Prepare for BIRDMAN

Incredible cast, dark tone with possible hilarity in the stark blackness of it all and one killer super hero suit. What's not to love? This one jumps very near to the top of my "must see" list.

BIRDMAN or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance is a black comedy that tells the story of an actor (Michael Keaton) – famous for portraying an iconic superhero – as he struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career, and himself.

An Amazing Spider-Man 2 Costume Overhaul

Coming Soon has thwipped out a new image from The Amazing Spider-Man 2, giving us what I believe is the first good look at a more streamlined, classic costume. It appears the web-head is devolving! Where once there was an ultra complicated array of pours, lines and high tech looking materials that made it seem like young Peter Parker was just as much a genius at the sewing machine as when he tinkers with electronics and chemicals...we now have a more classic design with a mesh pattern embedded beneath cloth, the tell tale rounded web lines, a de-ed-hardified spidey-symbol and a widening of the eyes with white lenses, bringing to life an all around iconic look. I'll admit to a lot of basketball suit bashing when the first film was being released, but I'm sure I also admitted the suit looked excellent on screen. Now we are thrust back to square one with a super simplified design harkening back to the Raimi Spider-Man films...and you have to wonder who threw the switch on the way back machine here...

The Amazing Spider-Man Reviewed

As an angry nerd who was raised on comic books, I have a personal stake when Hollywood hijacks one of my beloved comic heroes and has their way with them. Sometimes, we get a disaster like Catwoman. I’ll give you a moment to stop screaming and vomiting. …and we continue. Sometimes we get Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man. After watching The Amazing Spider-Man, the older Spider-Man films now play like Tim Burton’s Batman in my head. They are whimsical and fairly non-threatening with too much time spent on overly mushy, mumbly moments where our protagonists drone on about their boundless love, and at the time, it is all we had, so it was good. Peter Parker was super nerdy, Mary Jane was missing a bit of her ka-pow…if you know what I mean…and there was just some element missing. The humor of the comics..the intensity of the action..the depravity of the villains…SOMETHING just did not translate. Even New York was this sort of idealized, convenient Raimi creation. All that is about to change.

The Amazing Spider-Man 4 Minute Super Preview

One of the world’s most popular characters is back on the big screen as a new chapter in the Spider-Man legacy is revealed in The Amazing Spider-Man™. Focusing on an untold story that tells a different side of the Peter Parker story, the new film stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, with Martin Sheen and Sally Field. The film is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay written by James Vanderbilt, based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad, and Matt Tolmach are producing the film in association with Marvel Entertainment for Columbia Pictures, which will open in theaters everywhere in 3D on July 3, 2012.

Emma Stone is Gwen Stacy

DOOOMED!! You loved her in Easy A and now, Emma Stone will play the perfect Gwen Stacy in the upcoming Spider-Man reboot film. Why is she doomed? Well if this version of the story follows the comics, Gwen is fated to come face to face with the Green Goblin who ends her life in a moment which changes Spider-Man for the rest of his life. Emma NYOOOOOO!! Will she survive? You'll have to wait until 2012 to find out...in 3D!!

Emma Stone has been cast as the female lead in the upcoming Spider-Man film from Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios, it was announced today by Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment and Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures. Stone has been tapped for the role of Gwen Stacy opposite Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker. The film, to be directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt and produced by Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin, will begin production in December and will be released in theaters nationwide in 3D on July 3, 2012.

The casting continues an association between Sony Pictures Entertainment and the actress, who previously starred in Superbad, The House Bunny, and Zombieland, all for Columbia Pictures; she may currently be seen in Screen Gems’ hit comedy Easy A, and takes a cameo role in Screen Gems’ upcoming Friends with Benefits.

Commenting on the announcement, Tolmach said, “It’s been an incredible journey for us to watch Emma’s star rise as an actress. She is extraordinarily talented and has a very special on-screen spark that is perfect for this role. Given her history with the studio, casting her in one of our most important franchises is a real thrill.”

Webb added, “The chemistry between Andrew and Emma was stunning and made Emma the clear choice. At the heart of the story of Peter Parker is not only the amazing Spider-Man, but also an ordinary teenager who is wondering what he has to do to get the girl. Andrew and Emma will bring everything audiences expect to these roles, but also make them their own. Much to my surprise, it was fun to find out that our choice for Gwen (Emma) is also a natural blonde.”