The Avengers: Now with more in-fighting and Scarlett Johansson

The second full-length trailer for The Avengers was released this morning, along with a this new poster that came out yesterday. It's an iTunes exclusive, so you'll have to head over there to watch it until Marvel puts it up on YouTube and I can embed it. A lot of the action is stuff from the Super Bowl spot, but that's hardly what matters. This trailer finally gives a sense of the way Joss Whedon is going to handle the team dynamic, and that, as promised, is going to be just like a family. So we have siblings fighting, mom and dad disapproving, and some weird Arrested Development-style cousin stuff. Basically, it's brilliant. There's a lot more of Scarlett Johanssen and Colbie Smulders' Maria Hill finally makes an appearance. Of course I did more screen grabs, so they are in HD after the jump.

2012 Academy Awards [Updated]

I'll be update this later in the evening, or you can check out my Twitter feed. Mostly, I'm excited that Billy Crystal is back to host. Despite claims he isn't "relevant" to younger viewers, I just have to argue that you're underestimating the impact Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally have had on... well, everyone.

But... [Update]

It turns out Billy Crystal wasn't the solution to Oscars problems. In fact, the night was generally boring. When Meryl Streep winning is the biggest surprise of the night, there's a serious problem. And I don't know anyone that has seen The Artist.

Here's a list of the winners from /Film. Mostly it's the expected Academy stuff. The only serious issue I have is Hugo beating Rise of the Planet of the Apes for Visual Effects.

The Phantom Menace

I went to see the 3D re-release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace last week. I don't personally hate the film with the vehemence that some fans do, and I don't think it's the worst film in the Star Wars series. However, as I sat through the film, I couldn't help think it would be seriously improved by a little cutting (midichlorians), and few story changes. Well, here's a video which lays out roadmap for the film that might have been (thanks to io9 for the heads up). Anyway, in regards to the 3D Phantom Menace, it was about what I expected. The parts that were good (the Podrace, Darth Maul) looked good, and the things that weren't didn't get better. 

Week Links: X-Men, Fantastic 4, and more

Okay, it's been a while since I put up some links, so here's a collection from the past month or so. In other news, my list of 2012 movies is up. Chronicle takes first place on the list, as being a great take on the superhero origin story. Red Tails features a bunch of awesome dogfights and... well, that's about all. Meanwhile, Underworld: Awakening was filled with "meh." Also, Haywire was all about a concept, but other than the fact that it starred a woman, was simply a totally generic Bourne rip-off.

Avengers at the Super Bowl

One of my first posts on this blog was last year's Super Bowl trailer for Captain America, so it's only fitting that I bring you this awesome spot for The Avengers. Actually this is an extended version of the spot, so it's twice as awesome.

Unlike the first trailer, we finally get a glimpse of what the Avengers are going to be fighting... which looks a bunch of random aliens, but still, twice as much action, including full-blown Hulkage. There was a 10-second tease for this released a few days ago, but I don't really approve of teasers for spots that aren't even trailers. Check out some screencaps after the jump.

2012 Film List

I'll update this as I see more, and I've been known to change my mind, but here's how things are currently looking for 2012.

20 movies I want to see 2012

Last year, I through up a list of the 20 films I most anticipated over the year, and it proved a handy guide to refer to over the course of the year.