CyberTech Info Film: December 2009

Sunday, December 13, 2009

The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)

A sorcerer leaves his workshop in the hands of his apprentice, who gets into trouble when the broomstick he's tasked to do his chores for him somehow develops a mind of its own

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2010)

The final chapter of the Harry Potter saga comes to the screen in this feature adaptation of the popular novel by children's fantasy author J.K. Rowling, with series veterans Steve Kloves and David Yates writing and directing, respectively. The Deathly Hallows will be split up into two films, with Part 2 set for release six months later. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Iron Man 2 (2010)

Emboldened by the recent success of the first Iron Man directed by Jon Favreau and starring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man, Marvel has given its green light to a second Iron Man movie (there are even talks about making a third movie).

Iron Man should reprise most of the initial cast, Robert Downey Jr., ~~Terrence Howard~~ (update: replaced by Don Cheadle) and Gwyneth Paltrow, under the direction of Jon Favreau. The Iron Man sequel is slated for an release at the end of April 2010.

No official synopsis has been unveiled yet. But some tracks are likely for Iron Man 2:

a first job with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) in a struggle against some evil mastermind, before getting more involved in the Avengers initiative in an other movie: indeed, if you waited for the end credits ofIron Man you may have seen Nick Fury making an offer to Iron Man.

the Mandarin: he is Iron Man's nemesis and the leader of Ten Rings, the secret organization we've already had a glimpse of in the first Iron Movie (The Afghan terrorist was indeed wearing the ring of the evil group).

- Demon in a bottle: in the comic book Tony Stark vainly strives to cope with his guiltness of selling weapons in the past and is depressed after loosing Pepper Potts who fell in love with an other man. SoIron Man 2 could dwell on this darker side of Marvel's superhero.But it may not be attractive enough for the marketing team... Besides Jon Favreau would have asserted that such a theme has already be done in Hancock.

- War Machine: In Iron Man 2, Don Cheadle (who is replacing Terrence Howard because the guy was to greedy for Marvel), in the role of Jim Rhodes Tony Stark's friend and pilot, may get a wider role as War Machine, giving a hand to a temporarily weakened Iron Man.

Mostly speculations for now but details about the plot of Iron Man 2 should leak out in a not too distant future. But maybe you have a suggestion to Marvel and Jon Favreau about Iron Man 2?

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Dragon Wars: D-War

Stunning computer-generated special effects are the main selling point of Dragon Wars: D-War, a Korean-made fantasy about ancient monsters wreaking havoc in modern Los Angeles. The complex plot, based on legend, pits an evil serpent and its demonic army against a young woman (Amanda Brooks) who is the reincarnation of a young woman imbued with the heaven-sent power to transform the creature into an all-powerful dragon. Jason Behr (The Grudge) is the reporter who discovers that he too is a reincarnated warrior bound to prevent Brooks and her power from falling into the wrong hands.

The elaborate premise isn’t helped by the script, which delivers absurd dialogue and situations with child-like naivete; thankfully, the presence of Robert Forster (as another reincarnated hero) and solid actors like Elizabeth Pena, The Office’s Craig Robinson, and Chris Mulkey, help smooth over the frequent moments of unintentional humor. But this won’t matter much to fantasy fans and (especially) younger viewers, who will tune in for the film’s riot of special effects; director Shim Hyung-rae and his talented team offer scene after scene of exceptional CGI creations, most notably a aerial dogfight between helicopters and winged lizards in the skies above downtown L.A., and a climactic battle which makes good on the title’s promise.