When Superman first debuted in Action Comics #1 all of 73 years ago, writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster could not imagine that their creation would mark the beginning of an age of super heroes which would extend well into the 21st Century and permeate the popular culture and the collective American imagination for decades.  Over the last three decades in the pages of the comic books from which these spandex-clad heroes originally sprang, super heroes have evolved to include self-aware, postmodern spins on the genre. 

Comic book movies have reigned supreme for the last decade, this self-awareness has fully arrived in theaters with films that place their heroes in new tonal context.  In 2002, well before Kick-Ass, James Gunn wrote a screenplay titled Super, about a normal man who decides to take on crime as Crimson Bolt.  After multiple attempts to get the film off the ground, Super finally arrived this year, starring Rain Wilson, Liv Tyler, Ellen Page, Kevin Bacon, and Andre Royo.  Gunn, who got his start writing for the gleefully down-and-dirty Troma Pictures and moved on to script the Dawn of the Dead remake, The Specials, and Scooby Doo, made his feature directorial debut with Slither in 2006. 

In an exclusive interview with IAR managing editor Jami Philbrick at San Diego Comic-Con last month, Gunn talked about writing and directing Super, which brings his wickedly unique sensibilities to a riff on comic books, comedy, and vigilantism, complete with shocking violence and ultra-phallic tentacles.

Opening in theaters on May 13th is the new drama from writer/director Spencer Susser (I Love Sarah Jane) called Hesher. The movie premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and features an amazing cast of actors that includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception), Natalie Portman (Thor), Rainn Wilson (Super),  Piper Laurie (Carrie), and newcomer Devin Brochu. Artistdirect's Rick Florino recently had an opportunity to sit down with actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Rainn Wilson to discuss the new film, their characters, and Metallica.

At 3 am Thursday morning, Comedy Central aired the full, uncensored version of Adam Yauch's celebrity-cameo-stuffed 30 minute short film Fight for Your Right Revisited aka Make Some Noise, which the Beastie Boys created in conjunction with their new album Hot Sauce Committee Part 2.  The album will be available on May 3rd, but you can watch the explicit version of the short film right here.  The short stars Seth Rogan, Danny McBride, and Elijah Wood as the young, Licensed to Ill-era Beastie Boys, with Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, and Jack Black as their time traveling counterparts.  What could you possibly be waiting for?

Not too long ago, we posted clip from Super, the down and dirty crime fighting flick from writer-director James Gunn.  In that every-shade-of-crazy clip, ultra-phallic tentacles sliced open the brain of Rainn Wilson's character, enlightening him with the idea to become a superhero known as The Crimson Bolt.  Well, the boys over at Twitchfilm have posted the two-and-a-half minute animated title sequence from Super, and it's as deliciously nutty as you'd expect.  Check out the infectious combination of simple animation, power-pop musicality, and neon-bright ultraviolence, right here.

Excuse my tardiness in posting this trailer.  Like a hoarder trapped beneath a metric ton of ancient newspapers, I've been suffocating under all the trailers released today.  This one's special, though.  Beastie Boy Adam Yauch directed a 30-minute short film titled Fight For Your Right Revisited, starring Elijah Wood, Seth Rogan, and Danny McBride as Licensed to Ill-era Beastie Boys facing off against their counterparts from the future, played by Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, and Jack Black.  The new red band trailer promises that the short will be even crazier than it sounds, so take a look if you're over 18 years old.

You know a movie's at least a little metal when the trailer opens to Metallica's 'Battery' accompanying a shirtless, tattooed guy doing a slow motion flip off a flaming diving board and landing in a dirty pool.  Said shirtless guy is the title character in Hesher, and he's played by a long-haired Joseph Gordon Levitt, who later in the film's official trailer utters the line, "It burns when I urinate."  That, my friends, is metal.  Ubiquitous Oscar winner Natalie Portman also stars in Hesher, and you can see both acclaimed actors breaking stuff and getting every shade of metal in the trailer right here, thanks to Twitchfilm.

San Diego Comic-Con may be geek mecca, drawing more than 100,000 fans from around the world to Southern California every July, but WonderCon, Comic-Con's neighbor, is growing more popular every year.  Last year, the convention saw a spike of nearly 10,000 additional attendees, and given the comic and fantasy gathering's prime position just before summer, WonderCon is attracting increased presence from the genre-friendly film properties that now dominate Comic-Con. This weekend's WonderCon will include panels with Ryan Reynolds on Green Lantern, Jon Favreau talking up Cowboys and Aliens, and newly minted Superman Henry Cavill on Tarsem Singh's upcoming fantasy epic Immortals.

Before you even think about watching this clip from Super, the down-and-dirty superhero comedy from writer-director James Gunn, be warned that it contains imagery that is graphic, to say the very least.  The minute-long clip, which debuted over at Coming Soon, is a variation on the classic cartoon 'lightbulb' moment, offering an imaginative illustration of Rainn Wilson's character having a revelatory idea.  Rather than a lightbulb, though, Gunn slimy phallic tentacles, revoltingly up-close gore, and the hand of God.  Check out the clip, unless you're squeamish.

Among the handful of big winners at TIFF this year when it comes to distribution, writer-director James Gunn is certainly up there.  His latest flick entitled Super spawned an all-night bidding war after a successful midnight premiere where IFC won out.  The dark comedy stars Rainn Wilson as a misfit superhero who lacks any heroic skills.  Wilson stars alongside Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon and the always badass, Michael Rooker.

Super a deranged superhero comedy directed by James Gunn (the screenwriter of Dawn of the Dead and Scooby-Doo), was bought by IFC Films after its very successful debut at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. The film stars Rainn Wilson, Kevin Bacon, Liv Tyler and Ellen Page.