Comic-book movies can be many things — ridiculous, entertaining, stupendously dull – but very rarely are they erotic. I’m not talking about the garden-variety sexually neutral charge thrown off by a fit actor, man or woman, who happens to look good in a latex suit. Even in the best comic-book movies, made by filmmakers who know what they’re doing — people like Sam Raimi, Bryan Singer, Guillermo del Toro and Jon Favreau — sex is often treated as a mild embarrassment, a thing that just doesn’t mix well with action inspired by comic-book panels. And so amid all the questions about whether or not the Spider-Man franchise ought to have been rebooted just 10 years after Raimi kicked off his own spin on it, maybe the real question to ask of Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man is — when it comes to sexual chemistry, why can’t more comic-book movies be like this one?
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The new four-minute preview from The Amazing Spider-Man promises an extended look at "the summer's most anticipated film" — Sony's bracing, ballsy rebuke to The Avengers, Prometheus and The Dark Knight Rises. Only you know how truthfully that claim applies to you, but this much is true: There's not very much "new" here.
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As previewed earlier today for select audiences around the globe, here's Sony's brand spankin' new theatrical trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man. (Find my full detailed Spider-Man preview Q&A recap, including descriptions of the sizzle reel that has not yet been released, here.) Take a look and weigh in, Spidey fans -- is this the version of the Marvel superhero we both need and deserve?
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Forget blowing a million or more on a Super Bowl ad; the day after upcoming tentpoles John Carter, Battleship, and G.I. Joe targeted football-watchers with pricey TV spots, Sony went after niche fans with an international simulcast screening of new footage and a 3-D preview of the new Amazing Spider-Man trailer set to hit tonight at midnight PT. Though it included some unfinished visual effects, the sizzle reel featuring 30-40 percent new footage (according to a rep for the studio) hinted at the scope and darkly humorous tone of the Marc Webb-directed reboot.
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When Rhys Ifans crosses paths with Peter Parker & Co. as the villain The Lizard in the upcoming Spider-Man reboot, his performance will partially be obscured by CG accoutrements. But one element of the baddie should be a little more recognizable, even after, as Ifans suggests, audio effects will be employed to make him sound even more otherworldly. Not that he needed much help terrifying intrepid MTV reporter Josh Horowitz, as he did when he unleashed a voice akin to Gollum on steroids. Watch and listen for yourself after the jump.
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Less than a month after a bizarre incident in which The Amazing Spider-Man actor Rhys Ifans was cited for a backstage altercation at Comic-Con, the city of San Diego has declined to press charges: "After reviewing differing witness accounts, our prosecutors concluded there was not sufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt," a rep for the Attorney's Office told E! News, leaving Ifans free to pester his true nemesis: Spidey! [E! Online]
![[UPDATE] Report: Spider-Man Star Arrested at Comic-Con](http://movieline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/comiccon_rhysifans3001-120x120.jpg?w=120&h=120&crop=1)
Speaking of The Lizard making a splash at Comic-Con, The Wrap reports that Amazing Spider-Man star Rhys Ifans was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery in San Diego. Ifans, who portrays Dr. Curt Conners a/k/a The Lizard, was on hand among cast and filmmakers yesterday to debut footage in Hall H; apparently, the incident occurred when Ifans "shov[ed] a female security guard" and "insulted" the U.S. prior to the panel.
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One of the highlights of yesterday's Comic-Con events was definitely the panel for the Amazing Spider-Man, where director Marc Webb and stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Rhys Ifans took the eager fans on an emotional Hall H journey. There was laughter, there were almost tears and there was terrifying footage of The Lizard. In cased you missed it, check out the highlights below.
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