Marvel Studios’ AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

Marvel Studios’ AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

From Marvel Studios comes the eagerly anticipated “Avengers: Infinity War,” the third installment in the “Avengers” franchise and  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.

Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War” is the preeminent collection of iconic Super Hero characters in one film and stars Robert Downey Jr., as Tony Stark/ Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Don Cheadle as Colonel James Rhodes/War Machine, Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa/Black Panther, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Paul Bettany as Vision, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Idris Elba as Heimdall, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Benedict Wong as Wong, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Dave Bautista as Drax, featuring Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, with Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, with Benicio Del Toro as The Collector, with Josh Brolin as Thanos, and Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord.

First appearing in the “Iron Man” #55 comic book issue in 1973, Thanos is a powerful Titan warlord who rules over the furthest regions of space and commands massive armies known as the Chitauri and the Outriders. “We always knew that the bar was very high with Thanos,” says Kevin Feige. “He made a very brief appearance in ‘The Avengers.’ He had a couple lines of dialogue and a brief appearance in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ and we saw him very briefly at the end of ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron.’ But other than that, we’ve never really seen him do anything. We’ve just been teasing his presence and the coming of Thanos since ‘The Avengers.’”

Feige continues, “In our story, Thanos had to deliver a threat far beyond anything the Avengers had ever seen before. That’s not just making him strong and powerful. It’s about having a villain who’s charismatic and who you surprisingly begin to feel for. More so than any of our other movies, this is very much a story about Thanos and his drive, goals and past. This is the first time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that a film is really told from the villain’s point of view.”

“Thanos is this virtually indestructible character who’s stronger than the Hulk and has invincible skin,” explains Anthony Russo. “Many years prior to ‘Avengers: Infinity War,’ his planet, Titan, experienced a cataclysmic shift. They were running out of resources, and they were overpopulated. Thanos made the recommendation to exterminate half the population randomly to save the rest of the population. Titans rejected his notion, branded him a mad man and exiled him. And the planet ended up dying.”

 

Ok so crazy Titan is hunting infinity stones to fix the universe in a similar way he saw a solution for his own planet.

THE INFINITY STONES PRIMER

SPACE STONE (Tesseract)
Color: Blue
Power: Used to control space and create advanced weaponry
Currently in possession: Asgard

REALITY STONE (Aether)
Color: Red
Power: Ability to warp reality at will, immense strength,  durability, powers, and subjective influence over the universe
Currently in Possession: The Collector

POWER STONE (Orb)
Color: Purple
Power: Increases physical abilities, allows manipulation of energy. Can obliterate an entire planet when unleashed.
Currently in Possession: Nova Corps

MIND STONE (from Loki’s scepter)
Color: Yellow
Power: Subjugate the minds of others, bending them to the will of the user. Increased intelligence.
Currently in Possession: Vision

TIME STONE (Eye of Agamotto)
Color: Green
Power: Able to control the flow of time.
Currently in Possession: Doctor Strange

SOUL STONE
Color: Orange
Power: Unknown
Currently in Possession: Unknown

Avengers, Assemble!

There is NO mid credit scene in Avengers: Infinity War, however there is only a end credit scene.

Is this movie ok for kids? This is a tough question because I will say there are tough discussions to have and having to tell a child well it’ll only be a year before the next one comes out doesnt really fly either.  so I think for older kids, they’ll get it. younger kids might not.

I will say I loved this movie and it totally did justice to the 10 years and 18 other films leading up to this moment…. now if you’re a fan of the comic books I going to say I believe the next avengers movie (part 4) which hasn’t had its official name released yet might be called Avengers: Secret Wars.

Thor: Ragnorak is a SMASHING good time!

Thor: Ragnorak is a SMASHING good time!

HULK SMASH! I do love that line…   this was by far the best Thor movie by far.  It really takes the best parts of last couple of Marvel movies and puts them together.  Think all the humor of Guardians of the Galaxy spliced with the off beat comedy of Thor. I really loved this movie and highly recommend it for any adult, my son Marc who is 9 was laughing a good bit of the movie and cheered at the fight scenes but there is a body count in this movie, so please think twice about bringing children under 7 to seeing this movie.

In Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Ragnarok,” Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok—the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization—at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger—the Incredible Hulk!

Chris Hemsworth returns to the tle role of the hammer-wielding hero of Asgard. He is joined by  Tom Hiddleston  as Thor’s duplicitous adopted brother, Loki; Cate Blanchett as the villainous Hela;  Idris Elba  as the Asgardian sentry, Heimdall; Jeff Goldblum as the eccentric dictator, Grandmaster, ruler of Sakaar; Tessa Thompson as the fierce warrior, Valkyrie; Karl Urban as Skurge, one of Asgard’s strongest warriors;  Mark Ruffalo, reprising his role of Bruce Banner/The Hulk from “The Avengers” and “The Avengers: Age of Ultron”; and   Anthony Hopkins again portraying Odin, King of Asgard.

There are two after the movie scenes.  A mid credit scene and one extra scene at the end of credits.

THOR OPENS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD 2017!

Disclosure: We attended a screening of this movie to help facilitate the review. All opinions are my own and honest.

Guardians of the Galaxy 2  lands on Blu-ray & Digital and I created a mix tape to celebrate

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 lands on Blu-ray & Digital and I created a mix tape to celebrate

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 [amazon] marks the Studios first in-home title to release in stunning 4K Ultra HD format [4k amazon], providing consumers with the ultimate home entertainment experience with next-generation high dynamic range visuals and Dolby Atmos immersive audio. Set to the all-new sonic backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, the film’s storyline continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians (Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, and Bradley Cooper as Rocket) must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage.

This blockbuster sequel featuring the world’s favorite band of intergalactic misfits, blasts into homes Digitally in HD and 4K Ultra HD™ on Aug. 8 and 4K Ultra HD™ and Blu-ray on Aug. 22.

Here is the bonus material included with the version you choose:

Blu-ray:

  • The Making of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” – A four-part, behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, done in the style of classic-rock album liner notes.
  • Visionary Intro – Director James Gunn provides context on how he continues and expands the storylines of these beloved characters in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.”
  • Guardians Inferno Music Video – Join David Hasselhoff and special guests for a galactic retro dance party. [Crank the the volume all the way up and rock out!]
  • Gag Reel – Laugh out loud at all the hilarious off-script shenanigans and bloopers that took place on the set of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” featuring all your favorite Guardians.
  • Four Deleted Scenes – Check out four specific scenes that had to be cut from the film, including two extended scenes and two deleted scenes.
  • Audio Commentary – Check out a special narration of the film by director James Gunn, who guides fans through an inside look at the making of the movie.

Digital:

All the features listed above plus four extra exclusives:

  • Three Scene Breakdowns (Digital Exclusives) – We’ll reveal the anatomy of a few key scenes from the film. Discover the process in bringing these scenes to life. It starts with a doodle and the rest is film history. Audiences will be given the option to view 5–6 layers of specific scenes in the film. Scenes include “Eclector Escape,” “Gamora and Nebula,” and “Rocket and Ravagers.”
  • Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! (Digital Exclusive) – Get an exclusive sneak peek inside the most anticipated ride at Disneyland, Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!. Dig into the concepts and inspiration, and talk about what it took to bring the most epic ride at Disneyland to life.

And now I present to you my ultimate mix tape of music from growing up…

Super Heroes are everywhere – who is your Super Hero? #WhoIsYourHero

Super Heroes are everywhere – who is your Super Hero? #WhoIsYourHero

Just like characters from the Marvel Universe, Super Heroes come in all sizes. Whether you are big like Hulk, small like Ant-Man, a young boy, a teenage girl, in a wheelchair, a casual fan, or a diehard collector, diversity is what makes Super Heroes so powerful.  An inspiring child doing great things for the community or an adult fundraising for a good cause…reading the pages of a Marvel comic we’ve seen it all, including teenagers putting on masks to fight crime – if you know someone that can stick to walls and fights crimes give me a holla – but more realistically that person that goes to the soup kitchen every month. That kid that is always collecting items for the homeless. That amazing mom who raised two kids on their own while working two jobs to support them. In life, a lucky few are able to say I know someone doing something amazing, even fewer get that recognition. That’s what we’re doing today – looking to recognize that unsung hero. #WhoIsYourHero

Jim HigleyIn my life, I’ve met a ton of amazing people…few have stood out in my mind like Jim Higley. Jim is a single dad to three fantastic kids. When Jim was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the age of 44, he traded in his 20-plus-year career in corporate America to become a full-time, stay-at-home dad. Jim talked openly about his treatments and struggles on his blog and no matter how gray the skies – he always had a positive outlook. Jim is just that type of guy.  Now, years later, Jim is still out there talking to other stay-at-home dads about his struggles but found his real passion in helping out in a number of different cancer related missions.  I remember it like it was yesterday, Jim was using his blog to share an advocacy project on the need to self-screen for testicle cancer.  Since that time, he’s taken on a new role in an amazing nonprofit camp that gives children whose lives have been affected by cancer an ability to find community. This past year Jim took a group of dad bloggers on an 84-mile-long hike across the UK to raise funds for Camp Kesem – and if that isn’t super heroic, I really don’t know what is – but that’s just part of it. The $40,000+ funds raised were to open a new Camp Kesem chapter at the University of Maryland in honor of our late dad blogger friend, Oren Miller, who lost his lung cancer battle nearly two years ago. It’s an honor to call Jim a friend. I have always looked up to Jim is an inspiration simply because he has one of the biggest hearts, and the best way to measure a Super Hero is by the size of their heart.

So let’s support our heroes…in the comments below please comment with who is your hero and what they’ve done and lets hopefully recognize them in this amazing campaign.

Who are the real heroes in your life? Tell me in the comments, and be sure to nominate them on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Use the hashtag #WhoIsYourHero, so I can check it out and give it a share or retweet!

Want to brag about your hero AND win them some cool merch? Visit Life of Dad’s Facebook page and add your nomination there, too!

Disclosure: I have partnered with Life of Dad and Marvel for this campaign, but my all opinions are my own.

Learn more about Marvel’s amazing universe of characters Marvel.com and on their social channels of Facebook Twitter Instagram

It’s binge time – Netflix releases Marvel’s Luke Cage #StreamTeam

It’s binge time – Netflix releases Marvel’s Luke Cage #StreamTeam

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First there was Daredevil, then came Jessica Jones, Netflix is back today with Luke Cage, a new series devoted to the character that was first introduced in Jessica Jones.  This is the hero you’ve been waiting to see, you’ve seen how Netflix handles great hand to hand fight scenes but we really haven’t seen powers.

Luke Cage in my thought is even better then the prior Marvel shows on Netflix, Why? Cause here is a guy with real powers coming to learn how to use them and why to use them a true origin story of a hero.

Mike Colter’s presence as Luke Cage is perfection. Rosario Dawson makes an appearance as Claire, a cross over character between the Marvel shows.

Like other Marvel shows there is a dark edge but with moments of humors (which is the signature of Marvel entertainment).  The fight scenes are still amazing and you’ll be binge watching this series for sure!