AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR 

By Erin 

From Marvel Studios comes the eagerly anticipated “Avengers: Infinity War,” which is the third installment in the “Avengers” franchise and the 19th Marvel Studios film to date. The release also marks the 10-year anniversary of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which began with the release of “Iron Man” in 2008.“Avengers: Infinity War” picks up as the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, but a dangerous menace has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, Thanos will stop at nothing to collect all six Infinity Stones in his quest to wield unimaginable power and his twisted will on all of humanity.

This past Sunday the press junket for the Avengers: Infinity War took place in Beverly Hills. It was way different from any other junket any of us had ever been to before. The crowd was abuzz and filled with wonder as there were 20 celebrities on the list of appearing talent, but no set up for where everyone would be sitting. Just a big black curtain with the Avengers logo on it. Were they going to make a grand appearance by flying down from the ceiling or through the big black curtain? So many possibilities, Marvel always keeps you guessing!

If you’ve seen Thor: Ragnarok, then you know who the Grandmaster is, Jeff Goldblum. This was a pleasant surprise as this was not something we were told about.  In bingo type fashion, he began to randomly choose ping-pong balls with a guest’s name or category on it. As we had less than an hour, this was a great way to make sure everyone would have a chance to speak. There were lots of questions, but not many real answers to make a long story short. Here’s all who were in attendance.

Dave Bautista (“Drax”)

Paul Bettany (“Vision”)

Chadwick Boseman (“T’Challa / Black Panther”)

Josh Brolin (“Thanos”)

Don Cheadle (“James Rhodes / War Machine”)

Benedict Cumberbatch (“Dr Stephen Strange”)

Robert Downey Jr. (“Tony Stark / Iron Man”)

Winston Duke (“M’Baku”) 

Danai Gurira (“Okoye”)

Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”)

Tom Hiddleston “Loki”)

 Holland (“Peter Parker / Spider-Man”)

Scarlett Johansson (“Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow”)

Pom Klementieff (“Mantis”)

Anthony Mackie (“Sam Wilson / Falcon”)

Elizabeth Olsen (“Wanda Maximoff / Scarlett Witch”)

Chris Pratt (“Peter Quill / Star-Lord”)

Mark Ruffalo (“Bruce Banner / The Hulk”)

Zoe Saldana (“Gamora”)

Sebastian Stan (“Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier”)

Letitia Wright (“Shuri”)

Director Anthony Russo

Director Joe Russo

 Producer Kevin Feige

We learned that they like bass fishing and there were some interesting fashion questions, but there were no spoilers, comments or information given out about the movie at all. The cast all commented that they knew nothing about the script and that they have never seen it.

Here is some fun info about the film though (no spoilers though of course) from the notes from the film!

*”Avengers: Infinity War” has been 10 years in the making, and putting together the greatest ensemble of Super Hero characters was the job of directors Anthony and Joe Russo, who were tapped by Kevin Feige to helm the studios’ biggest film to date

*“The story of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ is the result of everything we’ve ever done to this point,” said Kevin Feige. “It is the unprecedented culmination of a series of storylines interlinked together, which had never been done before.”

*In the cosmos, the most powerful items one can possess are the Infinity Stones. Thanos learns of the stones and believes if he can secure all six, he can rule the universe. “The Infinity Stones represent the six different elements of the universe that create all life and power the universe,” explains Joe Russo. “The Infinity Stones in the movie represent the only way for Thanos to bring balance to the universe on the grand and cosmic scale he envisions in a permanent fashion.”

*With the Infinity Gauntlet securely on his left hand, Thanos begins his quest to fill the gauntlet with the stones, and thus begins the Avengers’ urgent mission to stop him by any means—and at any cost.

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Meeting the Cast of Thor: Ragnarok

Meeting the Cast of Thor: Ragnarok

By Devon Biroczky

The newest addition into the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Thor: Ragnarok, the next story in which our beloved God of Thunder is trying to save Asgard from complete and utter chaos. I had the pleasure of sitting down and interviewing the cast from this flashy movie and talking with them all about how it came to be.

·         Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”)

·         Mark Ruffalo (“Bruce Banner / The Hulk”)

·         Cate Blanchett (“Hela”)

·         Tom Hiddleston (“Loki”)

·         Jeff Goldblum (“Grandmaster”)

·         Tessa Thompson (“Valkyrie”)

·         Karl Urban (“Skurge”)

·         Rachel House (“Topaz”)

·         Director Taika Waititi (also “Korg”)

·         Producer Kevin Feige

Immediately into the press junket, it already started lightheartedly as the host was introducing everybody, and saved Chris Hemsworth for last, joking about how he skipped over him as we watched Chris try to squeeze himself in between everybody and the tables to get to his seat in the middle.

When you go see this movie, which opens in theaters everywhere November 3rd, you will notice what exactly I meant when I said this movie was flashy. I will be going over that more on Friday in my review, but for right now, just trust me when I tell you how lively it really is. Everybody in the cast had wonderful things to say about Taika Waititi’s style of directing and how he was able to take their shared vision and transfer it the way he did. Chris Hemsworth said it best when he was explaining it, “it all came from his crazy, wonderful brain, and his inspiration, and him pushing us every day on set, and constantly encouraging us to improvise, and explore, and take risks.”

Kevin Fiege also agreed when it came to everybody wanting to reinvent the series, taking everything that they knew about Thor and wanting to give it a new sensibility. You’ll notice that in this movie, there is more humor than in the Thor movies prior, and Kevin credits Taika again with giving the actors the confidence to be able to explore that side of them.

Especially looking at The Hulk and the role he plays in this movie. We see him much more in this movie and it inspired somebody to ask Mark Ruffalo on his thoughts about doing a stand-alone Hulk movie. Mark explained to us that he and Kevin had a discussion “well over a year ago” where Kevin had asked him what he would want to do if he had a stand-alone movie. They went back and forth and created these ideas, which they ended up implementing into Thor: Ragnarok and will be in the next two Avengers movies. Kevin goes on to explain that they’re all very excited about the upcoming character arc for The Hulk in these next three movies, so they’re going to take it one step at a time.

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

By Erin

The long-awaited day is here. I am very excited to say that Marvel Studios’ Guardians of  the Galaxy Vol. 2 is now playing in theaters everywhere! Easily the funniest film of the year, it makes for an awesome start to the summer moviegoing season, which I am so ready for! The story follows the team as they fight to keep their newfound family together while traversing the outer reaches of the cosmos to unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage.

Having now saved the galaxy once, the half-human intergalactic adventurer known as Star-Lord is newly famous and keenly aware of it. When the Guardians’ newfound notoriety brings Quill’s long-lost father back into his life, his bond with the other Guardians will be put to the test. So why should you be so excited to run out and go see it? I’ve got plenty of reasons for you!

All-Star-Cast

The chemistry between the cast from the first film is what really made it shine and become the huge hit it has turned into. I am happy to say they they’re all back! Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn and Karen Gillan are all back with the Guardians. New talent to the crew includes: Sylvester StalloneKurt Russell, Elizabeth Debicki and Pom Klementieff. James Gunn and the cast know how to make this crew work, the relationships built between the crew is fantastic and continue to grow and evolve.

Baby Groot

Baby Groot is the cutest most adorable thing that has ever happened on a movie screen. At the heart of some very touching and moving scenes and he provides some great comic relief, just watch him dance. Need I say more?

Awesome Mix Vol. 2

The music continues to be awesome. If you loved Awesome Mix Vol. 1 from the first Guardians of the Galaxy, then you will love this one too! Awesome Mix Vol. 1 is more than a great soundtrack, it is the mixtape that Peter Quill’s mother gave to him before she died and he was abducted. Full of nostalgic ’70s and ’80s tunes, each song is carefully dropped into the plot.

ALL the FEELS!

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 sends viewers on an emotional rollercoaster. You have all of the witty, clever comedy thrown in there of course. Drax’s one-liners  will have you cracking up. There are so many different relationships to pay attention to as we go deeper with the characters that are now well known. We watch Peter Quill and Gamora’s interesting ‘romantic’ relationship grow. Gamora and Nebula’s special sister relationship unfolds before us. Also Yondu and Quill have their moments. Love, loyalty, family and friends. You will become a part of the family in as you get sucked into the story. Not to spoil anything, but you may want to bring the tissues!

The End Credits

By now I think most Marvel fans know to stay until the very end of the credits or else you will miss out on some important information. So be sure to watch all the way until the end! 😉

The universe is expanding and it is extraordinary. What are you waiting for? Go out and see it!

Like GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/guardiansofthegalaxy/

Follow GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Guardians

Follow GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/guardiansofthegalaxy/

Visit the official GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 website here: https://marvel.com/guardians

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 is in theaters NOW! 🙂