The Avengers has come and gone, and now we get to see Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) dealing with the trauma he apparently experienced in New York. He has insomnia, and it strains both his work on the latest Iron Man suit as well as his relationship with Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow). His bodyguard Happy (Jon Favreau) is now head of security for Stark Industries. And, all around the world, there’s broadcasts from a strange terrorist figure named “The Mandarin” (Ben Kingsley).

The movie opens with Stark recounting a New Year’s Eve party way back in 1999. He’s at a conference in Bern, trying to bed a buxom botantist, Maya (Rebecca Hall) before the year’s turnover. He’s interrupted by pimply geek Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), who’s trying to start a think tank and wants Stark’s help. Stark blows him off, and if the use of Guy Pearce didn’t already suggest it, Stark states outright that it was the beginning of trouble.

Thirteen years later, Aldrich shows up at Stark Industries, again seeking support, though he does seem more interested in rubbing everyone’s nose in his success. He has created a new whatsit kind of technology called “Extremis” that allows the brain to regenerate tissue…and, somehow, make the patients melt things with their hands. (Dr. Curt Conners from the latest Spiderman films is going to be smacking his head with his tail when the inevitable crossover comes.)

Parker starts out strong, spends the next hour doing nothing, then it ends with a good-enough set piece. That’s pretty much the review right there, and it’s going to be a struggle to think of anything more to say.

There’s a lot of things I can expect a Jason Statham action movie to be, but boring is not one of them. When he showed up to the Ohio State Fair dressed as a priest, my hopes soared — Statham unconvincingly costumed: That is funny — and he’s robbing Ohio, the most vile and butt-smelling state! When he scolded one of his teammates for peeping into the fair’s Nudie Tent (these exist? Cool!), I was all but ready to love the movie. When he drove Jennifer Lopez around Palm Beach looking at houses for what seems like eons, I wanted to go home.

Parker’s been portrayed on screen before, in 1967’s Point Blank, where his character’s name was Walker, and he was portrayed by Lee Marvin, and again in 1999’s Payback, where he was Porter and played by Mel Gibson. I gather that the running theme of Donald Westlake’s novels upon which the films are based is that W/Pa/ork/ter is a thief who’s always double-crossed by his gang. You’d think after 50 or so years he’d learn to choose better friends.

I think George Lucas deserves some credit where it’s due, and say what you will about the prequels, the opening to Revenge of the Sith, with the dogfight over the planet was pretty awe-inspiring. So when the trailer for Red Tails came out, I was excited to see a Lucasfilm production that focused mainly on one of the strengths he still had.

And I’m pleased to say that he’s still got it. The dogfights in Red Tails look good, give a good sense of whose plane is whose (with the exception of the opening battle), further the plot, and build on each other. You can see the Lucas touch of following one plane during its flight then latching on to another.

In one sequence, a group (squadron?) take down a train, with one pilot taking it head on. Another shows how the under-equipped planes of the heroes are able to fight with lightning-fast German jets.

Hard to believe it took this long as it seems most every movie arrives on Blu-ray quickly these days but director John Singleton’s Boyz N The Hood is finally getting the HD treatment. It will be released on July 19th by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

for those of you not familiar with the film (although, not sure how that’s possible), Boyz N The Hood is “the critically acclaimed story of three friends growing up in a South Central Los Angeles neighborhood, and of street life where friendship, pain, danger and love combine to form reality.”

It also features some career-launching performances by Cuba Gooding, Jr., Ice Cube and Morris Chestnut as well as great turns by Lawrence Fishburne and Angela Bassett. The Blu-ray will include a host of special features such as Director’s Commentary, Deleted Scenes, Audition Videos featuring Ice Cube, Angela Bassett and Morris Chestnut.

In addition, the Blu-ray will also include the documentaries “The Enduring Significance of Boyz N the Hood,” “Friendly Fire: Making Of An Urban Legend” and the music video from Compton’s Most Wanted called “Growin’ Up in the Hood.”

This movie spawned the careers of many actors and helped propel Singleton into the top echelon of directors. Sadly, he hasn’t done as well with his career as some of his actors. Who knows, perhaps he and Cuba Gooding, Jr. will get together and make another movie? It might help both of their careers.

Has the thrill of San Diego Comic-Con waned (gasp!) in the last few years? Is the scheduling for the San Diego, Chicago or New York Cons not ideal for you? Or, would your love of comics, games and movies inspire you to travel internationally (this writer is definitely in that camp)? If you fit into any or all of these categories, then today’s your lucky day! Mark Millar is about to become your new hero (if he isn’t already)!

Millar (Kick-Ass, Wanted, Civil War) has announced that he is launching a Comic Con-themed event for the UK market next April. The Kapow Comic Con will take over London’s Business Design Centre on April 9 and 10, 2011 and be dedicated to the world of comics, movies, TV, games and more.

Stars from Hollywood and TV-land have yet to be announced, but Dave Gibbons, John Romita Jr, Frank Quitely, Bryan Hitch and Andy Diggle have all been confirmed for attendance.

Kapow will also introduce the Stan Lee Awards, which will pay tribute to the comic book legend by giving recipients gong statues for Best Comic, Best Superhero or Sci-Fi Movie and Best Comic Book Hero among others.

For more information, check out the official Kapow Comic Con site. See you in London!

After some time spent in the “feel good” movies section, former wrestler turned actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is back doing the kind of movie he does best: action. In the upcoming film Faster, directed by George Tillman Jr., Johnson plays an ex-con out for revenge. It seems his brother has been killed after they were double-crossed during a heist years ago.

During his quest, however, he’s tracked by a veteran cop and an egocentric hit man, both of whom have deadly agendas of their own. In the trailer we get to see Johnson is really back to form and looks like he’s kinda missed all the action. There’s no mistaking his enthusiasm and skill as an action star. Plus, the movie looks pretty good. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing more.

The film, which in addition to Johnson features Tom Berenger, Carla Gugino, Maggie Grace, Mood Bloodgood and Billy Bob Thornton, opens November 24. While we wait, check out the trailer after the jump.

With the Kick-Ass movie about to hit theaters Marvel is doing another cool thing to tie in with the film’s release. Starting today, they are offering the complete Kick-Ass limited comic series in single issue format for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. The comics can be downloaded via the Comixology or Iverse applications for Apple devices and PSP users can download directly to their device.

“I have an ancient cell phone given to me by a relative that’s so old it can’t take pictures so this tech is so far away from me it might as well be science fiction,” said Kick-Ass writer and co-creator Mark Millar. “But I read about it on Comic Book Resources and Marvel.com– the guys seemed excited so consider me excited by osmosis. More readers and new readers is always a good thing.”

John Romita Jr, artist and co-creator of Kick-Ass, said, “I’m excited about these advances in technology that I have been hearing about for, what seems like ten years. Now it has arrived, and all I can think of is that it advances the state of ‘comic books’ in that it will direct people to the source material. I believe this will cement the tangible material, the comics themselves, into the hands and minds of future ‘young’ generations! It always comes down to the quality of writing and the sequential art. Holding a comic and turning the page for more will forever be a novelty, even with advanced technology as an option.”

So there you have it right from the creators. This is a new way to discover the world of Kick-Ass and hopefully enhance your appreciation for the comic and what the filmmakers were able to accomplish when bringing the comic to the big screen.

Kick-Ass the movie opens everywhere tomorrow.

Are you a fan of the hit Fox series Glee? Do you live near Phoenix, Los Angeles, New York, or Chicago? If so, you just may be in for a rare opportunity to catch some of your favorite stars and songs from the show live, as Fox and creator Ryan Murphy present a special live Glee tour for those major cities in the U.S.

From the Fox press release:

Beginning Wednesday, May 18 at the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona, “Glee” stars Lea Michele (Rachel), Cory Monteith (Finn), Amber Riley (Mercedes), Chris Colfer (Kurt), Kevin McHale (Artie), Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina), Mark Salling (Puck), Dianna Agron (Quinn), Naya Rivera (Santana), Heather Morris (Brittany), Harry Shum, Jr. (Mike) and Dijon Talton (Matt) will perform in a singing and dancing celebration of the Golden Globe Award winning show.

The four-city exclusive engagement, “Glee Live! In Concert!,” is a unique concert experience conceived by Murphy that will include live performances of some of the show’s most memorable musical numbers including its anthem “Don’t Stop Believin,” fan favorites “Somebody To Love” and “Jump” and hits “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and “Sweet Caroline.”

Tickets will be available on March 12th for the Phoenix show, and March 13th for the shows in LA, New York, and Chicago. A special presale to American Express cardmembers will be available this Friday, at ticketmaster or gleetour2010.com. Check out the official concert dates after the jump.

Glee returns with it’s second season on Tuesday, April 13th at 9/8C on Fox and will feature loads of new guest stars such as Neil Patrick Harris, Olivia Newton-John, and more.