of fun if you're a Marvel fan. And speaking of in-jokes, don't forget to keep an eye out for Stan Lee, the founder of Marvel Comics. He makes a special cameo appearance in nearly every Marvel film, including The Avengers, that I always look forward to. If you want to know where to find him, here's a list of the scenes to watch for in each movie.

Captain America: The First Avenger - When the Senator is attempting to present Captain Steve Rogers with a medal, an assistant comes to the stage to tell him that Captain America won't be coming. A 4-star general in the audience (Lee) says, "I thought he'd be taller."

Iron Man - When Tony Stark attends the Firefighter's Family Fund Benefit, he walks past Lee with two blondes and says "You look great, Hef."

Iron Man 2 - At the Stark Expo, Tony is introduced to a few members of the press; Larry King is played by Lee.

The Incredible Hulk - Lee plays the unsuspecting man in Milwaukee who "drank one of those guarana sodas. Guess it had a little more kick than he was looking for."

Thor - Lee is the man driving the pickup, who tries to pull Thor's hammer Mjölnir from the crater, and ends up tearing off the bed of the truck, saying "Did it work?"

The Avengers - Of course, Lee also makes a cameo in The Avengers as well, but I'll let you watch for him yourself.

Iron Man Lego

I don't know if you know this about me, but I am absolutely, totally, ridiculously addicted to Lego. I have loved them since I was a little girl. And like potato chips, I find that it's hard to just have one. I can never get enough!

It all started simply enough with a Lego Duplo farm. I then moved on to more complex toys, a Lego castle. In my early days, I just liked to assemble and disassemble them. When I got a little older, it became all about collecting and displaying my Legos. I have several Lego collections. I love the Star Wars Legos because they combine two of my favorite things. I have several sets, including Ewoks, Chewbacca in an AT-ST, and a few spaceships, like Darth Vader's Tie Fighter and Anakin's Podracer. Then there were the Harry Potter Legos. I got a bit carried away with these and nearly ended up with the whole of Hogwarts! I even took them to college with me and displayed them on top of my 5 foot long TV cabinet. It was a little crazy. More recently, I've started collecting the Pirates of the Caribbean Legos. I love Pirates of the Caribbean, so I just keep buying them. I like to buy the small sets when they first come out, but wait to buy the big ones. I have gotten some fantastic deals when mass market retailers clearance out their Legos!

For Christmas, I received a huge box of basic Legos for building anything. Then, I picked up two new Lord of the Rings and Hobbit sets. I have Bilbo and Gollum in Gollum's cave from the Hobbit and Frodo and Gandalf in the cart filled with fireworks from Lord of the Rings. I recently saw a new set with two Mirkwood elves, including Legolas, and two dwarves, Fili and Kili, that I may have to buy soon. It also has a big ugly spider, similar to the Aragog in the Dark Forest Lego from Harry Potter. But this one has better eyes! In addition to regular Lego sets, I also have Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean hard cases for my Nintendo DSi. I especially love the styluses with the Jack Sparrow or Obi Wan Kenobi minifigures on top. (Jack Sparrow is my favorite!) And the mystery minifigures are hilarious, too. I keep looking for a Medusa, but I haven't found one yet.

I've gotten Bean hooked on Lego too, much to my sister's chagrin. She loves to play with my sets, her Duplo Cars sets, and the new girlie sets called Lego Friends. She was really excited to be able to create a minifigure that looks like her and has recently started collecting the pets and their houses. She enjoys watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and was very excited to discover that they make a Lego version. She bought a set with her favorite turtle, Michelangelo, holding a pizza. And we love to play the Lego games. We always play them by Lego's rules the first time and then make up our own rules, usually to make it more difficult. And the Heroica games are a lot of fun, especially because you can link them all together to make one gigantic game.


Saturday, I came across a new Lego collection and I was immediately hooked. I found Avengers Lego! Squee!! I decided I could only buy one set for now (after all, eventually, you run out of display space!) I chose a set from Iron Man 3. The set includes Iron Man Tony Stark and the Mandarin. The Tony Stark minifigure is so cute! His faceplate even opens, just like Iron Man's! I haven't had a chance to see the movie yet, but the Legos are awesome! Another set includes Captain America in his motorcycle battling aliens from Avengers. There's also a set with the Avenger's jet, Thor, Black Widow, Iron Man, an alien, and even Loki. The Hulk's Helicarrier Breakout set is hilarious because the Hulk minifigure is so much larger than the others, as it should be. You can also get a set with Tony Stark's Malibu mansion and Pepper Potts wearing the Iron Man suit. I guess I'll be saving my pennies to buy these new sets. And so my love affair with Lego continues...

Spider-Man: Homecoming Trailer 3

Marvel

Spider-Man is trying to just be a "friendly neighborhood Spider-Man" to make Tony Stark happy. But that's hard to do when Mr. Stark disables his suit with the Training Wheels Protocol. It looks like this one is going to be fun.

Spider-Man: Homecoming arrives in theaters on July 7.

Quote of the Week

Marvel

No amount of money ever bought a second of time.

- Tony Stark, Avengers: Endgame

Decade of Marvel

All images: Marvel

Well, it looks like this may be the decade of Marvel. After releasing 2 Iron Man films, Thor, Captain America, the Hulk, and the Avengers, Marvel has raised the bar for superhero movies. And with two new Avengers series movies due out this year, two next year, and 2 in 2015, there's a lot to look forward to. Here's a list of what's to come:

• Iron Man 3 - May 3, 2013
• Thor: The Dark World - November 8, 2013
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier - April 4, 2014
• Guardians of the Galaxy - August 1, 2014
• the as yet unnamed Avengers 2 - May 1, 2015
• Ant-Man - November 6, 2015

Today, Iron Man 3 was released in theaters. I can't wait to see it! I had some issues with parts of Iron Man 2, mostly related to the villain, but 3 looks really good. I love Robert Downey, Jr as Tony Stark and really like Don Cheadle as Rhodie, too. This film introduces Iron Patriot, as well as other Iron Man characters. At one point, even Pepper Potts wears the suit. It looks awesome!

I can't wait to see Thor: the Dark World as well. Thor will finally be reunited with Jane Foster before battling the dark force that threatens our universe. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and the Asgardians cannot defeat, Thor must risk everything to save us all. It looks like just about everyone from the first film has returned, which is fantastic.

Next will be Captain America: the Winter Soldier. I don't know much about Captain America, but my sister had told me about the Winter Soldier when we saw the first movie. I won't mention names as it may be a surprise to some, but this film will team up Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, in a battle against dark forces hiding in Washington, DC.

I'll share more about these films as they reach their release dates. I love Marvel superheroes and am glad that they have now teamed up with Disney for the movies. And if you do watch these films, be sure to keep an eye out for Stan Lee. He always makes an appearance and it's always hilarious!

Quote of the Week

Marvel

No amount of money ever bought a second of time.

- Tony Stark, Avengers: Endgame

Shang-Chi Can't Escape His Destiny

Marvel

It all began when Tony Stark first encountered the Ten Rings. That was the start of Marvel's next super hero movie: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Shang-Chi has run away to find a new life and avoid his past, but you can't escape your destiny. 

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings arrives in theaters on September 3rd.

These WandaVision Commercials Are So Intriguing

Disney

WandaVision has the most interesting commercials. First up is an ad for a Toast Mate 2000 made by Stark Industries.

The second ad is for a Strucker watch.

And the third ad is for Hydra Soak.

I wonder what clues the next commercial break will provide.

Spider-Man: Homecoming Posters and a Vulture Clip

All images: Marvel

Two new posters for Spider-Man: Homecoming popped up this week. The first one (above) is for the domestic market. It features all of the main characters, masked and unmasked: Spider-Man and Peter Parker, Iron Man and Tony Stark, Vulture and Adrian Toomes, Aunt May, Zendaya's character (who may or may not be named "Michelle"), and Happy Hogan.

The poster for the international market features the heroes and villains of the film: Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Vulture. We learned a little more about Vulture and his origins on Ellen last week. Here's a clip showing how he acquired his tech.

Spider-Man: Homecoming swings into theaters on July 7.

Quote of the Week

Christmas, in fact, is not an external event at all, but a piece of one's home that one carries in one's heart.

- Freya Stark

Captain America: Civil War Trailer 2

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Have you seen the latest Captain America: Civil War trailer? It looks like Spidey is Team Stark.

Captain America: Civil War arrives in theaters on May 6.

Spider-Man: Homecoming Trailer

Spider-Man is back in this latest addition to the Avengers universe. Tom Holland, who filled the role of Peter Parker in Captain America: Civil War, returns as the webcrawler. Taking advice from Tony Stark to be a "friendly, neighborhood Spiderman," Peter starts to explore both his abilities and his responsibilities, until meeting the latest villain, the Vulture, played by Michael Keaton.

Spider-Man: Homecoming arrives in theaters on July 7.

Captain America: Civil War on Blu-Ray

So, are you Team Cap or Team Iron Man? Whichever side you're rooting for, you'll want to pick up Captain America: Civil War when it comes to Blu-Ray and DVD on September 13. In addition to the movie, the Blu-Ray will include over an hour of bonus features:

• "The Road to Civil War" - A look at the evolution of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark
• "United We Stand, Divided We Fall" - A behind the scenes look at the making of the film
• A gag reel
• Extended and deleted scenes 
• "Open Your Mind" - An exclusive sneak peek at the behind the scenes magic of Doctor Strange, which arrives in theaters on November 4

This New Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Poster Is Stunning

Disney

A new Maleficent: Mistress of Evil poster is here and it is stunning. The stark poster features all of the main characters from the new film, but really highlights Maleficent herself. It is, after all, her story.

Here's the official synopsis from Disney:

"Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" is a fantasy adventure that picks up several years after “Maleficent,” in which audiences learned of the events that hardened the heart of Disney’s most notorious villain and drove her to curse a baby Princess Aurora. The film continues to explore the complex relationship between the horned fairy and the soon to be Queen as they form new alliances and face new adversaries in their struggle to protect the moors and the magical creatures that reside within.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil arrives in theaters on October 18.

Marvel's What If...? Mid-Season Trailer

Marvel

Marvel's What If...? has already taken on Captain Carter, T'Challa as Star-Lord, a Doctor Strange that followed a darker path, and zombies. It looks like the next episodes may cross some of these multiverse characters into one story.

Episode 6, What If... Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?, is now available on DisneyPlus. New episodes debut each Wednesday. 

Avengers: Endgame On Digital And Blu-ray

Marvel

The moment you've been waiting for is finally here: Avengers: Endgame arrives on Digital today. If you'd prefer the Blu-ray, it won't be released until August 13. A word of warning, if you haven't watched Avengers: Endgame yet don't watch the following trailers! They do contain spoilers.

Both versions include loads of extras including:

• Remembering Stan Lee – Filmmakers and cast honor the great Stan Lee in a fond look back at his MCU movie cameos.
• Setting The Tone: Casting Robert Downey Jr. – Hear the tale of how Robert Downey Jr. was cast as Tony Stark in the original "Iron Man" — and launched the MCU.
• A Man Out of Time: Creating Captain America – Trace the evolution of Captain America with those who helped shape the look, feel and character of this compelling hero.
• Black Widow: Whatever It Takes – Follow Black Widow's journey both within and outside the Avengers, including the challenges she faced and overcame along the way.
• The Russo Brothers: Journey to Endgame – See how Anthony and Joe Russo met the challenge of helming two of the biggest films in cinematic history ... back-to-back!
• The Women of the MCU – MCU women share what it was like to join forces for the first time in an epic battle scene — and be part of such a historic ensemble.
• Bro Thor – His appearance has changed but his heroism remains! Go behind the scenes to see how Bro Thor was created.
• Six Deleted Scenes – "Goji Berries," "Bombs on Board," "Suckiest Army in the Galaxy," "You Used to Frickin' Live Here," "Tony and Howard" and "Avengers Take a Knee."
• Gag Reel – Laugh along with the cast in this epic collection of flubs, goofs and gaffes from set.
• Visionary Intro - Intro by directors Joe and Anthony Russo.
• Audio Commentary - Audio commentary by directors Anthony and Joe Russo, and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

There's also an additional Digital exclusive:

Steve and Peggy: One Last Dance– Explore Captain America and Peggy Carter’s bond, forged in moments from previous films that lead to a momentous choice in “Avengers: Endgame.”

Here's a sneak peek at one of the deleted scenes, "Avengers Take a Knee." I'll warn you, it's a heartbreaker.

More Avenger: Endgame Character Posters

All images: Marvel

These Avengers: Endgame posters from Boss Logic are awesome. Each one features one of the original Avengers.

Tony Stark/Iron Man

Steve Rogers/Captain America

Thor

Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow

Bruce Banner/Hulk

Clint Barton/Hawkeye

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now.

More Avengers: Endgame Posters and TV Spots

All images: Marvel

Avengers: Endgame arrives in less than 4 days and it seems like there are new posters and TV spots every day. Here are the latest TV spots.

There are two new posters as well.

The first is a very stylized glimpse of the current team of Avengers.

The second is very stark (no pun intended), with the remaining Avengers' silhouettes casting shadows of what they've lost: Vision, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man, Bucky Barnes, Nick Fury, and Loki.

Avengers: Endgame arrives in theaters this Friday,  April 26.

Marvel and Her Universe

Have you seen the Her Universe clothing line by Ashley Eckstein? Ashley is the voice of Ahsoka Tano in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series. Originally, she started designing feminine, Star Wars clothing for women who wanted to show off their fandom without looking like a guy. Recently, she expanded Her Universe to include an Avengers: Age of Ultron inspired line. This new collection arrives exclusively in Hot Topic stores in mid May.

I love the new 50s style dresses. They are dramatic without being over the top. There are two halter dresses and one sailor dress in the Avengers collection.

First up is a dress inspired by Captain America. This navy blue dress features Cap's shield and a red waistband. This dress will be available on May 19 for $60.

Next up is a dress inspired by Thor. This navy dress features Mjolnir, a red sailor collar, and silver button decoration. It will be available on May 12 for $60.

My favorite is this dress inspired by Loki. This green and black dress features Loki's helmet all the way around the skirt, and will be available on May 19 for $60.

The final dress in the Avengers collection seems to be more 1960s in style. Inspired by Black Widow, this black and red, sleeveless dress will be available May 12 for $45.

If you're not really into dresses, don't worry: Her Universe has a couple of Avengers jackets as well. First up is a red bomber jacket with the Stark Industries logo on the back and "Tony" on the front. The jacket will be available May 12 for $55.

The final item in the collection is a Black Widow jacket. This black, faux leather jacket features a belt with Widow's logo and a lining with a "My past is my own" design. The jacket will be available May 12 for $65.

Unfortunately, none of these items will be available for the premiere of Avengers: Age of Ultron. However, they would still be fun to wear for a night on the town. All photos courtesy of Hot Topic.

We Call It Imagineering - Let's Ride

Disney

The We Call It Imagineering series on YouTube is so fascinating. The latest behind-the-scenes video is about how imagineers create the ride vehicles that make each ride experience spectacular. From the vehicles of Main Street and Autopia to Stark's Flight Lab and the Monsters, Inc door coaster, it's amazing how much thought and design goes into every ride. This episode also includes an interview with Disney Legend and original Imagineer, Bob Gurr.