#SherlockLives and that's definitely a good thing

Sherlock season three is due to broadcast in the US starting in January on PBS.

 

Go Catch that Fire: Hunger Games 2

The second addition to the film series adaptation of Susan Collins' Hunger Games trilogy was well executed and worth watching on the big screen. Stronger than the first installment, the film was bolstered by more mature acting, better directing and a bigger budget. All around it was a good film, but it is the middle chapter of a book trilogy (although they are making two films out of the third book- should that be called 'Pottering' because of Deathly Hallows or 'Hobbiting' because of the egregious expansion that book went through in coming to the screen in three parts?) so the ending does not provide much closure to the broader narrative. Jennifer Lawrence delivers a great performance along with the rest of the cast. I'm excited to see more from this series.
On a scale of muffins to Monkeys, A-.

On a related note, if you missed Ms. Lawrence on The Daily Show, it's also worth seeing. Jon Stewart makes a great point about Ms. Lawrence's acting ability and depth and about how her talent and many projects have helped her form a career not defined by the Hunger Games series. Plus, Jennifer Lawrence is a joy to see doing pretty much anything, so you should watch the interview.

Marvel/Pulp Fiction Mashup

What was in Marcellus' case

Thor 2: Dark World Worth Visiting

Thor 2 was pretty good. Definitely worth watching, although it was perfectly fine in only 2 dimensions, so I wouldn't spend the extra on 3D. While the movie had issues that many critics have pointed out, the film felt cohesive, epic and exciting. It was a good addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Tom Hiddleston really did as good a job as everyone is saying. Chris Hemsworth plays a more mature role, Natalie Portman looks good in her role, and great actors like Anthony Hopkins and Idris Elba get more screen time than the previous Thor iteration. Overall, things get darker and more perilous while the movie stays fun and entertaining throughout. On a scale of 6 to Beyonce, B+.

Iron Man 3: Why Tony Stark destroyed his suits.

(SPOILER ALERT from here out for Iron Man 3)

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man

Iron Man 3 came out on DVD, Blu-ray and every other digital whichever this week, rocketing from theaters into people's homes and movie collections. While there were some elements of the film that were controversial to fans, the largest of those was based in interpretation of the source material. One other, the destruction of Tony Stark's amassed army of Iron Man armors (which some refer to as 'The Iron Legion') along with the removal of the shrapnel from his heart, made some fans wonder how he could be Iron Man any longer, lacking both his chest-embedded power source and the suits it powered. Despite fan criticism, and personal uncertainty, I would posit that the destruction was not just a silly means to a Merry-Christmas-Pepper-fireworks-display, but something that was very much in character and a predictable move for Tony Stark. 

#CoulsonLives, But That's Not Necessarily a Good Thing

Clark Gregg (left) as Phil Coulson in The Avengers

As the excitement builds for Marvel's TV show Agents of SHIELD which premiers this Tuesday, I think it's important to really grasp onto one thing: Coulson Lives.

It's not really news that Agent Coulson survived his apparent death in The Avengers. #CoulsonLives has been the hook and tagline of the new ABC TV series for quite some time now, which has Clark Gregg playing leading man for the super-secret team and serving as the chief character tie-in to the Marvel movies. He's appeared in many of the Marvel films, so using him makes sense; he's very recognizable. With the show's aim to look at the human side of the super-human universe, it makes sense to use one of the film franchises main non-super humans.

Marvel Update: Friday Aug 30th 2013

As we now know, James Spader has been cast to play the mechanical villain Ultron in the next Avengers movie, according to a Thursday announcement from Marvel. If you're not a huge Avengers follower, that may leave you wondering who Ultron is and then who the smiling purple guy at the end of the first Avengers movie was. Wired.com has a nice little synopsis as to who Ultron is, and as for Thanos, who was featured in the credits of The Avengers, he may not be the villain of the next Avengers movie (although he's supposed to be in Avengers 3), but he's still going to play a role in the Phase 2 Marvel films. Kevin Fiege, godfather and supervising emperor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, said in an interview with Empire that Thanos will be involved in Guardians of the Galaxy:

"We’ve already said that Thanos plays a part in it and is a character in it. That in and of itself should tell you [Guardians] is connected to the other worlds. Ronan The Accuser (Lee Pace) is very much the main bad guy. And Thanos is lurking above it all. You will learn more about Thanos in Guardians, for sure. Certainly you’ll get more than the one turn-around-and-smirk. You’ll get much more than that."

DC Update: Friday Aug 30th 2013

The internet is still reeling from hearing that Ben Affleck is going to be Batman in the Man of Steel sequel. The news has been circling the drain of internet conversation since the news was broken a week ago, with some (alright, tons) crying out in protest and others waiting hopefully for the Oscar winning actor and director to do a good job. Affleck has garnered support for his position as the new caped crusader from all sorts of people: Matt Damon (of course), Joss Whedon, former Batmen Val Kilmer, Michael Keaton and Adam West. The film is set to film in Michigan, according to The Hollywood Reporter, beginning next year.