It's MCU time again!  This week's sojourn into the Marvel Cinematic Universe takes us to that time when Elon Musk's greatest fear took place... and The Avengers went global... After the Avengers hit a hidden Hydra base, Tony gets the bright idea to create a robot... the ultimate robot. Too bad that ultimate robot wound up hating him... and the rest of humanity... I have to say that this installment in the " Avengers " part of the MCU was one of the weaker ones.  The concept isn't bad- but it's been done so many times before... and better as well.  I just couldn't keep myself focused on the story, I kept getting distracted by counting down the seconds before my next pizza pocket was done... There's some character development in this movie too- most in terms of Tony Stark- with a dash thrown in for Hawkeye as well (which was nice to see, actually).  The introduction of Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Vision was good- and executed well... t...

This week as we travel through the MCU, we stop off at the movie that changed comic book movies- and franchises in general: 2012's " The Avengers ". This movie completed the evolution of Marvel's concept of a shared movie universe that would bring multiple franchises together under one franchise.  This would lead to studios from trying to look for franchises that could potentially share a universe and interact together (like Legendary's successful incorporation of the Godzilla and King Kong franchises, or Universal's failed Dark Universe bringing the "Universal Monsters" together). But as a movie itself, it's a moderately good film.  The story is certainly interesting, and engaging.  The little twists, turns and threads coming together to the grande finale kept me watching. For me, the flaw was the characters.  I loved the development of Captain America, Black Widow, and Bruce Banner/Hulk.  I was a little disappointed in how little Thor,...

Twenty one movies, more than a decade of cinematic history, and dozens of characters and story arcs. And it all comes down to one movie. How is this possible? How could something so massive actually pay off in a satisfying way? Clearly Anthony and Joe Russo asked themselves this question when they took on the films Infinity War and Endgame. Then they probably uttered "fuck it" and went ahead and made them. And I'm glad they did.

It's rare a trailer will give me goosebumps, but that's exactly what this final one for The Avengers: Endgame did. Sure, we know things are going to (more or less) end on a positive note as this movie takes the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a new direction. But there's something about the promise of a last stand that gives me the chills, in the best possible way.

The "Snap" heard through the Marvel Cinematic Universe has occurred.  Earth's mightiest heroes are scattered in defeat.  Guilt... loss... shame fill them with uncertainty about the future. But there is hope... there is always hope...

I don't know what impressed me more about Avengers: Infinity War -- the fact I have to rethink my Top 10 Favourite Movies of All Time list, or Scarlet Witch's cleavage. A statement both bold and crass, but true.

Stan Lee, the mastermind behind Marvel Comics and the Marvel brand, seems to think an epic crossover between the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Star Wars galaxy created by George Lucas could happen. Suffice to say, Stan Lee has quite the imagination!

They said they'd be back, and Jason and Shawn are indeed back with another podcast designed to pleasure your earholes while possibly offending your sensibilities. But it's all good, right? I said right!?! Not ones to engage much in mainstream, movies, The Basement Boys first tackle the summer that was, sounding off on cinematic successes and failures that began with Furious 7 back in April and ended with recent releases like The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and whatever else came out last week. Those lovable a-holes also offer insight into why this summer's slate of movies was more or less received with a collective thud than the excitement of summers long gone.

During my Grade-12 year, my classmates voted me Grad Most Likely To Become Batman. And I was a big Batman fan. But I have a confession to make, Father. I was actually an even bigger Daredevil fan. In fact, Marvel's Daredevil is my all-time favourite comic-book character. Which means I was uber pumped when word hit that he'd get his own Netflix original series. All 13 episodes dropped this past Friday, and yours truly has already battled his way through six. What does this hardcore fan of The Man Without Fear think thus far? Stick with me!

Yeah, I know. Variety broke this yesterday and everyone and their dog has commented. But everyone and their dog isn't The Basement. So here we go. Word has it Robert Downey Jr. will appear in Captain American 3, not as a fellow Avenger but as the villain -- in a sense -- as the Superhero Registration Act makes its way into the Marvel cinematic universe.

Shawn here, reporting in, sir. Last weekend our "free movie tickets" expired.  We had to use them up. Wasn't much playing at our local theater, that we could all go see as a family, that wouldn't cause someone to fall asleep or eat all the popcorn during the previews. So, we settled on Capt'n America. I didn't enjoy the first Cap very much, so I wasn't looking forward to this. But I did enjoy The Avengers . Here's the thing.  If the movie, derived from a comic book , doesn't give me eye candy, I'll read the comic.  The first Captain America fell short there and was too long in the story, in my opinion.. What they did in the second one, was similar to how stories are laid out, in cartoon series' of The Avengers or Justice League...for example.

Shawn here, you know, the superhero movie fanboy?...not.  Ok, well maybe a little. Am I bias?  When it comes to my opinion, absolutely. Watched Thor: The Dark World last night.  I didn't mind the first one as it was a great intro movie. Obviously, The Avengers carried more of this story, with Loki as the bad guy.  The Avengers movie was very well balanced. So that had me looking forward to seeing Thor 2.

Remember Peggy Carter, Captain America's love interested in . . . Captain America? Well, she's back. And so is the sexy actress who played her -- Hayley Atwell. Atwell stars in the short film Agent Carter, which is set to premiere at next week's San Diego Comic-Con before it turns up as a special feature on the Iron Man 3 DVD/Blu-ray in September. The flick follows Carter's further adventures a year after the events of Captain America: The First Avenger. The short is part of Marvel's One-Shot series, which means there's more films featuring more characters in the works. This appeals to me for several reason. One, it's a very comic-book idea, taking supporting characters and giving them a chance to shine. And two, it's another cool thing to add to the DVD/Blu-ray experience. I was gonna buy Iron Man 3 anyway. Agent Carter is just another reason to be excited about the disc. So is the short film. Peep the promo poster below. Source: Enterta...

The Oscars event this Sunday was marred by conflict between major studios and the visual effects houses they employ.  This conflict was brought to the forefront of movie news after Rhythm and Hues won an Oscar for their work on the " Life of Pi ".  As they were about to mention a VFX protest taking place outside, the theme from " Jaws " kicked in- ushering them off the stage. The " Jaws " theme- which was intended to inform receipiants that their acceptance speeche was going over their alloted time, has caused some controversy in itself.  It's use in this case has only served to further engrage people inside and outside the VFX industry. Despite the high quality of work they did on " Life of Pi ", and " Avatar ," Rythm and Hues has had to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy .  A German VFX house, Pixomondo , had to shut down their London and Detroit offices after the Oscar winning work it did on Martin Scorsese 's " Hu...

This was supposed to be a Top 5 list -- 'cause that's what we do here in The Basement -- but I quickly realized we'd watched a lot of cool shit during the last 12 months. As in years past, this list is based strictly on what I was able to see during the year and is genre heavy. Duh. It's what I do. Note, the list is far from complete. I have yet to catch Skyfall, Looper, Dredd, Django Unchained and Zero Dark Thirty, all flicks that'd have a decent shot at making this list. If only I could be all things to all people. Anywho, on with my thoughts on the best of 2012. 10 - Kill List This movie ruined my day in the best possible way. I'm still left reeling from it, like I'm punch drunk. Or just drunk. You decide. I can't say I enjoyed this movie, although I know I will watch it again and would recommend it to horror fans in a heartbeat. Yes, it's a horror film. But not in the traditional sense. It's frightening and surreal, but oddly f...

Alternate endings are a dime a dozen in the film business. But an alternate opening? Not so much. However, writer/director Joss Whedon did shoot a different beginning to his mega blockbuster, one that is darker in tone and hints at a subplot that was never fully explored. It takes place in the aftermath of the movie's final battle and explores S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill's troubled relationship with her boss, Nick Fury. It's an OK start, but I believe the one in the finished production works better and gets us right into the action. Still, as a student of film, I enjoy watching stuff like this. The clip is included on the upcoming Blu-Ray of The Avengers, which hits the streets Sept. 25. What say you, Basement Dwellers?

Normally I'm not a fan of gag reels, especially ones that play over the end credits of movies, but I have to admit, there's some pretty funny shit in this one from The Avengers. It's probably the funniest I've ever seen. The gag reel, along with a slew of other goodies, will officially be unleashed when The Avengers is released on DVD/Blu-Ray Sept 25. But you might as well have a gander at it now. It's funny. Trust me. And Jeremy Renner is clearly not a Star Trek fan. Anyway, enjoy the video :)

Best. Comic. Book. Movie. Ever. Well, it at least equals The Dark Knight. But comparing The Avengers to The Dark Knight is like comparing apples to oranges. Christopher Nolan's Batman films are realistic, gritty, crime dramas that happen to be about a guy in a bat suit. The Avengers is a Marvel comic brought to glorious, vibrant life. It's manic, thrilling, fun, funny and doesn't compromise any of it's great characters or the great actors who play them. Everyone is given his or her due and moment to shine. And the amazing set pieces -- including a 40-minute thrashing of New York -- don't overshadow the quieter moments a memorable movie needs. Bless you writer/director Joss Whedon. You were given something that could have backfired horribly and made it shine. You took all these characters, each introduced in a film of their own, and melded them perfectly into one dazzling motion picture, one that demands to be enjoyed again and again. And yeah, I admit it: it needs...

So I took a step out of The Basement norm, hit up a big Hollywood summer blockbuster.  On opening weekend. I went in with extremely high expectations for this movie, based on the trailer, and ALL the individual movies that were made to build up this one. I love superhero movies, and I am the biggest Superman fan. Although I have really enjoyed the Iron Man series a lot lately, as they live up to their hype. Effects are top notch, and I don't even see them as effects anymore. Just Iron Man flying around doing cool shit. So with a new Superman coming next year, this movie makes me very nervous and I'll tell you why. The Avengers was ALL kinds of ridiculous. Here is where Hollywood, on the rare occasion, can live up to their hype. This movie opened with some big events, and I was like "It's alright...not skirt blowing..."  But as it progressed, whatever skirt I may have been wearing was ripped off, shredded and had me giddy crazy. This movie felt a lot like...

Call me lazy, but I enjoy posting shit from Joss Whedon's upcoming super-hero epic The Avengers. I see a clip, I want to post. I see a TV spot, I want to post. It's a no-brainer. Just like beer and hot wings. The TV spot below is loaded with action, the sexy Scarlett Johansson kicking ass, the awesomeness that is Robert Downey Jr. and a smiling Hulk. I suspect he's smiling because he's about to smash something. I'm cool with that. The film hits theatres May 4 -- that's less than a month's time! The wife and I are gonna need to secure a babysitter stat. Until then, The Basement will continue to post Avengers deets as we see fit. Sue us. You can't get blood from a stone anyway. In addition to Johansson and Downey Jr., The Avengers stars the Chrises Evans and Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo and some guy named Samuel L. Jackson.