Early Catching Fire Photos

The sequel to The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, started shooting earlier this month, and from the looks of these set photos, it would appear the filming is starting with some area action — even though the production is in Atlanta, not Kauai. Well, they must be doing non-water, non-jungle scenes.

Here we see a behind-the-scenes photo of Jena Malone, who plays Johanna Mason. Looking good, Jena!

But no one is worried about her; the big concern for fandom is the colorless Sam Claflin taking on the role of Finnick Odair, the charismatic and dashing victor beloved by many a reader. He may look the part, but can he handle the acting?

DOCTOR WHO cast introduce ‘The Angels Take Manhattan’

“Not everybody is going to get out alive. I know I’ve said that before, and I’ve lied. I’m not lying this time.”

With those words, show-runner Steven Moffat chills the blood of DOCTOR WHO fans everywhere.  Tonight, we will witness a parting of the ways (so to speak) for the Doctor and the Ponds — with fatal results. I think it might be a little sad.

This first clip shows Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Steven and Caro Skinner all praising the execution of the episode. (Try to ignore the cheesy music; not sure why they did that…)

This next clip is more about the Angels…

If you want to see what Karen and Arthur meant by the Angels being back in a “BIIIIIIIIIIIGGGG way,” check out the story at 9 p.m. ET on BBC America.

DOCTOR WHO 7.4: “The Power of Three”

I thought I knew what to expect from this episode: The Doctor bunks with Amy and Rory; hijinks ensue. Well, not quite. For one, the Doctor didn’t really live with the Ponds, the way he did with Craig and Sophie in “The Lodger.” However, that may have been a smart decision to avoid a “been there, done that” feel to the story.

What we got instead was a story of how two long-serving companions have matured not only as space/time travelers, but to the point of deciding to “leave the nest” and the Doctor, and establish their own life together, with jobs and human friends and non-expired food. And we learned just how lonely the Doctor is, and a little about why he travels so much.

Last Trailer for ‘The Angels Take Manhattan’

By now, you know the drill: the TARDIS crew are in Manhattan — and so are the Weeping Angels. And they want Rory.

This is the story of the final adventure for the Doctor and the Ponds, Amy and Rory. It’s going to be so sad.

I usually say how much I cannot wait for the show to premiere, but in this case… I sort of wish Saturday would never come. Especially the 9 p.m. hour…

Another Look at ‘The Angels Take Manhattan’

Here’s a second clip teasing “The Angels Take Manhattan,” this weekend’s fall finale of DOCTOR WHO, in which the Ponds leave the TARDIS for the final time.

This particular clip looks very menacing, with lots of darkness and scary images of the Weeping Angels, and we get the sense that it’s all focusing on Rory (Arthur Darvill).

If the Weeping Angels are coming for him, things don’t look promising for the Last Centurion…

 

 

First Peek at ‘The Angels Take Manhattan’

Here is a look at the final adventure for the Doctor, Amy and Rory as one of the best TARDIS crews ever, “The Angels Take Manhattan.” It’s not spoilery, but does give a flavor of the episode. This is from BBC One, so not a lot of folks here in the Colonies have seen it.

Catch the Doctor’s final journey with the Ponds on Saturday at 9 p.m. on BBC America.

Is This Animated ‘Looper’ Trailer Truly Loopy?

The wait is almost over for Rian Johnson’s time-traveling mind-bender Looper (It opens Friday), but the producers are determined to make that wait seem as long as possible by introducing a unique animated trailer for the flick.

I know that anyone without prior knowledge of the film will not be able to make heads or tails of this trailer, but by incorporating a lot of different animation styles and constant motion and conflict, the wordless trailer gives the impression of a wild action movie with stunning visuals. I hope the real thing turns out to be just as good as this makes it look. I can hardly wait for the weekend!

BBC Plans Teary Treat for Stricken Pond Fans

Assuming one can still see through the tears after “The Angels Take Manhattan” has brought the first half of the DOCTOR WHO season — and the tale of Amy and Rory — to a close, visit the official BBC Doctor Who page for The Last Days of the Ponds, an official tribute video.

Here is what the BBC is promising:

The Last Days of the Ponds is a touching 12-minute video that features Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, head writer and Executive Producer Steven Moffat and Executive Producer Caro Skinner. Poignant and insightful, it tells their story, from the very start to the teary goodbyes.

With exclusive backstage material from their early days together right up to behind-the-scenes footage of their final shots, The Last Days of the Ponds gives you unprecedented access to an era of Doctor Who, but more than this, it reveals how the people involved feel about their characters and their friends, their time on the show, what they’ll miss and remember, and how Amy and Rory’s swansong moved them all.

Karen, Arthur and Matt recall meeting each other for the first time and share anecdotes about their friendship. What did they think of each other at first, and what did Arthur consider to be a nightmare? Which days does Karen call the craziest of all, and how was Matt feeling when it came to shooting the Ponds’ departure?

The laughter, tears, heartbreak and joy are all captured forever in The Last Days of the Ponds.

Can you believe the Doctor’s journeys with the Ponds have come to an end? What will you miss most about Amy and Rory?

The Avengers (2012)

It’s not hyperbole to call The Avengers the greatest superhero movie of all time — better than Captain America: The First Avenger, better than The Dark Knight, and better than Spider-Man 2. And the best superhero movie is available on Blu-ray and DVD starting today.

The cardinal sin of most superhero movies is that producers change too much from the page and the screen, and then crowd the story with too many characters (especially villains) that all have to be introduced. So how does Avengers — a movie featuring six heroes, a villain, a host of supporting characters and an entire top-secret international organization — manage to not only avoiding becoming an overstuffed muddle, but pull it all off brilliantly?

One name: Joss Whedon.

The Wolverine: All Claws and Abs and Veins

Look, I enjoy a good comic book movie (say, Captain America: The First Avenger) as much as the next guy — and X-Men Origins: Wolverine was not a good comic book movie. It was such a bungled mess that I couldn’t stand it.

However, despite the odds, it made enough money to warrant a sequel, dubbed simply The Wolverine. What we have here is the first official photo of Hugh Jackman in character as… the Wolverine. It is unusual in that he isn’t screaming at the camera, but I think that’s because it takes so much concentration to make all your veins bulge like that!

Jackman looks skinnier than ever before, so I wonder about the timing of this sequel. Does it follow directly from XO:W, or is it set at a later date? And, as long as this solo series is apparently rebooting the character, how about using some of that Lord of the Rings shrinking technology to cut Jackman down to Wolverine size?

And hey, director James Mangold, how about giving the fans something that would really get them excited: a glimpse of the Silver Samurai?!?!