The Marvel Cinematic Universe now has 13 films under their umbrella. I’ve wholeheartedly liked one of them. Following the press screening for ‘Civil War‘, I can add another to the “do-not-like” list. First off, I’m not saying these are badly made movies; they are greatly produced films that gross tons of money. There’s just something that irks me. All the things that bother me are found with this new film.
First and foremost, this will dip into spoiler territory so back-away now if you don’t want to know any major plot points from ‘Captain America: Civil War‘.
One of my major gripes since the first ‘Iron-Man‘ was Marvel does not supply a good enough villain for any of their movies. With the exception of Loki, each villain is handled like a complete joke with no serious power. While Tony Stark may have seemed like an antagonist, the real threat was still supposed to be Baron Helmut Zemo. Let’s not even get started with Crossbones being killed off before the first act was finished. Even if Crossbones never kills Captain like he does in the comics, at least having his character alive would have kept that threat out it there for me. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that no one dies in this movie expect geriatric Peggy Carter & wasted villain Brock “Crossbones” Rumlow?
This leads into another one of my major problems with MCU films. There is no reason to ever take the movies seriously. To me, there is no weight to the films. I can’t care about a film when I know that no serious moves will be made. By the end of ‘Civil War‘, no one of importance is killed off for me to be worried about the next villain. Comics are known for killing off and bringing back characters at the drop of a hat. If you would have even killed off a character like Falcon or War Machine to bring them back in a later movie, I would at least know all bets are off. But alas, that moment in the trailer where you think War Machine is dead in Tony’s arms only ends up him being paralyzed…until he’s walking again before the credits roll.
You know what else was there? That signature Marvel Studios comedy I hate.
What really takes me out of a bad-ass fight scene is the need to pause for a joke every couple of minutes. It worked for ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer‘ and ‘Spider-Man: The Animated Series‘ but it really distracts me here. While I don’t like their inorganic humor, there was some legit funny scenes. The first scene between Tony Stark & Peter Parker shows how amazing Tom Holland will be when he gets to lead his solo ‘Spider-Man‘ movie. Also, there is a moment in the massive airport fight scene that Hawkeye comes face-to-face with Black Panther. Hawkeye goes to introduce himself & Black Panther hysterically brushes him off with a casual “I don’t care”.
Now that I’ve mentioned him, let me talk about my favorite part of ‘Captain America: Civil War‘. T’Challa a.k.a Black Panther! The King of Wakanda is treated with such grace that I applaud The Russo Bros. for taking their time to introduce this character as amazingly as they did. While fans would have loved to see more background about his powers, I think they explained enough about his suit to hold me over until his 2018 solo film. The amount of ass-kicking he does in this film is ridiculous. I feared the fan-favorite Spidey would overshadow T’Challa but they allowed him to play a major role without taking away from the main stars.
Another issue I had was two of the most logical & intelligent men in all of Marvel history throwing out logic when it really mattered. First being Steve Rogers throwing all caution to the wind when it comes to saving his boyfriend Bucky “Winter Solider” Barnes. He even admits when he hears the man’s name, he freezes up. Captain literally caused a war between two factions because he wants a piece of his old life.
Another logical man thinking with his heart over his brain was Tony Stark. Like the true egoistical brat he is, even when the “evil genius” Baron Zemo lays all his cards on the table…Stark still attacks Bucky for killing his parents. He knows Zemo set this up for him to turn against Cap & Bucky, he knows that Bucky was a brain-washed frozen caveman for Hyrda, he knows that this won’t solve anything but he still continues to fight. Even when his A.I. tells him that he can’t do this, he doesn’t listen. I’ve always wanted Tony to show more heart in these films but not something this weak. I don’t like the character but he’s better than this.
Look, I knew I wasn’t going to love ‘Civil War‘ but at least I didn’t hate it as much as I originally thought. The Russo Brothers obviously have made Captain America cool and they juggled nearly 13 superheroes pretty well but that wasn’t enough to shake this from being just another Marvel movie.
By now, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has firmly figured out its brand. They’ve got it down to a science.
It’s a lot of punching, a great deal of CG spectacle and property damage, an onslaught of verbal jabs and quips, some flying, more punching, a little bit of character introducing here-and-there, some world building from a dashing and/or bland super villain determined to take the world by storm … and did I mention punching? Definitely lots and lots of punching. Face punching. Stomach punching. You name it. Perhaps a kick for good measure. You know, the works. Personally, it’s become a little formulaic for my tastes. I don’t know, this all feels a little old hat at this point. I’ve grown weary of the episodic storytelling and by-the-numbers plotting.
But I’ll admit when someone does a good job.
With their 13th feature film, Captain America: Civil War, producer Kevin Feige and returning directors Anthony and Joe Russo (Captain America: The Winter Solider) have finally cracked the code. Their ongoing, overextended cinematic universe found a way to make their long form ambitions produce philosophically-pleasing, consequence-driven results — all done with fluidity, efficiency, heavy-action and consistent entertainment value.
Much like Joss Whedon’s first Avengers film, it’s not without a bloated narrative or some bagginess along the way. But it accomplishes exactly what it needs to achieve and, at its best, the results are simply astounding. It’s among the most well-oiled, carefully-produced and smooth-running blockbusters the Disney-owned studio has made to date, and it could prove to be a real turning point for their ongoing success. Forget about the tedious mediocrity of Age of Ultron, or the predictably average Ant-Man: Marvel has produced one of their strongest films to date, and it’s proof that they’re here to stay. And if not, they’re not going down without a fight. That’s for certain.
The Russo brothers know exactly what the fans crave and give them the most bang for their buck. There’s not a single second wasted in Civil War, for the better and for the worse. And though it’s an exhausting, overlong two-and-a-half-hour TV episode brought to the big screen, it’s a good one at that. There’s a lot of food on the plate here, but these guys know how to space themselves out, eat in all the right proportions and still fight room for seconds. It’s kinda a miracle this film works at all, and while time will tell if the next Avengers film(s) will make up for the sins of the second film, it’s in the right hands with these two directors.
Everyone gets a hardy meal here, and then some. And then some. And then some. And then some. And there’s plenty of leftovers for everyone to share. Even if you come with a full stomach, Civil War finds a way to continuously wet your appetite. And that’s a pretty remarkable feat. So let’s dig in, shall we?
If you fallen behind on the last couple MCU movies, it would be wise to catch up before you make your way to the nearest theater this weekend. Civil War fully expects you to be fully up to speed, and there’s no time for newcomers to catch up. You’re either on the train or off it at this point. There’s no time for backpedaling. The actions of the last few films, most especially Winter Solider and Age of Ultron, loom heavily here. The Avengers might save a lot of people, but they’re not heroes — at least, in the eyes of the world government. They believe these mismatched superheroes are perhaps just as big a threat to humanity’s safety as some of the foes they’ve taken down. And the United Nations, lead by Senator of State Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt), believe it’s time for them to step in as babysitters.
And as the haunting weight of the casualties they failed to prevent loom heavily over their heads, namely Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) believes they’re totally in their right. Loss is a side effect of war; it’s not their fault that some civilians died on their watch, at least as long as they were able to save many others in the process. To quote the immortal Spock himself, the needs of the many outweighs the needs of the few. They can’t be expected to save everyone. That’s an impossibility. To have them on a leash would only jeopardize things more.
But Tony has already made up his mind, and so have James Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle), Vision (Paul Bettany) and even Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). They don’t think they’re admitting defeat; if anything, they’re learning to become stronger, to make sure they’re not abusing their powers. Literally. But Cap’s not convinced. But these are not the only issues Rogers must deal with at the moment.
Just as things begin to get heated at home, a familiar face from Cap’s past returns with a vengeance: The Winter Solider, a.k.a. his old BFF Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). Manipulated by shady forces after decades of brainwashing, Bucky has unwillingly become a full-force killing machine — one that’ll stop at nothing, but death, to do what he’s told. And as he continues to create chaos everywhere, Steve can’t stop the trained killer’s destruction because he knows his buddy is still trapped inside. Bucky can’t be the man behind these attacks, but only Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) seems to be on his side at this point. And that’s not helping Cap win many of his friends back.
With the world’s balance once again left on a balance, tension continue to mount between our superhero allies. And in the process of preserving what they feel is right and true, they’ll each need to call upon some new faces —namely a particular Wakanda prince and a certain friendly neighborhood web slinger — to help settle their differences once-and-for-all. More punches ensue.
There’s a lot of story here, as per usual, and a lot of wheels being spun into motion. It’s a lot for the Russo brothers to juggle. They essentially have 10-15 major characters at the center here, and it’s important to note that two of them, Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland), are only now being introduced in their current iterations. That’s a lot of meat to put on one sandwich. And yet, their direction finds a way to keep everything moving steadily and surely, with hardly a step missed. They have some difficultly balancing the tonal shifts between lighthearted comedy with grim seriousness at times (I’m going to be the instigator and admit that I thought they handled the consistency of tone better in Batman v Superman), but unlike Whedon in last year’s Age of Ultron, they never let their guard down.
Civil War is an astoundingly well-guided mega-blockbuster in practically every sense. And though it’s a little too calculated for my tastes, it’s shocking that Marvel pulled something this gigantic off at all. Not to mention from the two guys who, just ten years prior, were the filmmakers behindYou Me and Dupree. What a difference time can make. Their direction here is arguably the strongest and most confident the studio has had to date, at least since Jon Faverau. Even with all the plates spinning around them, the Russos always find a way to keep the story focused, the action consistent, the storylines manageable and the laughs consistent. And most impressive of all, screenwriters Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely figure out how to give at least 74 percent of the cast their time to shine.
Downey Jr. gives arguably one of his best Tony Stark performances to date here —letting us see his angrier, more vengeful side, while never having to sacrifice his sense of humor and humility. His versatility and dramatic range is constantly on display and always impeccable, and it makes you wonder where this side of the character has been in, you know, Iron Man 3 and Age of Ultron. But he’s not the only bright spot, of course.
Let’s just get this out of the way: Spider-Man steals the show. Period. End of Sentence. No question. Lock the gates. Holland is an absolute natural as the boy in red and blue. Even the screenplay falls back a little too much on his jokiness, he always finds a way to make his nerdiness appealing, his quirky sense of humor seem natural and his naivety appear charming and relatable. Much like Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) later in the film, Peter Parker plays a wonderful surrogate for the audience’s eagerness, excitement and “oh shit” enthusiasm as the fighting commences between our main heroes. He accomplishes a firm understanding of the character as if he’s played it his whole life, and he works the snappiness, quick-wittedness and talkiness fit like a glove, and in ways some of the other Spider-Man films hadn’t quite cracked themselves.
What I’m ultimately trying to say is, I’m very, very, very, very excited to see where they take him with Spider-Man: Homecoming next year. We may truly be in for something…..spectacular. I know, I know. Let’s move on, shall we?
Behind Spidey, Vision is possibly the best inclusion of the bunch, and easily the second funniest character in this sequel as he works his dry, mechanical viewpoint to his advantage. He’s often the most fascinating character, and perhaps the most well-written. He’s an ace in the cannon, and I hope they don’t waste him in the future. Additionally, Black Panther is expectedly awesome, and I also expect only good things to come from him in his standalone feature. And as mentioned earlier, Ant-Man works much better as a comical supporting character than as a lead, much like the missing-this-time-around Hulk, but perhaps he would have done wonders under Edgar Wright’s watch. Meanwhile Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) is much more endearing here than he’s been in a good while. It looks as though Marvel is finally figuring him out too.
But not everyone gets as many moments to shine. Like, oddly enough, Captain America himself. Evans’ character seems a little too stiff this time, as he’s often overshadowed in his own movie. And Elisabeth Olsen, as Scarlet Witch, tries her best but comes out optimized by her fluctuating accent and limited availability. Daniel Bruhl, meanwhile, ends up just another fairly weak villain in MCU’s cannon, and Emily VanCamp is little more than a forgettable love interest character for our titular superhero.
Hurt is fairly underutilized here as well, but don’t even get me started on how much they waste Martin Freeman. I don’t want to get too deep into his role here, but seriously? You have one of the most charismatic actors in the world and you give him what, a few lines of exposition in one-or-two scenes?! For shame, Marvel. For shame. Don’t you ever waste Freeman. He’s a precious resource. Use him wisely next time.
Overall, Civil War is a pretty demanding, longwinded movie, but it leaves a lot to talk about — as made evident by this equally longwinded review. There are more than a few talking points I don’t want to spoil or discuss quite yet, and there’s just some things that are best left experienced by the viewer. Like an epic, 20-minute airport battle halfway through, one that’s quite possibly the best action scene the MCU has produced to date. It’s a beautifully intercut, endlessly watchable and shockingly easy-to-follow brawl that, unfortunately, gives us our happy ending way too early in the game. It makes the next 45 or so minutes a bit of a drag in comparison, but they nevertheless find enough twists-and-turns to make it all worthwhile.
So while it’s certainly not flawless (though what superhero movie is?), Civil War is perhaps the most breezy, confident and well-organized film the franchise has offered yet. It’s a massively appealing, well-made lark that should please fans fitfully, while still giving everyone else enough to warrant the big screen experience. Though it’s hard not to leave this a little winded and in need of a big, long nap. It might be a fight to the finish, but it’s a darn good one. It might work better as a continuation than as an individual entity. But if something works, it works. I can’t deny good results, and Civil War is a fight worth celebrating. Just make sure you come locked and loaded.
If you haven’t seen the ABC promo for tonight’s episode or a trailer for Captain America: Civil War yet, beware spoilers!
Marvel has a spotty record when it comes to linking up its big-screen and small-screen endeavours. Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD does OK at picking up the pieces after each MCU film is released, especially in its follow-up to Thor: The Dark World, “The Well.” Its lead-ins to both Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron, though, left a lot to be desired. In fact, it almost seemed like the writers of Captain America: The Winter Soldier didn’t realize that Agents of SHIELD existed, based on SHIELD’s near eradication in that film–two (out of three?) helicarriers were destroyed and the majority membership of SHIELD was revealed to be HYDRA.
Tonight’s episode of Agents of SHIELD will likely attempt to amp viewers up for the much-anticipated release of Marvel’s newest cinematic venture, Captain America: Civil War, which will be released this Friday, May 6th. Based on the ABC promo we’ve seen for tonight’s episode and the focus of Season Three’s plot, though, it looks like viewers may actually see a tie-in that doesn’t disappoint. Don’t take my word for it, though. Let’s go over how Season Three of Agents of SHIELD developed what I call the Agents of SHIELD civil war …
Agents of SHIELD Civil War – The Recap
Although no brother has raised arms against his brother in Season Three of Agents of SHIELD, viewers have seen a foster daughter turn against her de facto father (Daisy betraying Coulson for Hive). We’ve also watched as Season Three touched on the predictable debate over seeking a cure for one’s super-powers, causing some serious tension between Daisy and Lincoln. Granted, Daisy’s betrayal of Coulson and the rest of her adopted SHIELD family is the result of Hive’s brainwashing so, unlike Tony Stark and Steve Rogers–the leaders of Team Iron Man and Team Cap respectively–, Daisy’s motives aren’t all her own. All the same, it’s easy to see how the rifts between SHIELD agents parallel what is likely to be the general plot of Captain America: Civil War: times they are a-changin’ and those who don’t pick sides are likely to get left behind.
Beyond turning friends and families against each other, though, the Agents of SHIELD civil war shows itself in Season Three’s focus on the potentially negative consequences of sharing the Earth with super-powered folk. Viewers already saw some of the murder and mayhem that Hive and his minions are capable of, but if we’re to believe the promo for tonight’s episode then we’ll also witness the consequences of a visit from the Inhumans‘ creators, the Kree. I don’t personally think that the Kree will figure at all in Captain America: Civil War but I do think the destruction caused by the Kree in tonight’s episode will act as Agents of SHIELD’s contribution to the registration debate central to the plot of Captain America: Civil War … at least I hope it will.
Either way though, I’ll go over whatever alien-induced destruction Agents of SHIELD throws at me and let the rest of you True Believers know what I thought of both tonight’s episode, “Failed Experiments,” and how it worked as a lead-in to Captain America: Civil War, so accept no substitutes: this is Not Brand Echh!
Whose side will Coulson be on? Duh …Tony must’ve designed this himself
If you’re like me, then you’ve been wondering where Jack Huston is and why he isn’t a bigger star yet after absolutely dominating Boardwalk Empire (he is in the Ben-Hur remake, but that looks ridiculous).
Huston will join Emilia Clarke in Phillip Noyce’s Above Suspicion, and maybe it will be his big break. Either way, the premise sounds fascinating.
Based on the Joe Sharkey book of the same name, Above Suspicion is the sordid true story about an FBI agent in over his head. Here’s the synopsis from the report in The Wrap:
ABOVE SUSPICION, is the chilling true story of a newly married FBI poster-boy assigned to an Appalachian mountain town in Kentucky. There he is drawn into an illicit affair with an impoverished local woman who becomes his star informant. She sees in him her means of escape; instead, it’s a ticket to disaster for both of them. This scandal shook the foundations of the nation’s top law enforcement agency, ending in the first ever conviction of an FBI agent for murder.
This sounds very “adult thriller,” a genre that seems to be dying a slow death in Hollywood. And Noyce is an excellent action/thriller filmmaker; Dead Calm and Patriot Games are his best. The Bone Collector? Eh, let’s move on.
Vice continues to spread its reach in the television world, and now they’re teaming up with ESPN to create new series for the TV sports giant.
Also included in the deal is 30 for 30, which will now have a regular place over on Vice’s new channel, Viceland. Clearly, these new shows will be cut from the same cloth as 30 for 30, but with way more beards and horn-rimmed glasses.
The 30 for 30 series is the best thing ESPN has to offer these days; the Bill Simmons brainchild is fascinating no matter how interested you may be in the subject matter. The Vice microscope could lean more towards an investigative look on current issues affecting the sports landscape. We shall see.
Sometimes a comic doesn’t have to be a roller coaster thrill ride for it to entertaining to the reader. Sometimes it just has to be enjoyable enough to keep your audience happy with the purchase they have made. This issue manages to meet this objective. Being entertaining with the material it presents.
As always, this comic features two characters from the series being paired up for a one shot adventure. The pairing for this issue is Princess Luna and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. When Celestia has business elsewhere it’s up to Luna to take over control of a slumber party so it doesn’t get off track. Unfortunately, Luna doesn’t exactly know what the kids are into these days so she has to rely on the trio of Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo to help her keep the party on track. Simple premise but luckily the issue is filled with comedy to keep the reader entertained. Before turning the first page, writer Jeremy Whitley has dropped a joke which will have many laughing hysterically.
The art by Jay Fosgitt adds to the humor of the issue. The characters are drawn with large eyes and over the top reactionary aspects which help to sell the humor by drawings alone. Just like in previous issues of My Little Pony, Fosgitt’s art is perfect for delivering a more slapstick atmosphere when the story tries to focus more on comedy.
The only real problem is the sudden appearance of a monster which really shows up out of nowhere with little introduction and is fixed with just as little difficulty. It appears just to tie up the story’s problem in two pages. A little more lead up would have been nice but still it doesn’t detract from the overall entertainment of the issue.
This is what the series should be about. A simple story which came from the result of a group being paired together which doesn’t get as many adventures as they would in the show or the main comic. Fans will enjoy reading this book for the humor and will resonate with fans of Princess Luna or the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon released a new trailer for ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows.’ The trailer doesn’t explain much but it is action-packed and Michelangelo eat some pizza.
Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo, and Raphael return to theaters this summer to battle bigger, badder villains, alongside April O’Neil (Megan Fox), Vern Fenwick (Will Arnett), and a newcomer: the hockey-masked vigilante Casey Jones (Stephen Amell). After supervillain Shredder escapes custody, he joins forces with mad scientist Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry) and two dimwitted henchmen, Bebop (Gary Anthony Williams) and Rocksteady (WWE Superstar Stephen “Sheamus” Farrelly), to unleash a diabolical plan to take over the world. As the Turtles prepare to take on Shredder and his new crew, they find themselves facing an even greater evil with similar intentions: the notorious Krang.
‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows’ hit theaters on June 3.
Professional wrestlers have been stepping out of the squared circle and into the bright lights of Hollywood for ages. Most have been pretty bad (looking at you Triple H), but others have been pretty decent and some even iconic.
The Rock has become one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. While others, like John Cena, are popping up more and more on the big screen all the time.
So how does The Rock compare to other wrestlers turned actors. Here’s my take at the top 5 movie roles play be professional wrestlers.
Thunderlips “The Ultimate Male” versus Rocky Balboa “The Ultimate Meatball”… er.. “Italian Stallion” in Rocky 3. The match was set up for charity only no one seems to have told that to Thunderlips. The wrestler is out to prove professional wrestling isn’t fake by taking out the boxing champ.
Hogan basically played a trumped-up, hyper-violent version of Jesse “The Body” Ventura in his movie debut. The match ended in a draw, but the real winner was Hogan. His performance drew the attention of Hollywood and he has gone on to start in a number of movies and even his own TV series.
Despite only 5 minutes of screen time, Hogan’s performance has helped pave the way for other wrestlers to transition to film and that’s why “Thunderlips” cracks the top 5.
4. Jerry Lawler (Man on the Moon)- Jerry Lawler
A lot of actors have played themselves over the years with mixed results, (Arnold Schwarzenegger in Last Action Hero: Bad. Neil Patrick Harris in Harold & Kamar Go to White Castle: Good) but very few are asked to play themselves to depict something that happened in their past. In Man on the Moon Jerry “The King” Lawler was asked to play himself… 17 years earlier.
Jim Carrey stars as comedian Andy Kaufman who had an infamous feud with Lawler that spilled from the ring to the set of Late Night with David Letterman. In this case, Lawler is reenacting much of that feud including that now famous scene on the Letterman set.
Go back and compare the two scenes and you’ll see just how good Lawler is at being the exact same guy. If nothing else, Lawler aged really well between 1982 and 1999 that’s why he gets the 4 spot.
3. Hobbs (Fast & Furious Franchise)- The Rock
The Rock at 3?!?!
One on hand the Rock has been in by far the best movies in which a wrestler has EVER appeared. On the other hand, none of his roles have been particularly iconic. While I considered his role in San Andreas, it’s Hobbs from The Fast and Furious that truly rises above the rest.
What I love about this particular role is that in each movie it makes less and less sense and it bothers me in now way. These movies are what every summer popcorn blockbuster aspires to be: larger than life action that requires little to no thinking. The Rock fits perfectly as a larger than life super cop who can fall out of a building, land on a car and a week or two later pull a giant machine gun off a crashed helicopter and use it to take down another chopper. No big deal.
Putting The Rock on this list is a little unfair since he really isn’t a wrestler who acts, he’s a movie star who occasionally wrestles. But you know what? That’s just fine with me as long as he keeps cranking out the blockbusters like these.
2. Drax (Guardians of the Galaxy)- Dave Bautista
When you’re surrounded by a giant talking tree, a small but super smart talking Raccoon and one of the biggest actors on the planet you might think the wrestler turned actor could get lost in the shuffle. But as it turns out, Dave Bautista’s turn as the ultra-literal member of the Guardians of the Galaxy often stole the show.
Bautista is great here delivering some of the best lines in the entire movie, “nothing goes over my head. My reflexes are too fast, I would catch it.” All while playing an alien hell-bent on avenging the murder of his family. Bautista was so good, he’s following The Rock’s path in transitioning from full-time wrestler to full-time actor.
This wasn’t Bautista’s first movie, but it certainly was and is his biggest. Since his Guardians appearance, Bautista played a villain in Spectre and he’s lined up to play a role in the sequel to Bladerunner. Not bad for a guy once giving a manager because he lacked mic skills.
1. Fezzik (The Princess Bride)- Andre the Giant
If we’re talking about iconic roles played by wrestlers, none is larger (literally) than Fezzik in The Princess Bride. This was the role Andre the Giant was born to play.
Fezzik is part of the gang along with swordsman Inigo Montoya and leader and self-proclaimed genius Vizzini. Vizzini treats Fezzik as if he’s just a big, dumb oaf. Turns out Fezzik is smarter than he gets credit for, and has a heart of gold. Perhaps the key Andre’s performance is that it is so close to how people described him in real life.
The other thing that makes Andre’s performance so amazing, is when you learn about all the pain he was in. He had back surgery just before the movie and was in such a bad way he couldn’t even carry Carey Elwes. Those scenes above were shot using ramps to make it appear he was on Andre’s back.
The Princess Bride was not a smash hit in theaters, but became a cult classic and nearly 30 years later is still a highly quotable movie. To have anyone other than Andre as Fezzik at the top of this list would be… wait for it… inconceivable!
Radiohead has been acting strange lately online; well, stranger than they normally do. After seeming to disappear from the Internets yesterday, they have returned with a video for their new song “Burn the Witch.” And the video is set to a stop-motion animated remake of The Wicker Man. Because, of course.
Here’s the video:
I do enjoy the fact Radiohead has returned to at least some form of melodic flow. It may be simple, but “Burn the Witch” does have more structure than anything they released on King of Limbs.
Cinemax announced the June 3 premiere date for Robert Kirkman’s ‘Outcast’ Monday.
Kyle Barnes has been plagued by demonic possession all his life. Now, with the help of the Reverend Anderson, a preacher who has personal demons of his own, the young man embarks on a journey to find answers and regain the normal life he lost. But what Kyle discovers could change his fate — and the fate of the world — forever.
The show is based on the comic book by Robert Kirkman and artist Paul Azaceta. The series will be ten episodes and has been picked up for a second season. The showrunner for ‘Outcast’ is Chris Black.
Patrick Fugit stars as Barnes, a man searching for answers, and redemption, who sequesters himself from those he loves for fear of causing greater hurt.
Philip Glenister stars as Reverend Anderson, a West Virginia evangelist who believes he is a soldier in God’s holy war against the forces of evil on Earth. An inveterate drinker and gambler, he doesn’t believe God intends people to sweat the small stuff.
Gabriel Bateman stars as Joshua Austin, an eight-year-old who lives across town from Kyle. To his family’s dismay, he appears to be in the clutches of demonic possession, but there’s something very different about this possession and its connection to Kyle Barnes.
