Thor is back, and boy, does he look better than ever. The latest Thor: The Dark World trailer has premiered and it is a doozy. Want to know how dire the situation is on Asgard this time out? Loki says it best in the teaser: “You must be truly desperate to come to me for help.” How’s that for setting up the thrills?

Thor: The Dark World Movie Trailer

Although barely seen at all in the first Thor: The Dark World trailer, Natalie Portman plays a big part in this latest one. In fact, she gets in a good slap on Loki and says, “That was for New York.”

See, that is what I adore about Marvel, they don’t shy away from embracing their legacy and bringing aspects of one film into another. That Portman line is clearly in reference to what happened during The Avengers. Just as Iron Man 3 had Tony Stark all sorts of messed up because of New York, it appears that alien invasion has truly affected this world that the Marvel characters exist in. Some franchises tend to ignore what has happened before and just assume that the audience won’t care.

Thor: The Dark World is set to hit theaters November 8, and frankly, it cannot come soon enough.

The "American Legend" Jobs trailer has just premiered and we think that is about as apt of a title to describe the story of Steve Jobs as exists. Ashton Kutcher is Jobs and portrays the Apple founder from his early days at Reed College through his making Apple the most profitable company in the world. 

Jobs American Legend Trailer

At first, we weren't so sure about the casting of Kutcher as the icon, but after witnessing Jobs earlier this week... he is uncanny! And the way that the story itself manages to hit the Jobs highlights is also quite powerful. More in our review soon... but back to this trailer. 

Much more than the first Jobs trailer did, this one shines a light on the people who helped him become the man that would change the world. When the film opens August 16, we look for that legend to grow.

The Kick-Ass 2 red band trailer is certainly NSFW, and we're used to those kinds of things here at Movie Fanatic.

But, a behind-the-scenes clip that is red band, now that is something new. Well, the sequel to Kick-Ass has done something truly original and released a behind-the-scenes look at their movie that is NSFW! But, given the fact that the first film was so popular because of its originality, we honestly are not that surprised.

Kick-Ass 2 Red Band Behind the Scenes

Kick-Ass is back, and so is Hit Girl... but new to the party is Jim Carrey, who steals every scene he's in! 

Kick-Ass 2 lands in theaters August 16!

The trailer for The Counselor has arrived and if the film doesn’t have the best pedigree of the fall, I don’t know what does! The film stars Brad Pitt, Penelope Cruz (soon to be a Bond girl!), Javier Bardem, Michael Fassbender (soon to be seen in X-Men: Days of Future Past) and Cameron Diaz.

Oh, did we mention it is based on the original screenplay by No Country for Old Men author Cormac McCarthy and directed by Ridley Scott? Yeah, that.

The Counselor Trailer

As we first learned in The Counselor international trailer, the film that follows a lawyer who winds up leagues over his head in the drug trade lands October 25 and firmly places itself in the running for those elusive Oscar nominations. Having two winners and three nominees doesn’t hurt its awards run either.

You know that old saying that the eyes have it. Well, we think that given the new photo Warner Bros. released today from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, in our world today, the elves have it.

It is an epic photo that fans everywhere have been waiting for: Orlando Bloom’s Legolas and Evangeline Lilly’s Tauriel have a serious moment atop a mountain. Now, we have a feeling that these two elves will hold the key to the entire battle to save the dwarves' home.

The last The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug trailer showed us the dragon that is in the way of the dwarves and their homeland. With the added help of Tauriel and Legolas, victory will most certainly be closer at hand. The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug lands in theaters December 13.

Logan Lerman is perfectly cast as Percy Jackson. At first when the casting was announced for the first film in the series based on the books by Rick Riordan, it seemed like an interesting choice for Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.

But, he won over fans and the rest is history. He is beyond in his element in the sequel, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. Given that his character is the son of Poseidon, the fact that this adventure surrounds the sea has the Perks of Being a Wallflower actor firmly in his element for chapter two.

There’s one problem. As teased in the Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters trailer, our titular character is having a crisis of confidence. He feels that he is a “one quest wonder.” As the film begins, there are challenges at the facility where the demigods train. And Jackson fails to win any of them. Perhaps the doubt the voice in his head reflects is spot on.

When the supernatural barrier that protects their camp is broken, it means any who wish them harm can attack at any moment. A quest must be launched in order to find the secret to erecting that invisible wall once again. Given Jackson’s lack of success lately, Stanley Tucci’s Mr. D sends someone else.

Thankfully for fans of Jackson everywhere, he does not take that news sitting down. He forms his own team, consisting of his close friends Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) and Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario).

Rooted in mythology, the world of Percy Jackson is rich with the history of that world and it’s easy to see why it has resonated so well with the youngest of audiences. Watching children go through extraordinary circumstances and triumph on the other side is inspiring.

We just wish that the films paid a bit more attention to further explaining the mythological world of gods, but understand that would take away from the action, character and plot development. Perhaps, Percy Jackson will inspire a new generation to discover Greek mythology? One can hope.

Director Thor Freudenthal knows his audience and never lets his film stray from hitting the notes that play to a certain age group. Our Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters review finds that the film is not really for adults. It is more directed at kids in elementary schools. And for them, the film is pure nirvana.

For audiences outside that age range, the film is a bit clunky, but it is Lerman’s performance that truly saves the day. 

When Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige speaks, that old advertising slogan can easily be paraphrased: People listen. The studio is always thinking years ahead, much like Pixar, and lately they’ve shared that animation studio's level of success.

So, when Feige did an interview with Wired magazine, what he said should not surprise given his vision for the future. But, to hear that Marvel has their movies planned through 2021... is still astonishing.

"I could arguably say what we're planning for the year 2021,” he said. “What we planned for 2015 in 2006 is happening!"

Let’s look back and see what Feige wanted to happen in 2015… why it’s none other than the Avengers sequel, which we now know is called Avengers: Age of Ultron. He also sought to have a new property invade the cinema space, Ant-Man. Guess what’s on track for a 2015 release? Yup, Ant-Man.

Feige also shows his brilliance in not only planning the future of his franchises, but being keenly aware of the world in which they live. You can’t have an Avengers movie without successful Iron Man, Thor and Captain America films. Why would new heroes be any different?

"Five years ago, looking at our plan, we knew that if Avengers was going to work, the movies had to stand alone. Now we have to prove to the studio that we're more than just these five characters, these five franchises," Feige said.

There is a Phase Three of the Marvel world coming at us… but in what form? Of course Feige did not divulge that, but you can count on an Avengers 3 for 2017… if past scheduling holds true. And another character could see the light of day… we’re thinking The Black Panther. 

Hot on the heels of the debut of the Muppets Most Wanted teaser trailer, Disney has released a handful of stills that should thrill those eagerly awaiting the sequel to the Oscar-winning The Muppets. Yup, the first film won an Oscar for Bret McKenzie for Best Song… and he’s back for the sequel!

Kermit the Frog is back with his Jim Henson-created friends for a whole new adventure that takes place in the time following The Muppets starring Jason Segel. Amy Adams and Segel are both not in the sequel to their smash hit, but a new round of stars should fit into the classic category of sequels upping the ante.

Tina Fey stars as a militaristic European military leader? That ought to be as awesome as Ricky Gervais starring as a European spy. And how does Modern Family star Ty Burrell fit into the equation? Well, you’ll just have to see. 

Teri Hatcher has more than made it in her career, from having one of the most memorable guest spots in Seinfeld history and wooing Superman in the smash hit Lois and Clark to being a Bond girl in Goldeneye and starring in the phenomenon that was Desperate Housewives.

But, there is something about starring in Disney’s Planes that has her truly in awe of her good fortune. Besides being able to impress her daughter by being in a Disney movie, it was the message of the film that resonated with her. “It’s about reaching beyond your limitations,” Hatcher said in our exclusive video interview.

Teri Hatcher Exclusive Planes Interview

When we met Hatcher at the Santa Monica Museum of Flight, we also wondered since Planes is a spin-off of Cars, which transportation method she would like most for Disney to animate next.

“Boats could be cool because there are so many different kinds of boats,” Hatcher admitted. “I do love trains, there’s something so romantic about trains.”

As can be seen in the Planes trailer, Hatcher portrays a forklift that works with our hero -- Dusty (played by Dane Cook) -- as his main mechanic. The actress also adored the fact that Disney made her character female. “And she’s purple,” she exclaimed proudly. 

When the first Captain Philips trailer arrived, Movie Fanatic knew that Tom Hanks had another chance to add to his already crowded Oscar trophy case. Now that a second trailer for the true story come to life on the big screen has arrived, we think he is the actor to beat. Well… given what we saw in the Saving Mr. Banks trailer, Hanks’ biggest competition to win a third Academy Award may just be himself!

Captain Phillips Movie Trailer

Captain Phillips follows the real life captain of the American ship that was taken over by Somali pirates in the opening moments of the Obama administration. We know from history that it was one of the president’s first gutsy moves when he ordered the Navy SEALs to successfully save the Captain and his MV Maersk Alabama shipmates.

What we don’t know is how exactly the entire thrilling and terrifying affair went down. Thanks to director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremecy), the harrowing tale comes to life.

Mark October 11 on your calendar as Captain Phillips has to be high on the fall’s most wanted list of must-see movies. 

When it comes to making a biopic of one of the most recognizable people that walked the planet, casting could not be more important. As the Diana international trailer has debuted, we can say that Naomi Watts could not have been a more perfect choice to portray “The People’s Princess.”

Diana International Trailer

As previewed in the first Diana trailer, Diana follows the last two years in the iconic princess’ life. From her secret affair with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan (Naveen Andrews) to those final moments eluding the paparazzi in a Parisian tunnel, Diana has a razor sharp mission. Instead of looking at the entirety of her life, director Oliver Hirschbiegel has zeroed in on those final 24 months.

As such, he can capture her spirit as an international agent for change, a doting mother and a woman who was still trying to find herself while the spotlight of the world’s stage never dimmed.

No release date has been set yet for Diana, but if we were to wager… look for it before the calendar turns from 2013 to 2014. It’s got Oscar contender written all over it.

Matt Damon is back and in a big way, according to our Elysium review. To mark his collaboration with District 9 director Neill Blomkamp for the sci-fi thriller, we wanted to turn to our esteemed readers and have them chime in as to what is the best Damon movie since he started his career almost two decades ago (wow, has it been that long?).

Damon truly announced his presence to the world in Good Will Hunting, and he and writing buddy and BFF Ben Affleck took home Oscars and charmed the planet with their unbridled exuberance.

Since then, he has been part of two franchises -- Bourne and Ocean's 11 -- been part of Oscar-winning movies (Saving Private Ryan, The Departed) and overall, become one of the most bankable stars in all of Hollywood. So tell us…

What is Matt Damon’s best movie? 

George Clooney is stepping back into the role of director for The Monuments Men, an amazing true story that has never been told until now. Clooney, who last helmed The Ides of March, also stars in the film and reunites him with longtime collaborator Matt Damon to tell the story about a World War II U.S. platoon that was assigned to recapture artistic masterpieces from Nazi Germany before the war came to a close.

The Monuments Men Trialer

That platoon was made up of peacetime workers who made their living as art historians, curators and museum directors and were tasked by FDR with getting these priceless pieces of human history in secure hands before they were lost forever when Germany ultimately lost the war and fell into chaos.

The Monuments Men also stars John Goodman, Bill Murray and Bob Balaban and opens December 18. 

James Wan, director of the upcoming Fast & Furious 7 and helmer of the surprise summer hit The Conjuring, posted a photo on Twitter that features him and also confirms Tyrese Gibson’s participation in the seventh film in the Fast and the Furious franchise. What else it shows is what we think is an early poster for Fast & Furious 7. We like what we see so far!

The hiring of Wan was a stroke of genius. Whether it was in his Saw days, Insidious or the aforementioned The Conjuring, the man knows how to build suspense. Sure, it was horror… but edge of your seat moments transcend genre and Wan is a master.

Wan also announced that he had hired mixed martial artist Ronda Rousey for a role in the film that is tentatively set to debut July 11, 2014. Hey, that’s less than a year away!

The helmer just came out of a production meeting for his latest film and by the sounds of his tweet, he’s pretty pumped. "Last night's production meeting went for about 6 hours -- from 7pm to 1am. #epic."

And yes, if you saw Fast and Furious 6, you know a huge action star has joined the franchise too, none other than Jason Statham. 

The biopic is a Hollywood institution, but rarely has a rock club gotten its own movie. The CBGB trailer has premiered and it features Harry Potter star Alan Rickman as Hilly Kristal, the man who founded the iconic rock club and essentially gave the world The Ramones, Blondie, Iggy Pop and Talking Heads. Oh, and he might have introduced America to a couple U.K. bands like The Sex Pistols and The Police.

CBGB Trailer

CBGB features the most outrageous cast, from Rickman’s casting to Twilight Saga veteran Ashley Greene, The Big Bang Theory star Johnny Galecki, Justin Bartha, Bradley Whitford and Malin Akerman (herself fresh off that Rock of Ages movie).

No specific release date has been set, but word is the film will debut sometime this fall.

As can be seen from the opening seconds of the I Give it a Year trailer, this is a romantic comedy that is -- surprise -- romantic and funny. Dan Mazer wrote and directed the utterly hilarious film that stars Rose Byrne, Anna Faris (herself a veteran of rom-coms like What's Your Number?), Simon Baker, Rafe Spall and Stephen Merchant.

We talked to Mazer (who co-wrote the screenplay for Borat of all things!) for an exclusive interview and he told us why it works so well. He took the romantic comedy and turned the entire institution on its head. Plus, it’s British and as he told us in our chat… there is a distinct difference between American rom-coms and those from the British Isles.

Movie Fanatic: What was the genesis of this wildly original romantic comedy and how it came to be?

Dan Mazer: It’s twofold. One, it’s a reaction to romantic comedies and having been burnt once too many times going to a romantic comedy that was neither romantic nor particularly comedic. I thought there is an interesting film to be made about relationships and how couples interact with each other. But, wouldn’t it be funny if that film started where every other romantic comedy ended. We start with the fairy tale wedding and look at what might happen between the couple after that fairy tale romance. Romantic comedies always are about mismatched duos who against all the odds come together. I can’t help but think, “Hold on, you shouldn’t be together. This is a disaster [laughs]. In six months' time this is going to end up in an acrimonious divorce because the reason you didn’t get on in the beginning is you're completely opposite and you are still completely opposite and this is going to be a terrible marriage.” To me, it was interesting to examine that dynamic.

Movie Fanatic: And turn the romantic comedy on its head!

Dan Mazer: Yes, and that combined with a couple of real life experiences where I was at weddings with people who I thought, “Please don’t get married.” And everyone else in the congregation knew that as well. Almost in unison at the moment of “I do,” we turn to each other and go, “I give it a year.”

Movie Fanatic: You also have a stunning cast that all brought their A-game. On paper, it’s brilliant. But when exactly did you sense that it would actually work so well on film?

Dan Mazer: It was kind of like playing fantasy football. I was given this task of managing the team of I Give it a Year to pick these actors who I have admired and loved over years. I knew all these people could act. What I wanted to do was essentially check to see that they had a comic sensibility. As opposed to making them read a scene, I sat down in a room with them and had a chat. If they made me laugh and shared my sense of humor, I thought, “Great!” So, by the time we got together for the table read, it was like a group of friends who were hanging out with each other and having a laugh. That continued through the shoot. Everyone was always trying to make each other laugh.

Movie Fanatic: Was there a scene, above all others, that was the most difficult to film because of the shared humor of the cast?

Dan Mazer: That dinner party scene near the beginning where Chloe (Anna Faris) reveals that she used to get on with Josh and that they never really split up… that felt like a dinner party that we all wanted to be at. I couldn’t stop them chatting between takes. There was a shared sensibility.

Movie Fanatic: Lastly, why do you think British romantic comedies (such as Love, Actually) do it so much better than ones out of Hollywood? It’s like night and day.

Dan Mazer: I think what it is that Brits have is an innate cynicism. We’re always looking at things pessimistically. We’re trying to undercut things. It’s our nature as a nation.  What American romantic comedies often do is romance and its comedy and both of those things have the potential to be saccharine and have no sourness in there. It’s the difference between having a really rich milkshake which is American and having a nice salted caramel ice cream, which is British. There’s a dash of something in our psyche that undercuts what could be a sickeningly sweet combination of things that come in romantic comedy. 

Have you ever wondered how Apple Computers settled on that name? A new clip has landed from the Steve Jobs biopic, smartly titled Jobs, where we get to the bottom of that mystery. 

Jobs Clip: Apple Picks its Name

Ashton Kutcher is Steve Jobs and Josh Gad is Jobs' partner in crime, Steve Wozniak. In the above scene, the two are driving to a computer club meeting at Stanford where they hope to impress the great minds at that school to invest in their fledgling computer company. But, you can't pitch any company to anyone... without a name!

And we honestly adore what Jobs says about The Beatles and their record company that shares the same moniker.

Check out the Jobs trailer to explore the world of how a tech titan got his start and developed the most profitable company in the world. 

Since Paranormal Activity first premiered, we’ve had a sequel almost every Halloween since. Paranormal Activity 2 arrived in 2010, Paranormal Activity 3 arrived in 2011 and Paranormal Activity 4 in 2012. We were all set to get another helping of the found footage monolith later this year, but Paramount has announced that the franchise is taking a Halloween off.

But don’t fret Paranormal fans, you will get twice the Paranormal in 2014. The Latino-themed spin-off Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones will land January 3 and Paranormal Activity 5 will land in time for Halloween 2014 on October 24.

In case you’re wondering, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones is being seen by the studio as a “cousin” to the franchise.

As we reported last week, production of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is moving forward with Guy Ritchie directing and Henry Cavill starring. We know that Cavill will be playing Napoleon Solo and Armie Hammer will be portraying the Russian agent Illya Kuryakin. But, the big question that remained was: Who would portray the vital role of the head of British Naval Intelligence?

Now, we know it’s Hugh Grant -- who most recently provided the voice of the lead pirate in The Pirates! Band of Misfits and was seen in a half-dozen roles in Cloud Atlas.

Production on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. will begin in September. 

The band who won the soundtrack lottery for scoring the theme song to Catching Fire is… Coldplay! If you think about it, it is a perfect choice. The band, with their soaring melodies and movie score-like musicality, should give fans of the Suzanne Collins book quite the memorable theme song. Where Arcade Fire scored with The Hunger Games, look for Coldplay to up the ante with Catching Fire.

Coldplay will unleash Atlas on August 26, that essentially gets the Catching Fire promotional bullet train racing towards the film’s November 22 release. We are already inspired by the Comic-Con release of the Catching Fire trailer, and cannot wait to hear that Coldplay "ear candy" later this month.

Catching Fire finds Katniss and Peeta on a Victory Tour, one that is short-lived. See, President Snow has plans for the two who have inspired a revolutionary spirit across the land… an all-star Hunger Games that has them fighting for their life anew.