And I was thinking to myself last week, why Sony would pass up an opportunity to put out a Super Bowl Spot for The Amazing Spider-Man.

The new trailer gives a better idea of what the story will be, touching on Dr. Curt Connors’ character and his transformation into the Lizard, who we still only get a few brief glimpses of (if the toy photos released are any indication however, he’s gonna remind a few people of the goombas from the Bob Hoskins Super Mario Bros. movie).

Action-wise, it looks pretty good, I must admit. But dammit if that suit still doesn’t look like crap!! Well, I’m sure some fans will overlook that, after they see Spidey cracking-wise with a carjacker.

While it’s still hard to overlook director John Chu’s previous credits, which include two Step Up sequels, and a Justin Beiber documentary, I can’t help but get excited for G.I. Joe Retaliation, especially after seeing the below Superbowl Spot. I was psyched enough knowing Jinx was gonna be in the movie (as played by Future Ex-Wife alum, Elodie Yung, no less!), but now we’ve got a clear shot of Cobra Commander in the classic mirrored faceplate helmet (with a swagger that can only be described as “fuck a Joseph Gordon-Levitt!”), Roadblock rhyming (albeit quoting Jay-Z), and the goddamn Cobra H.I.S.S. Tank!!!! For someone like me, who as a kid, couldn’t let my mom leave K-Mart without getting me a G.I. Joe action figure, this movie looks to be hitting some major notes!

HD video available on iTunes Movie Trailers website.

Hollywood Producer Joel Silver is looking to develop a live-action feature film based on the Cartoon Network series, Ben 10.

Created by Man of Action, (comprised of comic creators Joe Kelly, Joe Casey, Duncan Rouleau, and Steven T. Seagle) the popular franchise is about a boy who acquires a watch-like alien device called the Omnitrix (later the Ultimatrix) attached to his wrist that allows him to turn into alien creatures.

Two live-action made-for-television films were produced for Cartoon Network, but Silver’s potential film will most likely be completely recast.

Kate may have won the box office battle, but Gina won the Future Ex-Wife war! If you haven’t already, you should all go check out Haywire, ’cause that movie is the business!!!

Starring: Gina Carano, Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Bill Paxton, Michael Angarano, Michael Fassbender
Director: Steven Soderbergh

MMA fighter Gina Carano makes her acting debut (no, I do not count her bit role in Blood and Bone!) in the new Steven Soderbergh film, Haywire, as Mallory Kane, a freelance covert operative on the run after handler, Kenneth (McGregor), tries to have her killed on assignment in Dublin. With no one to trust, Mallory goes on a one-woman rampage from Europe to New Mexico, and South America, to get to the truth and clear her name.

One thing I loved about Haywire was the pacing. Soderbergh isn’t trying to make an all-out action film that’s just gonna pass through your system in 90 minutes with nothing for the audience to digest. There’s a genuine interest in crafting subtle, quite moments throughout the film, helped along with some great dialogue(minimal as it may have been), and a fantastic score, reminiscent of a classic 70s crime caper.

And it’s this subdued approach that makes the action in the film that much more effective. Mallory is clearly meant to be portrayed as an exceptionally well-trained operative, but she’s not a superwoman. Some opponents are easier than others, but especially in the case of Paul (Fassbender), it’s a three-minute, knockdown, drag-out fight for survival (apparently, Michael Fassbender actually knocked Carano unconscious during the scene), and you feel every kick, punch, and slam against every wall.

Time will tell of Carano can prove herself as a capable actress when she’s not kicking dudes in the face, but I’d be more than happy to see her in a bigger action production. She manages to hold her own with the likes of McGregor, Douglas, and Banderas, all of them playing their parts well enough, with only the most basic of character sketches. McGregor, in particular, I’d love to see in more villain roles. I also loved Bill Paxton’s small part as Mallory’s father. At the end of the day, Haywire is a solid, well-paced film, with the right amount of action and intrigue. Certainly worth checking out.

Final Verdict: B+

Kate Beckinsale

Kate returns to the Underworld franchise with Underworld: Awakening 3D, and while some people like to just write the films off as Blade/Resident Evil knockoffs, I’ve enjoyed all the films for being fairly straightforward action films with some decent action, impressive creature effects done practical, with mininal CGI, and it’s always a kick to see Bill Nighy chew scenery!!! (although we’ll have to settle for Sardo Numpsey this time around!)

VS.

Gina Carano

While Kate’s good at playing a badass fighter, Carano IS a badass fighter, currently ranked 3rd in Women’s MMA. For all those critics that don’t like those waify action heroines, let’s hope Carano comes through with a knockout with Haywire

Michael Fassbender – Alex Murphy/Robocop

Apparently, Padilha is/was eyeing Fassbender for the lead, and I can’t really argue with that choice. Fassbender finally graduated from the “that guy” realm this year, with roles in X-Men First Class and Shame, and it’s about time. You would think that there wouldn’t be much acting for him to do as a cyborg, but look back at the original, and realize that there’s definitely a point in the film, when Peter Weller really sold the pain of the character once he realizes what happened to him, and I could definitely see Fassbender bringing that same intensity to the character.

Alice Braga – Ann Lewis

I’ve had a mad crush on Alice Braga for a while now, and her role in Predators certainly convinces me she could pull off a kick ass Lewis.

Rockmund Dunbar – Sgt. Reed

I loved him this past season on Sons of Anarchy, playing a take-no-prisoners sheriff. Him as Sgt. Reed would be a breeze!

Billy Zane – Clarence Boddicker

Boddicker is a maniacal sadist, but he’s also very intelligent. Zane has enough villainous roles under his belt to draw from them to flesh out Boddicker, possibly even moreso than Kurtwood Smith. And c’mon, you’re imagining him saying “Bitches, leave!” right now, aren’t ya!!!

Jackie Earle Haley – Emil Antonowsky

I heard a fan suggest this a while back, and the more I think about it, the more I can see it. He’s got the right kind of squirrely quality to fit in the henchman role, but more than enough of a badass edge where it’s almost baffling to see him as a henchman, when it’s clear he could easily be a lone wolf type.

Bryan Cranston – Dick Jones

He’s already in an upcoming Verhoeven remake playing a role originated by Ronny Cox, Why not continue the trend?

Bob Morton – Zachary Quinto

I honestly don’t think anyone does smarmy the way Quinto does. Even as Spock, he was the smarmiest prick in Starfleet!!! Apply that to a hotshot executive role, and you’ve pretty much got Bob Morton.

Katee Sackhoff will make her return to sci-fi with a role in the upcoming Riddick sequel, which has resumed production in Montreal. Sackhoff will play Dahl, a mercenary that will be hunting Riddick over the course of the film.

Everyone who wants to see a fist fight between Sackhoff and Vin Diesel, raise your hands!!!

In a move that I’m sure will have scores of anime/manga fans running to the nearest mountain top to shout “HALLELUJAH!!!!”, word has come down courtesy of Hollywood Reporter that Warner Bros. is stopping production on their live-action Akira film. The production office in Vancouver has been shut down, with all talent and crew told to stop working. The studio apparently wants to cut 20 million from budget (originally 90 million), as well as resolve casting issues. As it stands, the film is in danger of being shelved altogether.

I’m sure I’ll be tied to a post in the middle of town square and stoned for this, but count me as one of the very few dissenters that wasn’t up in arms about Warner Bros. wanting to make a live-action adaptation of Akira, where they conveniently forget that the whole story was one of the many that addressed how fucked up Japan became (or could become) after they got the shit bombed out of them . . . TWICE!!! I’d still love for it to happen, just to see if all of fandom really had the testicular fortitude to flat out refuse to see it, but also spread the word to the general public of why the film would be so offensive in the first place, and truly see to its commercial failure. But the odds of that happening are about as great as the odds of Scarlett Jonhannson seeking out my lap to sit on! The moral being, we should all be so lucky!

Fair to say, few fans were looking forward to a Buffy The Vampire Slayer reboot without the involvement of Joss Whedon. Now word is breaking that Warner Bros. may be losing interest in the project altogether. While they’re apparently looking for a new writer, as they rejected a script from first-time screenwriter Whit Anderson (gee, I wonder why!!), there seems to be growing sentiment that fans loyal to Whedon may never come around to accepting the project (ya think?!).

The first trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has been released. If you missed it, either you don’t care about one of the greatest stories in literary history or you were just shoved so far under a rock that the entire world passed you by.

Don’t fret, that’s what you got us for…

Returning to helm the project, Peter Jackson sets the stage to tell the story of Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit who is approached by the wizard Gandalf the Grey to join a crew of dwarves on a quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the dragon Smaug. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first of a two-part movie adaptation of the 1937 novel The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. The trailer has all the elements that’ll make the biggest of fanboys giddy.

The HD version of the trailer is available at Apple.

The official synopsis for The Hobbit:

The Hobbit follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakensheild. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers.

Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever … Gollum.

Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities … A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

The official movie poster…

A new fan-film throwing tribute to Turtle Rock Studios’ Left 4 Dead franchise gives tribute (and then some) to one of this generation’s highly praised first-person shooters.

We can thank AIRSOFTGIdotcom and producers Northern Five Entertainment for this great video that features L4D characters Zoey, Louis and Francis as they make their way to the boathouse outside of Riverside to board the Slater’s fishing vessel. The short-film goes swimmingly good at the start but expect to be completely thrown when the zombie-fest gets grittier (we won’t spoil it for you — just watch).

For more from AIRSOFTGIdotcom, subscribe to their YouTube page.

This loose sequel is being directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor and is rumored to have a cameo appearance by Danny Ketch who also puts some time in as Ghost Rider. With the flaming skull back into theaters on February 17, 2012, the film also stars, Fergus Riordan, Ciaran Hinds, Violante Placido, Idris Elba and Johnny Whitworth.

LaTwan Holland was a writer for a local under ground newspaper, The Spinner Rack that covered comics, video games, anime and related movies and is currently the Producer of the DIRECT EDITION. To find out the latest that’s happening with LaTwan and the Direct Edition check them out at the DIRECT EDITION podcast, blog and you tube site.

Say what you will about the first film, but this movies got my money ’cause it’s got the Rock, ninjas, and Cobra taking over the White House like it ain’t no thang!

Superherohype got to premier a new teaser poster for Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man that showcases Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker perched up on a wall, casting an arachnophobia’s worst nightmare.

The tagline lets us believe this will be “The Untold Story” and we can only speculate as to what that entails, but excitement builds nonetheless.

The film is creeping out of dark corners and into theaters on July 3, 2012 and stars Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, Martin Sheen and Sally Field.

LaTwan Holland was a writer for a local under ground newspaper, The Spinner Rack that covered comics, video games, anime and related movies and is currently the Producer of the DIRECT EDITION. To find out the latest that’s happening with LaTwan and the Direct Edition check them out at the DIRECT EDITION podcast, blog and you tube site.

Rupert Wyatt

Wyatt surprised me with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and I think he might the right fit for Thor. His handling of characters, effects and story were all there in Rise, and I could see him picking up where Branagh left off, so long as he’s got a good script to work from. Maybe even get WETA on board to do some effects work.

Duncan Jones

This would be a great project for an up and coming director like Jones. There’s a pre-established world to work within, but also a world that Jones has room to expand upon.

Nicholas Winding Refn

Critics may have been split on his 2009 action drama Valhalla Rising, but I’d be more than happy to give the Drive director another crack at Norse myth and legend. It’d be interesting to see what he’d do with Thor, and maybe add some stylized brutality to the character. And if he could find a role for Mads Mikkelsen to play, even better!

Gore Verbinski

Verbinski knows how to build worlds in his films. He knows how to mix a lot of elements together, from story, character interactions and development, to humor, and use of effects to tell stories on a grand scale.

It looks like Marvel is now on the hunt for a replacement director for Thor 2, as director Patty Jenkins has left the project. Most notably, Jenkins directed Monster, for which Charlize Theron won an Oscar for her performance.

Seems rather abrupt, as cast members including Tom Hiddlston had been talking to the press about preparing for Thor 2, and working with Jenkins. Any reason particular reason Kenneth Branagh couldn’t come back?

Synopsis: As the war in Europe continues to take its toll on Allied forces, the Pentagon brass has no recourse but to consider unorthodox options – including the untried and untested African-American pilots of the experimental Tuskegee training program. Just as the young Tuskegee men are on the brink of being shut down and shipped back home, they are given the ultimate chance to show their courage. Against all the odds, with something to prove and everything to lose, these intrepid young airmen take to the skies to fight for their country – and the fate of the free world.

The George Lucas produced film, directed by Anthony Hemingway, stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrance Howard, Bryan Cranston, Nate Park, Ne-Yo, with a screenplay by John Ridley and Aaron McGruder.

And while my fan brain usually defaults to secondary concerns of who’s going to do the theme song, I’ve shifted my focus to what the opening title sequence will look like. I would love to see the filmmakers go a little old-school, with some sort of modern flair. Look back at the old paperback spy novel era, something closer to the medium in which Bond originated. And I think if anyone could guide a design team in that direction conceptually, it would be Phil Noto.

Noto’s influences are heavily steeped in the art and design of the 60′s and 70′s, and there’s no denying the old-school Bond films having been some of them. With the right team of people behind him, I can only imagine what it would be like to see his style of art brought to life on screen.

I don’t know about the rest of y’all, but I really can’t let this go. I feel like it needs to happen. There’s no getting around it, and I’m sure there are plenty of you who feel the same way. Bond fans, Noto fans, Noto fans who are ALSO Bond fans!! Y’all need to get out there on Twitter (#notoforbond), Facebook, LinkedIn, whatever! Just tell someone! Badger someone! Somebody get Michael Caine on the phone! Make it happen!

For more art from Phil Noto, check out notoart.com and philnoto.tumblr.com.

Given Kinberg’s “creative” involvement in the WEAKEST of the X-Men team films, I can’t help but wonder why 20th Century Fox would appoint him with the task of writing the sequel to the film that regained them the critical acclaim they hadn’t seen since X2. Even if other writers get involved down the line, this is the first major movement regarding the sequel, and will surely put fans (both of the comics and the general public who enjoyed First Class) on edge.