Author: Simon Andrews

Jon Bernthal’s depiction of the most legendary vigilante in comic-book history, The Punisher, has made him one of the hottest properties in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Which is no mean feat, given the amount of promotion that goes into the company’s movie arm, when compared to its poorer televisual relation. But, much as Bernthal’s interpretation is one of a number of different live-action versions of the character, Marvel Comics also contain a number of alternative versions of the gun toting villain-killer. From an outsider’s point of view, there’s little reason why The Punisher should be as iconic a character as…

The latest season of Marvel’s Daredevil is due to start production tomorrow, and true to form, the makers of the show are giving absolutely nothing away about who Matt Murdock will be going up against third time around. Marvel and Netflix have a damn near spotless track record when it comes to keeping their villains under wraps, and viewers regularly face being caught unawares by the appearance of new or unexpected antagonists. From Wilson Fisk’s unwelcome prison ambush of Frank Castle, to the sudden and brutal mid-season removals of both Cottonmouth and Alexandra Reid in favor of surprise replacements, the…

Since he was granted Russian citizenship by President Vladimir Putin and started a slightly bizarre new career as an international political commentator, Steven Seagal has become a regular feature on our daily news bulletins. Unfortunately, yesterday he became a news story for all the wrong reasons, as he has now joined the fast growing list of male actors being accused of historic sexual misconduct. Hollywood continues to be flooded with wave after wave of utterly repugnant allegations against some of the biggest names in the business. Whilst the majority of the media interest at the moment remains firmly fixed on producer…

Movies of the same ilk as Universal Soldier have a tendency to press an indelible mark into the fabric of your soul, never fully managing to erase themselves from your memories and consciousness. A lot of the time, you won’t even realize whilst you’re watching them that they’re in the process of doing this. Instead, it’s many many years (and a couple of kids) down the line that you suddenly recall a classic line of Jean-Claude Van Damme dialogue, or a particularly evocative piece of imagery. Such as a scientist being killed with a massive robotic syringe to the back…

Footage has appeared online from La Mole Comic Con in Mexico City of Jean-Claude Van Damme locking horns with fellow martial artist Jason David Frank. For those of you unfamiliar with Frank’s work, he’s one of the few Power Rangers actors you would recognize if you passed him in the street. He played the first Green Ranger, Tommy. (The one who didn’t get jailed for murdering his housemate with a samurai sword…) It transpires that there is quite the history behind this fight. Somewhat bizarrely, way back in 1995 (Google it, kids…) JCVD attended the premiere of the original Mighty…

The evolution and rise of geek culture over the last couple of years has been nothing short of phenomenal. Comic book movies are now the most profitable form of film in the industry, cosplay has become cool, and toys just really aren’t for kids anymore. They’re for Collectors. You know what else is cool? Geek documentaries. A lot of people will point the finger at 2008 and the successful development of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the time where fantasy suddenly became fantastic. Before that, society and the media had largely poked fun at anything that had emerged from the…

There’s no real reason on God’s green earth why Thor: Ragnarok should work. Blending fantasy that’s lifted almost directly from the pages of Lord of the Rings, with a storyline that wouldn’t be out of place in a Star Trek script, on paper it’s an uneasy beast. And yet, work it does. To fabulous effect. Obvious SPOILERS ahead! Trying to explain the movie’s tone to people who haven’t yet watched it is also not an easy task. Yes, on the surface it’s a riotous laugh-fest. There’s that truly bonkers cameo from Matt Damon. Stan the Man’s customary mirthful walk-on. Taika…

Disney’s decision to make live-action versions of their entire back catalogue is proving to be their shrewdest move to date. The last three years have seen re-imaginings of Cinderella, The Jungle Book and Beauty And The Beast, all of which when combined together have bought the House Of Mouse an astonishing 2.5 BILLION DOLLARS in profits. The Lion King will most likely be next. The company continues to make these massively successful adaptations of their old stories using both the most cutting edge techniques, and the finest performers in the industry. Their upcoming slate of reboots includes Dumbo, Aladdin and…

The much anticipated sequel to 2014’s massively successful Godzilla movie is currently halfway through filming, and is slated to land on our screens in March of 2019. Imperiously titled Godzilla: King of Monsters, it will see Sally Hawkins and Ken Watanabe reprising their roles as the hapless employees of the Monarch organisation, who are this time forced to bear witness as everybody’s favorite radioactive lizard does battle with three of his most iconic monster opponents. We’ll be getting a Godzilla anime before we see that film, though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYwAbBI0r5o&feature=youtu.be Having already gone and teased fans with the return of the Big…

Pretty much ever since the first teaser trailer was released back in May 2017, Marvel’s Inhumans has been struggling to free itself from a smothering blanket of negative publicity. From being called out by the fans over some blatantly sub-par visual effects, to brutally savage early reviews from critics, and finally some car-crash marketing in the weeks leading up to the serious premiere, here was a show that just couldn’t seem to be capable of catching a break. ABC executives would have been praying that the project’s heavily marketed IMAX premiere might have finally bought them some much coveted good…