In The Avengers we saw an ensemble of usually separated Marvel superheroes fight together. In The Wolverine we see a superhero, usually part of a group: The X-Men, fight alone. To Wolverine, who also goes by the name Logan, having his own movie is nothing new: in 2009 we already had the so-so X-Men Origins: Wolverine. This movie is supposedly a sequel, though it has more obvious connections to 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand.
I remember clearly when the first installment of the Lord of the Rings was released, as it was a really big event in cinema back then. A rock solid story, penned nearly half a century earlier, the cinematic possibilities of the new millennium, and a very talented group of people, made the Lord of the Rings trilogy into a huge critical and box office success. After its conclusion, and a shower of Oscars, rumors of plans to bring the short book that preceded The Lord of the Rings: The Hobbit, to the big screen started to spread. Unfortunately, the project would be long delayed over financial and legal disputes. Guillermo del Toro, of Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth fame, was attached to direct at some point, but eventually Peter Jackson, who originally directed the Lord of the Rings trilogy, took it upon him to direct this prequel as well, split not into two, but three separate films. The first installment of this new trilogy was recently released: An Unexpected Journey.
James Bond is back in his twenty-third installment, the third portrayal of Bond for Daniel Craig, and the first Bond movie not to derive its name from Ian Fleming’s work: Skyfall. This is also the 50th anniversary of James Bond: a movie franchise that has stood the test of time. After the ingenious return of bond in Casino Royale and the okay, but somewhat contrived Quantum of Solace, what to expect from Skyfall?
