Marvel’s most diminutive super-hero would not seem to be a top-priority for a big screen adaptation, but Ant-Man has actually been in development since the late 1980s, long before Marvel started its Cinematic Universe. Around the time that the first Iron Man came out, it was going to be written and directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) up until last year when he left the project and was replaced by director Peyton Reed (Bring it On, Yes Man). It is the 12th instalment and the final movie of Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe before Phase Three starts next year with Captain America: Civil War.
Up until now, I was not convinced that such a small character (double meaning intended) from the comics would make a good movie, but with a cast of Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer and Michael Peña and the talent behind the camera (Wright still has writing and producing credit), it could be the right mix of super-hero action and humour that can make it another hit like Guardians of the Galaxy last summer. Set a few months after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Paul Rudd plays a thief named Scott Lang who must find his inner-hero and help his mentor Dr. Hank Pym (Douglas) by donning the costume that allows the wearer to shrink in size but possess incredible strength. Together, they not only must protect the secret behind the suit but plan and pull off a heist that will save the world. Watch for Ant-Man to be a medium-sized hit (of course, pun intended) for Marvel Studios.
On the subject of puns, when the title of a movie is Trainwreck, that is definitely tempting fate with film critics. However, I am pretty sure that writer and star Amy Shumer and director Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) were fully aware of this when they decided upon that title and were gearing up for the critical puns, good or bad. So far, critics seem to loving it and most have stayed away from the obvious play on words. Shumer plays a woman who grew up hearing from her dad that monogamy isn’t realistic. As a result, she lives her life recklessly and avoids commitments while she concentrates on her successful career as a writer. Although she feels uninhibited, when she meets the subject of the new article she is writing, she starts wondering if there is something better than her chosen lifestyle.
Fans of the Beach Boys will want to check out the bio-pic Love & Mercy, the critically acclaimed yet unconventional portrait of Brian Wilson, the singer, songwriter and leader of the iconic band. Starring John Cusack, Elizabeth Banks and Paul Giamatti, it follows the life of Wilson in two time periods—the 1960s and the 1980s. Paul Dano (12 Years a Slave, Prisoners) plays the younger Wilson while Cusack plays the elder with Banks playing his second wife, Melinda and Giamatti as his infamous therapist Eugene Landy.
VIDEO: Amy Schumer on Trainwreck and why everyone loves her: “I’m a pretty authentic chick”
