Alicia Vikander is the next Lara Croft; the actress has signed on to star in Tomb Raider for MGM, Warner Bros, and GK Films, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The plot of the film is Croft’s first adventure, young and untested fighting to survive.
Roar Uthaug will direct the reboot; no release date has been announced.
Vikander won an Oscar for ‘The Danish Girl’ and will co-star in ‘Jason Bourne’ this summer.
We all love Tom Hanks. All of us. And what’s not to love about one of Hollywood’s greatest, most genuine ambassadors? The stories of Hanks just being a great dude are endless, and the trustworthiness he exudes in his life permeates his screen performances. It’s part of what makes him great. From the charming comedic brilliance of his late 80s career, to his 90s Oscar domination, to where we find him now as a reliably wonderful actor, Tom Hanks’ persona has built an unprecedented level of trust and admiration from audiences. We see Hanks in a film, we accept his role, and we watch him dominate.
Hanks’ 10 greatest performances not only highlight his ability to give us all the feels, they also show his sneaky range. He can make us laugh and cry from see to scene, he can hypnotize us, and he can redefine more than once what it means to be a movie star. Here we go…
CLOSE CALLS: As Carl Hanratty, the tight-assed agent chasing DiCaprio in Catch Me If You Can, as Woody in Toy Story, arguably the most identifiable role in Hanks’ career, and as Paul Edgecomb, the guard in The Green Mile, a mediocre movie that undoes his solid work.
10) James Donovan, Bridge of Spies – It may climb this list over the next few years, as Bridge of Spies appreciates. James Donovan is the embodiment of what we have defined Tom Hanks as over the years, a wholesome and honest family man who uses his decency to navigate a tricky situation: the transfer of prisoners between the American and Russian governments. Bridge of Spies may be “Minor Spielberg,” whatever that possibly mean, but Hanks’ performance is much more layered, and he tells the tale with his eyes just as much as his words.
9) Forrest Gump, Forrest Gump – This is a tricky entry. Forrest Gump has, over the last twenty plus years, run the gamut of Hollywood crowd-pleasing greatness and overcooked, overrated melodrama. I tend to lean towards the latter more these days, but that’s just my 2016 cynicism leaking in. Forrest Gump is an infinitely entertaining film, despite its on-the-nose narrative and troublesome definition of Jenny’s character. And despite its heavy-handed saccharine tone, Hanks absolutely embodies an original film character like very few people have done.
8) Joe, Joe Versus the Volcano – Yet another marginalized comedy starring Tom Hanks, Joe Versus the Volcano also plays up the everyman complacency of Hanks’ character. However, unlike The Burbs’, Joe Versus the Volcano deconstructs a State of Mind. Joe is a beaten company man who discovers he has a brain cloud, and only when he realizes his life may be ending does he allow himself to break free of his downtrodden existence, and his weird adventure begins. This is all told through some brilliant work by Hanks, a spot on late 80s satire.
7) Michael Sullivan, Road to Perdition – Remember Road to Perdition? Where has it been these days, where films of the late 90s and early 2000s are beginning to appreciate? Sam Mendes’ follow up to American Beauty is no less subtle, but its undoubtedly one of the more beautiful films of the 21st century. And it has Tom Hanks playing something different: a killer. Hanks is not a bad family man, but that doesn’t make him a good one. He is a hired gun for his surrogate father, John Rooney (Paul Newman), but when his wife and young son are murdered and his only surviving son endangered, he learns how to become a real father.
6) Jim Lovell, Apollo 13 – Ron Howard’s impressively accurate portrayal of the doomed Apollo 13 mission to the moon has a great performance from Hanks, playing astronaut Jim Lovell. But while it is Hanks in the central role, Apollo 13 succeeds even more in its phenomenal ensemble. Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, and Kathleen Quinlan all have wonderful moments init he film, and Lovell appropriately feels like a dog in a wheel that’s spinning out of control.
5) Josh Baskin, Big – Big was a turning point in Hanks’ career. It was a bridge between his straight comedy roles like The Burbs’, Joe Versus the Volcano, and The Money Pit (which is damn funny), and the heights of his career in the 90s. He is Josh Baskin, a 13-year old kid who gets his wish one night, and becomes an adult. Big is the pinnacle of the body switch comedy because of its heart. Serious questions about the pros and cons of childhood and adulthood are addressed, and every time I see Hanks in this one it means something different to me. Because I’m getting older, just like Josh wanted.
4) Chuck Noland, Cast Away – Hanks’ physical transformation is probably what Cast Away is known for more than anything. And while his change from normal looking dude to emaciated, bearded islander is astonishing when you consider the work involved. Cast Away also hits some wonderful thematic notes, about what matters when we have nothing. It’s the most balanced work of Robert Zemeckis’s career, and just a complete performance from Hanks. Who else could make you cry over a volleyball? Not many.
3) Richard Phillips, Captain Phillips – Throughout Paul Greengrass’s thriller Captain Phillips, Tom Hanks’ Richard Phillips is a stoic leader, a worthy captain and a hero to the men on his ship, under siege by Somali pirates. Phillips continually sacrifices his own safety for his men, and it winds with him in a pod on the ocean with the three trigger-happy pirates. Everything is utilitarian in the first 90% of the film. And that’s what makes Hanks’ release in the end, when he sits blood spattered and being examined, so powerful. It’s easily one of the finest few minutes in Hanks’ career, a sorrowful, haunting cry of relief.
2) Captain Miller, Saving Private Ryan – At the center of Steven Spielberg’s sprawling war masterpiece, which manages to expertly handle grand scale and intimate narrative, is Hanks’ Captainn Miller, a purposefully enigmatic platoon leader working dutifully to complete the task given to him. All the while, he must manage his team, growing more resentful with every confrontation as they risk their lives for one man. Hanks plays Miller with a bottled-up intensity that doubles as desperation when he dangerously remembers the life he had back home. It is a heartbreaking, pitch-perfect performance at the center of such madness and bloodshed.
1. Andrew Beckett, Philadelphia – At the center of the AIDS epidemic in America, rose Philadelphia, Jonathan Demme’s social-message movie about a gay man, Hanks’ Andrew Beckett, wrongly terminated for having AIDS. It was an important film at the time, and in many ways has become a relic of a bygone generation. And that is a promising turn of events. Melodrama be damned, Hanks shines, announcing his presence as an actor to be recognized beyond comedy.
Toy Story
Mads Mikkelsen was on SkyOne Thursday morning and the actor may have revealed a little too much about ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.’ Like who his character is in the film!
Spoilers after the jump.
Mikkelsen let the beans slip when he was asked how he felt when he was approached about the project.
“A little scared, I wasn’t sure whether I was wearing a Stormtrooper outfit or anything like that. I wasn’t sure I could fit into that, at that point. I read the script, it was very beautiful. Felicity playing this lovely, strong woman. I play her… father. That’s too much, I’m sorry,” said Mikkelsen.
What does this mean?! Is Jyn Erso’s father a hero or a villain? More details to come.
Watch the complete interview below.
“Rogue One takes place before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope and will be a departure from the saga films but have elements that are familiar to the Star Wars universe. It goes into new territory, exploring the galactic struggle from a ground-war perspective while maintaining that essential Star Wars feel that fans have come to know. Gareth is such an innovative director, and I’m so excited to be working with him, and the extraordinary ensemble cast he’s selected for ‘Rogue One,” said Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm President.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is directed by Gareth Edwards, and stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen (IP Man), Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen of Hannibal fame, Alan Tudyk (as a motion capture character), and Riz Ahmed.
The film is a prequel to the original 1977 Star Wars, dealing with rebel efforts to convey Death Star blueprints to Leia Organa. The screenplay is by Chris Weitz, and the film is due in theaters on December 16.
Though X-Men: Apocalypse has not been released in theaters, news has come out that Tye Sheridan, the actor playing the role of a young Scott Summer, aka Cyclops, has signed on to play the role for two more films. This is almost entirely on speculation that the film will have the same critical and commercial success as its two recent X-Men predecessors, First Class and Days of Future Past.
One concern surrounding the depiction of Cyclops in this film is how much of a role he will play in his development as a leader to the group of mutant heroes. In the previous trilogy, Scott Summer’s role was diminished greatly to being a romantic foil to Wolverine, much to the fans’ disapproval. This is a stark contrast to his role in the comics where he is among the premier leaders of the mutant heroes and key figures, second only to Prof. Charles Xavier.
Given photos of Tye Sheridan’s costume, particularly his visor/sunglasses did little to arrest this fear. Which might have been why photos of cast members in costumes highly reminiscent to the Jim Lee designs were released presently to the film’s release. Few would have also raised an eyebrow given Sheridan’s revelation that he had never seen the film prior to Days of Future Past. However, in all fairness, there have been many actors who have proven themselves worthy of similar roles by going in without prior knowledge.
When this becomes their regular uniform and if this will become a permanent element of the series will be seen in this feature and subsequent sequels. Furthermore, how Cyclops will grow as a character will also prove to be either a redemption or condemnation to Fox’s treatment of the famous mutant.
Given the recent successes of the previous X-Men films and the massively successful Deadpool movie, signs appear to show the studio’s sincerity to presenting these characters in a way respecting the original source material. Many seem to see this upcoming adventure for the mutant team as either the make or break to ensure a full salvation for the franchise.
Of course, it would be nice to see characters such as Juggernaut and Kid Omega return in faithful manner.
Somehow when I prayed at night for Wesley Snipes to make a big movie return, Vince McMahon heard my prayers. WWE Studios announced this morning that Snipes has signed a multi-film deal with the studio. Many see this as a major step-down from his blockbuster heyday but the production company has produced fun independent hits as of late like ‘Oculus‘ & ‘The Call‘.
After all the recent drama that Wesley Snipes has had, it’s just great to see him return to a genre that he loves. His first project with WWE Studios will be an action/horror film titled ‘Temple‘. Co-starring Anne Heche and former WWE Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, ‘Temple‘ is about a team of highly trained military professionals led by Snipes as they fight their way out of a locked down compound while dealing with supernatural forces.
“We are always looking for the ideal talent to extend our brand and Wesley is the right combination of action movie star and savvy producer,” WWE Studios president Michael Luisi said in a statement.
I personally think he will bring a lot to the projects and elevate their films. Are you looking forward to this collaboration between WWE Studios and the former ‘Blade‘ actor Wesley Snipes?
In addition to what is occurring in its current multi-title event, Avenger’s Standoff, Marvel is hinting at a return of a long missing member of their pantheon in recent years. There are currently three main contenders who might be making a big return to during this episode, though this is purely speculation as of now:
Richard Rider:
Rider was the first hero to hold the title of Nova as a member of the Nova Corps. This organization was Marvel’s equivalent to DC’s Green Lantern Corp, and the character quickly became a fan favorite. His last appearance came at the conclusion of The Thanos Imperative when he and Star Lord were trapped in the Cancerverse with Thanos.
Both Star-Lord and Thanos have returned to Marvel’s main canon, leaving Rider to await his own return. How his return fits into the overall story taking place is a little difficult to ascertain. Though it would be interesting to see him up the current Nova (Sam Alexander), who is looking for his father, who also happened to be a member of the Nova Corp.
Mar-Vell:
Mar-Vell was a Kree warrior who was also the first hero in the Marvel Universe called Captain Marvel, which led to an interesting lawsuit between Marvel and DC over their own Captain Marvel, now known as Shazam (who had been involved in an entirely different lawsuit between DC and Fawcett Comics). Mar-Vell lost his life to cancer he contracted during his exploits, his passing leaving a profound mark in the Marvel Universe.
If his return is the case during Avenger’s Standoff, there could be a conflict of interest between Mar-Vell and his former supporting hero, Carol Danvers, who is now the current Captain Marvel in their respective universe. It would be keen to see this hero return to a world that as more than moved on since his passing and how he tries to come to terms with this situation. Of course this would also go into territory frequented by Steve Rogers in many of his story arcs.
Genis-Vell:
The son of Mar-Vell and the third character to hold the Captain Marvel title. He was also a member of several groups, including The Thunderbolts, where he was trapped by Baron Zemo into an alternate dimension.
His return in the middle of a fire-fight headed by the baron would certain make the climactic fight a thrill to say the least. As he was using the moniker Photon during his last encounter with Zemo, there wouldn’t be a real problem with his return as there isn’t really a position his return might contest.
Of course, compared to his father and Rider, his doesn’t have the same public appeal, so his return might not have the same effect as would the other two if they made their return.
Regardless of who Marvel will bring back for the end of the Avenger’s Standoff arc, things will certainly be interesting as the dust settles from this critical moment in Marvel’s post-Secret War environment.
Blink 182 released a new single ‘Bored To Death’ from the band’s forthcoming album, California, Wednesday. The also release their tour schedule for 2016.
‘Bored To Death’ is Blink 182’s first single since Tom DeLonge left the band and Matt Skiba from Alkaline Trio joined Mark Hoppus, and drummer Travis Barker.
California is set for release July 1, the kicks off July 22 in Sandiego.
At this point in season 3 of The 100 I’m simply numb. In a season that has been plagued and marred with behind the scenes issues, actors leaving for greener pastures and a widened budget and scope, The 100 has stumbled into its final stretch. Excellent episodes like ‘Ye Who Enter Here’ and ‘Nevermore’ have become increasingly sporadic as the show must finally reconcile the mouthful it has chewed from the plot-corpse.
In what could have been another claustrophobic and taut horror-thriller like ‘Nevermore’, ‘Demons’ fails by trying to be overtly more horrific and widens its lens in order to encapsulate the power dynamic still quaking in Polis. If ‘Demons’ had focused solely on the crew at Arkadia dealing with an old enemy, it could have been a suspenseful entry that still would have to deal with feeling stale.
SPOILERS AND STUFF
We pick up the episode with Miller telling Harper and Bryan (who isn’t cool enough to even have a last name) a ghost story which ends as any other horror movie featuring kids telling ghost stories might. As it began I thought, “If this show actually kills off these three useless ‘leads’, then we might be going somewhere.” Lo and behold, The 100 isn’t that gutsy or sick and instead treats us to a tale of revenge devoid of all suspense.
Emerson, the lone survivor of Mt. Weather has finally come to exact his revenge on Clarke for her genocidal act. The structural pacing of this season’s characters and events can’t have been easy given the necessities the show had to take in certain exits but I’m sick of giving the show an out because of that reason. None of it makes any structural sense. Emerson is a character who should’ve died 10 episodes ago or three years from now. His return marks a point in the season where it’s clear the writers are just trying to wipe the slate clean with what they’ve laid thus far. And it’s a shame because Emerson truly does represent some interesting thematic territory. If only it had been handled with some grace and sense.
His plot, involving kidnapping everyone Clarke cares for and forcing her to watch them die is intriguing on a surface level, but completely devoid of drama or tension in execution. When Emerson chains up Bellamy, Octavia, Jasper, Monty, Miller, Harper and Bryan and leaves them to suffocate in the airlock as he places a chokehold on Clarke, I just wait until the moment she can break free and save them. This isn’t the show that kills off seven leads in one fell swoop; not at this point in the season and not in the way that it’s handled here. Even in the “surprise” deaths the show has deftly given us, those resonate thematically and can be seen as consistent with the arc of the season after the fact. Here, we have been through giving a damn about Emerson a full year ago and are just waiting for him to reach his inevitable end. If the episode had picked a different entry point, one not so focused on the “will they or won’t they die” aspect, there could’ve been a greater tension at hand.
It’s like the Marvel movies. It isn’t who lives and dies, it’s who has to sacrifice their values in order to achieve their goals.
I truly like most of the people who frequently inhabit the world of this show. Compromise their characters. Show me their weaknesses. Give me their strengths. Don’t pander to me because you want to play in a horror sandbox where you kill off the character who may as well have been asking for sweet release this entire season.
RIP Sinclair. Whatever.
Elsewhere, Murphy stumbles upon his former and true flame, Emori, in Polis and divulges all his nasty secrets to her. Surprise(!) when she comes out as having taken the A.L.I.E. pill and spills the beans to Ontari. It’s a shame we don’t know Ontari more because if we did, we might have gotten some tension from the moment when she’s on the take-the-pill-or-don’t-take-the-pill cliffhanger.
Of course she’s going to take the pill. Now A.L.I.E. sits on the throne of Polis with Jaha and Ontari at her side.
If I sound a little angry at the show it’s because deep down I know it’s capable of so much more. Just last week we were treated with an episode that knew how to manipulate its characters enough that it manipulated its audience. None of that nuance is present here which has, unfortunately, become the norm.
“Like demons do…” – Bryan
Check out my reviews of previous episodes of ‘The 100’ here:
That headline is only partially a joke. The guys at the UnPOP Podcast got their hands on Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room this past week and delve deep into its gruesome texture to wring it of all its hardcore deliciousness. The fact that we parallel Donald Trump to Patrick Stewart’s character is a wholly justifiable argument that you shouldn’t miss! It could also totally be the gritty Scooby Doo reboot you’ve been waiting your whole lives for.
Also on this week’s episode: Our ‘Desert Island Bands’, Monsterpalooza, what’s being served in The Rock’s Kitchen and more unforgettable impressions.
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Netflix announced Wednesday ‘Wet Hot American Summer – Ten Years Later,’ an eight-episode series debuting in 2017.
Make it your beeswax to be there! Finally, fans can see what happens to their favorite campers and counselors ten years after the original film in a new Netflix original series “Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later.”
The series will be written by Michael Showalter and David Wain and Wain will direct. Executive Producers for “Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later” are Michael Showalter, David Wain, Peter Principato, Jonathan Stern and Howard Bernstein.
Netflix released ‘Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp’ the prequel to the film in 2015.
