Marvel Anime: Blade
DVD | Instant Video
Directed by Mitsuyuki Masuhara
Written by Warren Ellis
Starring Harold Perrineau, Kim Mai Guest, JB Blanc, Troy Baker
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Release Date: July 31, 2012

Marvel Anime: Blade is the last of the first wave of Marvel DVD releases of anime versions of their characters produced by Japanese animation company Madhouse. These anime series aired in Japan originally, were dubbed in English, aired on G4, and were then collected on DVD and Blu-ray.

Blade is Eric Brooks, a half-human, half-vampire hybrid known as “The Daywalker” because sunlight does not affect him. While Blade’s mom was pregnant with him, she was attacked by the vampire Deacon Frost, resulting in Blade’s unique nature. Blade struggled to control his bloodlust until he met Noah Van Helsing, an old vampire slayer. He taught Blade to control his urges and Blade began training and traveling the world, vowing revenge on Deacon Frost and seeking the destruction of the vampire race.

Bruce Willis is back as retired government operative Frank Moses along with John Malkovich and Helen Mirren as his fellow aging but still lethal colleagues Marvin and Victoria, respectively, and Mary Louise Parker as his game civilian lady love Sarah in RED 2, the sequel to the 2010 action-comedy that was a box office smash around the world.

The movie won’t hit theater screens until this summer, but Summit Entertainment has nonetheless released the first teaser trailer. You can watch it here below.

Joining the action this time around are Oscar winners Catherine Zeta-Jones and Anthony Hopkins and Byung-hun Lee of I Saw the Devil and the G.I. Joe movies. It looks like once again Frank’s peaceful retired existence is being interrupted by a ton of globe-trotting mayhem and dodging multiple assassination attempts. Thus the time has come for Mirren, also an Oscar honoree, to break out the heavy artillery and Malkovich (MALKOVICH!!) to indulge in some of that crowd-pleasing loony schtick that made his character such a hoot to watch in the original.

Since it opened in limited release on Christmas Day, the Peter Jackson-produced documentary West of Memphis, which tells the harrowing tale of the arrest and conviction for the murder of the “West Memphis Three” – Jessie Misskelley, Damien Echols, and Jason Baldwin – and how forensic evidence led to their release from prison after more than 18 years, has garnished rave reviews and has been hailed by many as one of the best films of 2012.

Next Tuesday, a soundtrack album titled West of Memphis: Voices for Justice will be released by Sony’s Legacy label that features an all-star line-up of musicians and longtime supporters of the West Memphis Three. Today, we have for you the full track listing as well as the premiere of the first single off the album, a cover of the David Bowie classic “The Jean Genie” performed by Camp Freddy, a cover band featuring Dave Navarro of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane’s Addiction on guitar and Matt Sorum of Guns N’ Roses on drums.

West of Memphis is currently playing in select theaters across the country. Voices for Justice will be released on CD and MP3 on Tuesday, January 15, 2013. You can check out the full track listing for the album here below, along with a video of the band performing the song in concert.

Marvel Anime: Iron Man – Complete Series
DVD
Directed by Yuzo Sato
Written by Warren Ellis
Marvel Entertainment/Sony Pictures
Release Date: April 24, 2012

Okay, a little honesty here. I thought I had written this like eight weeks ago, but when I went to go link to it, I realized that it must have been one of the reviews I had on my tablet when my it died. So here is my very late review of this two-disc Marvel Anime: Iron Man – Complete Series. It was quite different from other Iron Man cartoons I have seen in the past.

The series itself is very typical of Japanese anime. If you are a fan of this style, then you know what I mean when I say it is very much eye candy. The characters are very animated (no pun intended), almost to the point of ridiculousness at times, actually. But again, this is common for anime. Not that I hate it or anything, but I don’t really like the style. I grew up watching Starblazers and G-Force, so the amalgamated stylings of “Japanimation” are not unknown to me. There just seems to be a certain slickness to it that sets modern anime apart from other cartoon styles.

After weeks of non-stop casting announcements and analysis of its possible plot, the Walt Disney Pictures and Marvel Studios film Iron Man 3 has commenced principal photography in Wilmington, NC. We have the first behind-the-scenes image from the production. You can check it out here below.

The film’s plot is reportedly based on “Extremis,” a six-issue story arc from Marvel Comics’ The Invincible Iron Man written by Warren Ellis and drawn by Adi Granov, which would introduce nanotechnology into the character’s ongoing adventures. Shane Black is directing Iron Man 3 from a screenplay he co-wrote with Drew Pearce. Returning to the cast are Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, and Jon Favreau (a good indication that not much bad blood exists between Favreau, who directed the first two Iron Man films and had originally planned to direct the third and complete his trilogy, and Marvel Studios). New to the cast are Rebecca Hall (Frost/Nixon) and Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs), and playing the heavies of Iron Man 3 are Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley, James Badge Dale, and Ashley Hamilton.