Movies

Comic fans care about the character or than a particular story. Be true to the characters and fans (in general) will be pleased.

And a stick figure shall lead them. The sequel WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES was the box office champion this week, knocking out Zack Snyder's snappy looking SUCKER PUNCH, $24 million to $20 million. Based on Jeff Kinney's immensely popular and charming Wimpy Kid series, the success of the film should come as no surprise. We caught a screening on Thursday as the guest of publisher Abrams, and laughed quite a bit -- it isn't as inventive as the books, but the film treats its characters with fondness, and the kid actors are all cute and funny. Plus Devon Bostick, who plays the evil older brother Rodrick, has "teen idol" written all over him in eyeliner. The humor is classic family stuff - one person we talked to compared it to "Christmas Story" and if it isn't that good it does have the same kind of classic situations -- a party out of control, a scary movie about a foot, a bathroom door without a lock.

Hooray! A grown woman will play the grown-up Lois Lane in the Superman reboot being prepped by Zack Snyder. Oscar-nominated Amy Adams will play the nosy reporter, “There was a big, giant search for Lois,” Snyder said of the casting. “For us it was a big thing and obviously a really important role. We did a lot of auditioning but we had this meeting with Amy Adams and after that I just felt she was perfect for it.”

Intensive lab scene accompanied by anxious music? Check. Unsubtle reference to Avengers franchise in title? Check. The line "You don't know when to quit, do you?" Check.

According to Variety, director David Slade, previous comic book movie veteran of 30 DAYS OF NIGHT, is aboard for a new Daredevil movie which "will not contain material from the Ben Affleck version". Daredevil last swung across the screen in 2003 when a movie starring Affleck, Jennifer Garner and Colin Farrell was the first of many "meh" Marvel superhero films to follow (cf. GHOST RIDER, PUNISHER, HULK 2, etc., etc.) Daredevil is also one of a number of Marvel characters who must be put into development by Disney rivals lest Disney/Marvel get the rights back. (cf. GHOST RIDER.) It is safe to say not many are pining for a new Daredevil movie right now, but better Fox make it than Disney just happen to do it.

"I have known many gods. He who denies them is as blind as he who trusts them too deeply. I seek not beyond death. It may be the blackness averred by the Nemedian skeptics, or Crom's realm of ice and cloud, or the snowy plains and vaulted halls of the Nordheimer's Valhalla. I know not, nor do I care. Let me live deep while I live; let me know the rich juices of red meat and stinging wine on my palate, the hot embrace of white arms, the mad exultation of battle when the blue blades flame and crimson, and I am content. Let teachers and philosophers brood over questions of reality and illusion. I know this: if life is illusion, then I am no less an illusion, and being thus, the illusion is real to me. I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay, and am content."

Just to give you a laugh as you head out for the weekend, the trailer for THE SMURFS, which stars Neil Patrick Harris as the human who gets embarrassed and frazzled by dealing with his new friends, and Harvey Pekar Hank Azaria as Gargamel.

Deadline reports that Jeff Smith's RASL is being developed by SHERLOCK HOLMES roducer Lionel Wigram. The series, the follow-up to Smith's million-selling fantasy Bone, concerns an art thief who jump to different universes to steal priceless works of art, but at a great personal cost.

IGN has just debuted a "motion poster" for the upcoming CONAN THE BARBARIAN 3D movie starring Jason Momoa, Ron Perlman, Stephen Lang and Rose McGowan, in which he slaughters and avenges all the way across Hyboria. A "motion poster" is like a fancier GIF, and it kind of reminds me of those photos in the Harry Potter-verse...and as such it is kinda cool. Better than a motion comic, anyway.

This week's EW has an interview with Captain America director Joe Johnston and an exclusive look at the Red Skull, played by Hugo Weaving, which became unexclusive a few minutes ago.

Two new posters for X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, the young mutants film opening this June, proving that before they grew up to become arch rivals, Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) liked to stand around experimenting with Photoshop color filters.

This week's EW contains the first photos of Henry Cavill "as" Superman -- if you call wearing a T-shirt dressing as Superman. According to the story, the first time he wore the duds, the handsome Englishman was able to overcome the inherent silliness of the panties and cape look: