Marvel Studios started as a novel concept. Headed by Kevin Feige, the group was asked to take control of Marvel’s own comic-to-big-screen incarnations and make them more faithful to their source material, as well as develop continuity between their projects.

It’s the kind of criss-cross universe comparable to that of their comics that made geeks salivate at the mouth. They even started off pretty well. “Iron Man” had an inspired bit of casting in Robert Downey Jr. and ended up making $318.4 million domestically. They even threw in a cameo of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury! Genius, I say.

Next came the more mediocre “The Incredible Hulk” which barely managed to top its Eric Bana-starring previous incarnation at the box office. But the films successfully began Marvel’s path to the upcoming “Avengers.” There were even rumors that “Hulk” star Edward Norton was so passionate about the character that he took on uncredited roles as both a producer and a screenwriter. He certainly wanted in on “Avengers.”

The company looked like it was different from the ignorant studios that seem to own Hollywood. They were giving fans what they wanted by hiring quality filmmakers and showing a dedication to the quality of their own projects–a live-action Pixar, if you will.

But the studio truly hadn’t been put to the test yet. Their next film was “Iron Man 2,” and it was a clunker if there ever was one. I mean, how do you mess up a film when you have Downey Jr., Jackson, Sam Rockwell and Mickey frickin’ Rourke!? Well, they managed to do it, alright. Audiences expecting the same smarts and energy as the first installment experienced shoddy storytelling, a plot that was not clearly fleshed out, and montages such as Tony Stark shooting lasers around a room and suddenly discovering a new atom… seriously?

What about the dark, alcoholic Tony Stark fans love from the comics? Why were actors like Rockwell and Rourke literally wasted, only performing in scenes necessary to move the plot forward but not to flesh out character? I mean, no one’s going to disagree that they are both excellent character actors.

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The comic industry can lay claim to being part of the left-leaning mainstream media.

Once a bastion of patriotism, personified by Marvel’s Captain America, comics now reveal a leftist agenda by having the Tea Party as villains worthy of Captain America’s hurled shield. So it is refreshing when one of their own breaks ranks.

Frank Miller, the writer/artist most responsible for returning Batman to his dark roots, lambasted the Occupy Wall Street movement on his blog over the weekend. His opening sentence was a barn-burner:

“Everyone has been too damn polite about this.”

His description of the OCW movement–”a pack of louts, thieves and rapists, an unruly mob”–could have applied to one of his supervillains.

The response from his industry has been instantaneous and true to the groupthink of the Left. The unifying theme, apart from the standard fascist labeling, is that Miller has lost his way, both from his creative roots, and reality (“I think Miller saw them filming the giant fight scene for Dark Knight rises in NY and confused it for OCW,” writes comic book writer Cully Hammer).  All of them point to Miller’s groundbreaking Batman comics as proof of Miller’s former leftism.

Before turning to their citation, it should not come as recent surprise that Miller is a supporter of the War On Terror.  His recent graphic novel, “Holy Terror,” depicts a vigilante (originally to be the Batman) taking on Al-Queda.

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This week’s HomeVideodrome podcast finds us debating the pronunciation of the last name of John Cazale, discussing the lovely disposition of Tommy Lee Jones, as well as the goings on at the Austin Film Festival.  Of course, we also go through this week’s crop of releases in the most chaotic manner possible.  So go listen, and enjoy!

Captain America: The First Avenger is the next step in Marvel’s massive attempt at crafting a cinematic universe for their comic book creations.  Marvel’s days of licensing out their characters for stand-alone Hollywood movies are thankfully over, with Jon Favreau’s excellent Iron Man ushering in a new era of comic book moviemaking.  The visionary approach taken by Marvel is that with each movie they make, they are crafting a larger mythos, a new universe for their classic characters to play in, not unlike the Ultimates line of comics they launched years ago.  We’re getting films less concerned with being stand-alone entities, that instead have more freedom to tie into, reference, and cross over with each other.  In other words, this is the way comic book movies should be.

Chris Evans, who previously played a Marvel’s Human Torch in Tim Story’s lackluster Fantastic Four films, fills the boots of Steve Rogers, the scrawny, strong-willed nobody destined to become the Cap himself.  With the Nazi menace sweeping Europe, Rogers attempts over and over again to sign up to go fight the good fight for good ol’ Uncle Sam, however his sickly physical attributes consistently result in his rejection.  Rogers’ determination to enlist catches the eye of Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), a German scientist who has found asylum in the U.S., who wants to use the good-hearted Rogers to test his super-soldier serum.  The experimental drug turns the scrawny Rogers into a super-man, however he ends up being used as a marketing tool to sell war bonds on the home front under a persona called “Captain America,” rather than fight the enemy at their doorstep.  But when one of his best pals gets caught behind enemy lines by a rogue Nazi organization called Hydra, Rogers springs into action on his own, and soon Captain America and his Howling Commandos tear a swath in the European countryside, battling the wicked Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving) and his Hydra troops.

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Come July 3, 2012, Andrew Garfield will be forever known as either the Amazing Spider-Man or the sap who ruined a perfectly good reboot.

Can the British actor, who previously appeared in ‘The Social Network’ and ‘Never Let Me Go,’ spin a web, any size, that catches thieves, just like flies? And what about Henry Cavill, another relative unknown tapped to play the lead in ‘Man of Steel’ hitting theaters in 2013?

Sometimes looking into an actor’s past can reveal plenty about their future prospects. And, in the case of those cast in superhero franchises, there’s a lot riding on just how heroic they can appear on screen.

So let’s recall how other actors prepared for their super close-ups and what happened once they tugged on those unforgiving tights — or, in the case of George Clooney, poured themselves into an uncomfortable cod piece.

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Fans have been cobbling together poster art and faux trailers for the 2012 superhero film ‘The Avengers’ for months. Today, movie audiences get a peek at the real deal – the first official ‘Avengers’ trailer.

In a word – “Oh, yeah.”

Yes, that’s two words. But you’ll forgive us while our inner geek runs wild.

The tease is exactly what comic book fans were waiting for, proof that this is a serious project combining many of the successful elements from past Marvel films.

Is it perfect? All you need to do is look at an uncomfortable Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner to answer that question. The Hulk character proved the thorniest her to bring to the big screen – it took two tries and neither proved as successful as his fellow superhero features. From what’s on display here that may still be an issue.

We’ll likely see more trailers in the months leading up to the film’s May 4, 2012 release. But this first glimpse should be enough to convince skeptics writer/director Joss Whedon could be the right choice for next year’s most anticipated summer movie.

Has any film been teased as much as the 2012 superhero film ‘The Avengers?’

The Marvel Comics epic won’t hit theaters until May, but we’ve already spent years watching end-credit snippets, fan-constructed posters and ‘Avengers’-related subplots meant to set up the saga.

Entertainment Weekly’s cover story on ‘The Avengers’ this week charts the start of the hype countdown beginning in 2008 with “Iron Man.” That film featured Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) hinting that the metallic hero was part of a much bigger plan. Since then, we’ve seen teases at the end of other superhero films (‘The Incredible Hulk’), suffered as the ‘Avengers’ storyline was jammed into the already packed ‘Iron Man 2′ and sampled ‘Avengers’ interviews tagged on to Blu-ray releases (like the recent ‘Thor’).

Just yesterday your humble film scribe received the above picture in my email box featuring Chris Hemsworth in full Thor regalia alongside Captain America (Chris Evans). You can even ‘like’ the movie on Facebook.

But will all this promotion pay off in the end?

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From an article titled “Box Office Shocker” at the Hollywood Reporter:

Early on, there was a debate within Paramount and Marvel as to whether having Captain America in the title would be off-putting to international distributors, and so the studio offered an alternative title, The First Avenger.

Cripps turned out to be correct in his hunch that the Captain America character has such strong brand recognition — the comic books have been published in at least 75 countries — that foreign distributors would happily choose Captain America: The First Avenger.

Only three countries opted for The First Avenger — Russia, Ukraine and South Korea. Everywhere else, it’s being released as Captain America: The First Avenger. …

Defying perception, Paramount and Marvel Studios’ Captain America: The First Avenger has now earned more overseas than in North America

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There’s been a lot of discussion this summer about the failure of so many superhero films. They’re making money, but not nearly as much as expected. And until Captain America came along, it seemed to be getting worse with each passing film. Any number of explanations have been offered for this underperformance. Some suggest ticket prices are the problem. Others say it’s because the current crop of superheroes are second tier guys, i.e. the B-Team. Some blame oversaturation. But I don’t find those answers satisfying.

If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... The B-Team.

If ticket prices were the problem, then you would see a drop for all films. But there’s been no such drop. The “second-tier superhero” argument doesn’t wash either. It’s hard to argue that Iron Man or X-Men were “first tier” superheroes before they hit it big in theaters. And nothing is more first tier than Superman or the Incredible Hulk, yet both have struggled — not to mention Wonder Woman, who can’t even get a series off the ground.

The oversaturation argument is intriguing. On the one hand, oversaturation cannot be THE problem because people wouldn’t turn out for surprise hits like Captain America if they were just sick of superhero films generally. Also, if oversaturation really was THE problem, then why don’t slasher flicks or romcoms suffer from this? Those genres have been steadily turning out the same film year after year for decades. Still, I do think oversaturation plays a part in this puzzle. In particular, oversaturation makes these films less special, which makes people more selective. Being more selective means people are less likely to see films they don’t think are worth their time or money. But what is it that is causing people to choose some superhero films over others? In a word: plot.

Hollywood is using a bad formula for superhero films.

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One of the most dishonest theories anti-American Hollywood asks Americans to swallow is that the reason there are so few pro-American films produced is due to profits not politics. That is the biggest, fattest, provable lie to come out of this industry ever, especially when you consider that just the opposite is true. What flops stateside and overseas are anti-American films. We’ve documented this again and again and again and again.

Well, now we have another “again” to add to our growing list of “agains,” this time courtesy — of all film sites! — our regular left-wing antagonists over at Movie Line:

Before Captain America: First Avenger was released in July, much was made about how the title — and title character in his red, white and blue — would play in foreign markets. In fact, three countries (Russia, Ukraine and South Korea) even decided to release the film with the Marvel-approved shortened title The First Avenger. Following a successful showing stateside, good ol’ Cap made his worldwide debut in many big foreign markets over the weekend; as the numbers trickle in, it looks he’s got some pretty enthusiastic allies. …

Overall, Captain America: The First Avenger has earned a reported $65,863,605 internationally thru Aug. 2 (Paramount has CA at $53.9 million thru Aug. 1), with tallies from openings in France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Greece, Egypt and Austria yet to come. As for Russia, Ukraine and South Korea: Captain America The First Avenger has yet to debut in those countries, but Movieline will update its progress there when numbers become available. UPDATE: Per Paramount, Captain America actually did premiere in Russia and South Korea, where it grossed $4.2 million and $2.5 million, respectively. Score one for the non-American title!

Below, the top 10 foreign markets for Captain America:

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Ed. Note: Part two of this excellent series runs tomorrow at the same time. — J.N.

I will come right out and admit it. I am a geek. I am a hardcore geek. I revel in many different realms of geekdom. Amongst the fields where I am most comfortable with my geekdom is in comic books. I’ve been reading comics books since, well, I could read. During my early childhood, comic books were just entertainment, something to do when waiting at the supermarket whilst my mother shopped or to pass the time in line at the barber. There were the piles of Archie and Richie Rich comics that my grandparents stocked up on for the times a dozen grandkids would descend upon their house for summer vacation. In the end, I didn’t really care about comics themselves, just the ten minutes it would take me to read through whichever one was at hand. There was no appreciation of story arcs or pacing, art work and coloring, dialogue and continuity, all of these things were foreign concepts.

It wasn’t until I was about thirteen that a classmate of mine showed me that comic books were a world of their own. He had boxes and boxes of carefully stored books, each one in an individual bag with a cardboard backing to keep the spines straight. He was able to tell me about which stories were worth following, why Marvel characters were better than DC, and showed me where to go to get the best deals. I was hooked. From then on, I spent every spare penny of pocket money and any other money I earned on comic books. Throughout my high school years, I bought thousands of books, all still in their individual bags with cardboard backs, alphabetized, and organized by publisher.

The genre has changed dramatically since I started following it back in the 80s. It is, to some extent, still dominated by the two major players, Marvel and DC, each of which has its own diehard adherents, but there is now a plethora of thriving independent publishers, each one pushing the envelope in both art and with storytelling. More importantly the consumers have evolved. The geeks who grew up in the 80s, downtrodden and ridiculed by the jocks are the engine that drove the technological revolution of the 90s. They now find themselves hitting middle age flush with success at being the new arbiters of cool and that cool is the geekdom that they grew up loving; comics.

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Few things in real life are more heinous than Nazis. And yet in the realm of fantasy adventure, few things are more useful. As shorthand for unbounded evil, a Nazi is hard to beat. Tack on a frothing obsession with supernatural whatnot, and you have the makings of a great pulp yarn, as was memorably demonstrated by the Indiana Jones movies.

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Captain America: The First Avenger is in some ways the best of the Marvel Comics preludes leading up to next year’s superhero jamboree, The Avengers. Like the Indy films, it’s set in the dark years of Hitler’s rise toward world conquest (the mid-1930s in the Jones pictures, the war years of the early ’40s here). In this rich period setting, so unlike our own morally nuanced age, the story’s uncomplicated good-versus-evil structure is unusually stirring.

The movie’s protagonist, unpromising at first, is a classic 98-pound weakling named Steve Rogers (Chris Evans, digitally diminished—an eerie effect). Steve longs to join the army and battle the Huns, but he’s repeatedly rebuffed—this is a kid who was born to be 4F. Then he comes to the attention of a government scientist named Dr. Erskine (Stanley Tucci), who selects him for an experiment involving a top-secret new serum that—in the words of Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones), head of the “Strategic Scientific Service”—will create “a new breed of cyber soldiers” who will “personally escort Adolf Hitler to the gates of Hell.” Yes!

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A year ago Big Hollywood’s John Nolte expressed his “predictable heartbreak,” and I did likewise, over disappointing interview comments by Captain America: The First Avenger director Joe Johnston. They seemed desperately designed to reassure his patriotism-hating peers in Hollywood that his superhero “wants to serve his country, but he’s not this sort of jingoistic American flag-waver. He’s just a good person.”

As recently as last week, the film’s star Chris Evans chimed in with more apologies about his intrinsically patriotic character. “He might wear the red, white and blue, but I don’t think this is all about America. It is what America stands for. It could be called ‘Captain Good.’” You read that right. Captain Good.

The Los Angeles Times echoed the hand-wringing that a film with “America” in the title and a protagonist swathed in red, white, and blue might not be groveling enough to suit their leftist self-loathing:

Of course, setting ‘Captain America’ in the storied past [WWII] helps avoid some of the more charged political questions that accompany releasing a patriotically themed production around the world at a time when the U.S. is perceived in certain places as somewhat less than heroic.

As I settled in my seat for a screening of Captain America (next to my esteemed Big Hollywood colleague Alex Marlow, who posted his own review yesterday), my expectations – based on all the preemptive apologies from the filmmakers and critics – was that I was about to witness Hollywood’s ruination of the most iconic of American comic book heroes. (more…)

One year ago today John Nolte reported in this space that “Captain America: The First Avenger” director Joe Johnston said the film based on the legendary comic book hero is “not about America,” and I can finally confirm that he spoke the truth.  The $140 million blockbuster, which opens at midnight, is not anti-American–it’s even kinda pro-American–but if you’re looking for that rare film that surrenders itself to the reality of American exceptionalism, don’t let the title fool you.  Johnston describes the latest from the summer movie factory that is Marvel Studios best: “It’s an international cast and an international story. It’s about what makes America great and what make the rest of the world great too.”   Now, I’m very much relieved that it’s now okay to call America “great” in Hollywood, but as far as “Captain America: The First Avenger” is concerned, self-conscious pandering to multi-cultural feel-goodism combined with some unambitious storytelling makes for an unsatisfying movie-going experience.

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“Captain America: The First Avenger” is set in the latter half of World War II.  The action begins with a scrawny Steve Rogers (a digitally depreciated Chris Evans) doing everything he can to enlist in the U.S. Army.  Rogers has all kinds of heart, but he’s gaunt and is thus 4-F.  The plot turns when an impassioned speech to a friend (“There are men laying down their lives.  I have no right to do any less than them.”) catches the ear of Dr. Abraham Erskine (a very Stanley Tucci Stanley Tucci).  Erskine is a German scientist who is working with the U.S. Army to develop a Super Solider Serum–the ultimate performance enhancing drug–and is on the lookout for a test subject.  The serum amplifies what’s inside of you, so someone of Rogers’ size and character makes him the perfect candidate for this breakthrough procedure.  Erskine and engineer Howard Stark (father of Tony) put Rogers in what looks like a retro-50s refrigerator, crank up the dials until all the power in the building short-circuits, and out comes this guy: (more…)

Why does the Hollywood Reporter say this as though it’s a bad thing…?

Sticking to its simplistic, patriotic origins, where a muscular red, white and blue GI slugging Adolf Hitler in the jaw is all that’s required, Captain America trafficks in red-blooded heroes, dastardly villains, classy dames and war-weary military officers.

With the MSM , patriotism is always “simplistic” and/or “jingoistic.” You never read reviews that say, “simplistically angsty” or “simplistically brooding” or “simplistically dark.”

Yesterday in the comments, someone quoted someone who said something the effect of “angst is much easier to write than nobility.” And this is very, very true. The same is true with sincerity over irony and inspirational over nihilism.

This approach to patriotism is all a lie, a ploy from the Left to turn what really is simplistic and lazy (nihilism, angst, irreverence, irony) into “art,” when just the opposite is true. What the Left despises about themes that lift the human spirit is that they’re more often than not, conservative themes — themes of self-sacrifice, selflessness, fidelity, manhood, bravery, and nobility. Whereas darker, simpler themes or a complete lack of theme, appeals to the all-about-me, chaotic narcissism that so defines the Left.  

Mock everything + respect nothing = A Leftist

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–SEASON FOUR OF ‘BREAKING BAD’ FINALLY PREMIERES

Unfortunately, I don’t have AMC and refuse to pay another $30 just to get it along with 50 lame-ass channels I’ll never watch, so I’ll have to wait for DVD. But wait for DVD I will and with the idea in mind of voraciously eating up each and every episode in a weekend binge.

From the performances to the directing to the writing, the story of a mild-mannered high school chemistry teacher who goes into the meth business with fairly good intentions, is some of the best television I’ve seen since “The Sopranos” and “The Wire.”The arc of the characters, especially the main character, Walt (played brilliantly by Bryan Cranston), his wife, and his partner Jesse, is what keeps you glued year after year. Even as they surprise you, the show is so well written and layered that in the end whatever they do makes perfect sense.  

Essentially, “Breaking Bad” is a study of evil; an examination of how there are no half-measures when it comes to dealing with the devil. You can’t dip your toe in a dirty business and expect to hold on to your soul.

With no threat of being accused of hyperbole, I can assure you no dramatic film aimed at adults released in the last five years has been half as good as any episode of “Breaking Bad.” Television is where Hollywood shines right now.

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But-but-but director Joe Johnston assured his liberal Hollywood pals us “Captain America” (opens next Friday) would not be (no joke) “about America“ or a “sort of jingoistic American flag-waver”.

So what’s this new American-ey poster all about? False advertising?

I will now turn off the sarcasm and ask The Big Question.

For years Hollywood’s been telling us patriotism and pro-America doesn’t sell and yet here we have a major studio (Paramount) and brand (Marvel) going full “jingosim” with their major tentpole of the summer.

Why?

I guess furthering The Big Lie was no longer worth losing The Big Money. Unabashed, sincere patriotism most certainly helped “Iron Man” become a sleeper hit and an iconic classic. With DVD sales plumetting, it looks as though Hollywood — at least in some cases – can no longer afford to put propaganda above profit.

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Many on the left would have you believe that the world hates America, but I humbly disagree.  An alternative school of thought–one to which I subscribe–is that the world’s left hates America.  That’s a lot of people, to be sure, but they don’t speak for everyone.  Also, saying the world “hates” us is probably a bit too strong; more accurate would likely be that the world is “super jealous” of America.  They’re not jealous of everything, of course, but it gets under the “world community’s” collective skin that we have have enough wealth and freedom to build and play with all the toys we want and enough power to clean up human garbage around the globe whenever we damn well please.  Needless to say, a country spending billions upon billions on technology to create the most bad-ass military on the planet will not sit well with your typical pacifist lefty “citizen of the world.”  But your typical pacifist lefty “citizen of the world” does not your average superhero movie fan make.

The Hollywood Reporter informs that Marvel Studios and Paramount have elected to keep “Captain America” in the title of their upcoming blockbuster in all but three countries (see below).  The Reporter notes that the decisions to keep the U.S. title were likely made based on the fact that Captain America is a universally recognized brand.  That’s true, but so is the United States of America.  America is the world’s sole military super power and Captain America is known for being a patriotic symbol.  No matter what you think of this nation of ours, if there are some bad guys who need their teeth kicked in, the world knows where to turn.  In other words, if it’s called “Captain America,” you know we mean business.

Here’s to hoping Hollywood did the American hero–and now the world–justice.

Captain America hits theaters July 22nd.

From the Hollywood Reporter:

Marvel Studios and Paramount’s Captain America: The First Avenger will keep its US title in all but three countries: Russia, Ukraine and South Korea.

Though it is common for American blockbusters to feature less US-focused titles in foreign markets, Paramount largely decided against the alterations for Captain America, and instead gave foreign countries the choice of two titles, Captain America: The First Avenger or The First Avenger.

Interestingly, most international distributors believed the franchise name was so identifiable that not using “Captain America” in the title could risk losing ticket sales. (more…)

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This new trailer answers some of the questions about Steve Roger’s/Captain America’s motivations, which appear to be duty to his country. The more I see, the more I like. The production design is superb as are the effects creating “scrawny” Steve Rogers. Best of all, the film has a sense of humor about itself. Most refreshing is the character-testing of Rogers, the part about him being a “good man.” Old-fashioned ideas like self-sacrifice and a calling higher than one’s self make for memorable storytelling themes, the kind that stick with you long after you leave the theatre.

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The summer is young, and already two MARVEL comics properties – “Thor” and “X-Men” – have barnstormed into theaters to excellent reviews and boffo business (“Thor” slightly underperformed domestic expectations, but still has made nearly half a billion in worldwide receipts). And coming in July, the star-spangled avenger himself, Captain America, will at last get his own big-budget showcase.

More MARVEL madness looms next summer, with a reboot of “Spider-Man,” possibly another “Wolverine” (if the sequel’s Japanese production can get back on track after this year’s tsunami temporarily derailed it), and of course, MARVEL’s piece de resistance, “The Avengers.”

The Avengers represents the apex of MARVEL’s long term strategy for its movie properties: Each character will have their own series, as well as make guest appearances in other character’s movies. And all will join forces in the Avengers’ own series, bringing Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Black Widow, and others together as a team, just like in the comics.

One of the great joys of reading MARVEL comics has always been the shared universe these characters inhabit; seeing them team up or face off in each other’s books made for a thrilling reading experience. That MARVEL is trying to replicate this phenomenon in the movies is daring, to say the least, and maybe unprecedented. (more…)

FIVE FACTS:

1. Anti-American, anti-troop films flop one right after another both here and overseas. See: Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. Here.
2. The rare pro-American, pro-troop film makes money overseas. See: Here. Here. Here. Here. Here.
3. Hollywood makes anti-American films one right after another.
4. Hollywood says they don’t make pro-American films because they don’t make money overseas.
5. Orwell rolls over in grave wishing he’d conceived the concept of “triplethink.”

THR:

‘Battle: Los Angeles’ Crosses $100 Million Mark Overseas With Third Consecutive Int’l Box Office Win

A lackluster first quarter on the foreign theatrical circuit for Hollywood’s major studios — down an estimated 30% on a combined basis from 2010 — ended with Battle: Los Angeles taking the No. 1 box office for the third consecutive weekend and pushing its overseas tally past the $100 million mark. …

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