This article, Top 5 Deaths In The Star Wars Cinematic Universe will contain spoilers from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, do not continue if you don’t want the film spoiled.
With the exception of The Empire Strikes Back, there is a major death in every Star Wars film to date. With the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens we look at the top five deaths in the Star Wars Cinematic Universe. This list only takes in account what the audience witnessed in the seven films, and will not branch out into the books, comics, and or the Ewoks television specials.
Honorable mention to all the contract workers the were killed on the second Death Star during the Battle of Endor.
5. Darth Maul
This death falls under, “Are you kidding me!” Darth Maul is one the of the coolest villains in the Star Wars Universe and to only have him around for a short bit seems a little unjust. The prequels brought an entirely different style to the lightsaber duel, and Darth Maul had the wicked double bladed lightsaber. After Darth Maul killed Qui-Gon Jinn, it was only a matter of time before Obi-Wan Kenobi took him out.
Darth Maul was resurected by the Clone Wars animated series in 2012.
4. Count Dooku
The death of Count Dooku is important because this is where Anakin Skywalker crosses over to the Dark Side for good and becomes a pawn for Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious. In the first encounter with Dooku, Obi-Wan and Anakin got beat badly, with Anakin losing an arm. Yoda had to come in and save the day. In the rematch, the audience sees how powerful Anakin has become.
3. Darth Vader – Anakin Skywalker
The death of Darth Vader completes the trilogy of the original films. The fight between Luke and Vader in front of the Emperor is tense and emotional. There is real turmoil between the Light and the Dark Side as Luke defends his sister. Then Vader sacrifices himself to save his son. This act is the definition of redemption.
2. Han Solo
Han Solo’s death in The Force Awakens has to be the most emotional death in the Star Wars Universe. Fans finally get the return of Han, and he gets killed off by his kid.
Were you on the edge of your seat as Han walked towards Kylo Ren on the catwalk?
Never before has a scruffy looking nerf herder silenced a theater as Han’s lifeless body fell into the abyss. Fans would give anything to rewrite the ending of Star Wars: The Force Awakens to bring back their favorite smuggler.
1. Obi-Wan Kenobi
The death of Obi-Wan Kenobi at the hands of Darth Vader is one of the biggest mysteries of the Star Wars Universe and that is why it is ranked number one. As with the death of Yoda, Obi-Wan just vannishes into thin air. Did Vader kill him, or did Obi-Wan merge with the Force first?
There’s even a crazy Reddit thread that claims Obi-Wan killed himself to frame Vader, to turn Luke against his father.
The films never truly explain the Force ghost and how it works.
What do you think was the biggest death in the Star Wars Universe is?
Christopher Nolan is one of those directors, like Quentin Tarantino and Paul Thomas Anderson, who’s next project is probably just as anticipated as the one they just finished. If the news circulating is accurate, it appears Nolan is heading into some unfamiliar territory with his next project, an historical World War II film about Operation Dynamo, a rescue mission that was a “near-miraculous evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and other Allied troops from the French seaport of Dunkirk which took place from May-June in 1940.”
According to the report at The Playlist, Nolan is angling towards this as his next project, which already has a release date of July 21, 2017. And which he will almost certainly shoot in 70mm. That’s when you know you’re a big deal as a director, when your next project has a release date and nothing else substantial.
This is exciting news for me, as I imagine it is for any fans of Nolan who want to see him take a new direction with his larger-than-life filmmaking. I adore the ambition behind hid Batman films, the mind-bending curiosity of Interstellar and Inception, and his smaller works like Following, Memento and The Prestige (yeah, he did a remake of Insomnia too, shh). But for all his grandiosity and scope, Nolan has never been handcuffed by the real world. His stories are always in some realm of fiction, never grounded by anything the audience knows ahead of time – unless you count Tesla’s participation in The Prestige.
Taking on an actual historical event is decidedly different for a director who has made a distinct mark as a fantastical visual master. His ideas have always been in the forefront of his epic works. But now, the story has already been told for him.
It’s a new approach for Christopher Nolan, one I’m sure he will manage. His filmmaking style, broad and expansive, fits, the material. I can’t wait to see what he does with it.
Doctor Strange is currently filming and Entertainment Weekly has a first look at Benedict Cumberbatch in full costume. Cumberbatch also talked to the magazine about casting a few spells.
“I’m still in the infancy of learning all that. It was like, okay, I’ve got to keep throwing these poses, these spells, these rune-casting things, everything he does physically. I’m thinking, there’s going to be a huge amount of speculation and intrigue over the positioning of that finger as opposed to it being there, or there. And I’m still working on that. We haven’t played any of those scenes yet. I felt really self-conscious. But, then, by the end, it was great. It’s like anything, you just have to experiment,” said Cumberbatch.
Doctor Strange is directed by Scott Derrickson and stars Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, and Michael Stuhlbarg with Mads Mikkelsen and Tilda Swinton.
‘Doctor Strange’ follows the story of neurosurgeon Doctor Stephen Strange who, after a horrific car accident, discovers the hidden world of magic and alternate dimensions.
Doctor Strange will hit theaters on November 4, 2016.
What do you think of the costume, leave your comments below.
For the last decade or so, when it comes to shonen anime or manga, the so-called “Big Three” of Naruto, Bleach and One Piece have ruled supreme. However, in recent years they have found their territory encroached by Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan and Hiro Mashima’s Fairy Tail, both of which happen to be published by Kodansha Comics. Fairy Tail, in particular, with its group of pioneering wizards has tapped into the nakama fueled story-telling that once epitomized the shonen genre. More so than some other series, Fairy Tail managed to create an endearing cast of characters with a humor that often betrays a darker history. Each of our heroes has a troubling past that motivates them and many of the arcs are introspective in this regard. The Ice Wizard; Gray Fullbuster is one of the first characters to get this treatment with his relationship with his deceased master being central to his development. given his popularity, it was almost inevitable that he would be the subject of a spin-off.
Fairy Tail: Ice Trail is written and drawn by Yuuske Shirato and gives the reader an insight into Gray’s life before joining the titular Fairy Tail wizard guild. We meet Gray at a low-point in his life, his master; Ur, has recently sacrificed herself to save him and their village from a demon’s wraith. Gray travels the country hoping to improve his skills and fill the void his master’s death has left in him. The young wizard feels responsible for her death and this pervades throughout the volume. Indeed, there is a touch of PTSD to his experiences which demonstrate his fragility. The first chapter has the young wizard face off against a guild aimed at reviving a demon, but the demons that Gray faces aren’t external, but internal in nature. Gray is a character who tries to put on a cool facade, fitting of his powers, but at times like his ice, it melts and the grief of a child emerges. Despite this, like the hero of an action-drama from the 80s, he constantly tries to do what is right, even when the best thing he could do for himself is to walk on. It’s questionable whether at this stage of his life, the young Fullbuster is looking for a good death worthy of Ur’s memory, but it makes his attempt to sacrifice himself in the Galuna Island more poignant. Gray is alone in the world and looking for a place in it, as the specter of his master looms over him. This part of his life is a pivotal to his development and something long-time fans will appreciate. Ice Trail is shows us hints at the man he will become and the traits that make him suitable to be a Fairy Tail wizard.
The side-characters in this piece are nothing to write home about, a couple of Dark Guilds who serve as action fodder more than anything else. Fairy Tail has always been quite anthology-like when it comes to its side-characters. The introduction of new locations, guilds and characters has often been done as part of a process of world-building then it has anything else. Ice Trail‘s side-characters each serve their purpose in the story, but they won’t leave you longing for their unlikely return. It’s worth-noting, however, that Gildarts, a prominent Fairy Tail character, does make an appearance mid-way through the volume and acts as a mentor to Gray. Without going into spoiler territory, it is suffice to say that the character is as charming as ever, acting as the necessary big brother/father-figure to a troubled young wizard in need of guidance. Gray and Gildart’s play off each other well and its clear that as the story progresses they warm to each other, recognising the inner strength and morality of their companion. Fairy Tail tends to focus on the Gildarts-Natsu relationship, but Ice Trail highlights a hereto unseen connection between Gray and Gildarts which makes the young wizard respect for him more palpable.
The art like the main series itself is quite good. Shirato sticks pretty much to Fairy Tail house-style established by Mashima. As such, its quite clear that this is an artist emulating another’s work and there is very little that distinguishes it from its parent series. If Shirato has a distinctive style, its not apparent here. That isn’t to say that the art is bad in any way, quite the contrary. Indeed, emulation as evidenced by Toyotarō’s work on Dragon Ball Super, is not in itself problematic. There is a dynamism to Ice Trail‘s action scenes that few other series can capture. The use of the intense close-ups have always been a staple in shonen fiction and Shirato excels in this area. The eyes are the windows to the soul and the ability to convey subtle changes in emotion through them is the mark of a great artist. Character designs are often ridiculous and bizarre, but that is part of the series’ charm and always has been. Throughout the volume there are subtle visual callbacks to characters that we know and love from the core Fairy Tail title which assist in helping to establish this as part of the canon. Its the good kind of fan-service, one that speaks to the history of the series and respects its audience. It’s refreshingly not the kind that objectifies and demeans its female cast.
Fairy Tail: Ice Trail is an interesting look at the beginnings of one of the series’ most popular characters. It is rare the prequels capture the spirit of the original, but Ice Trail succeeds where others have failed. As an isolated work, I’m unsure how it stands up. It’s an origin story, but one which is heavily reliant on your knowledge of the character and the parent series to be most effective. It may serve as an interesting entry point for someone into the world of Fairy Tail, but it is clear that its intended audience are those already converted. Readers may be tempted to leave this spin-off out in the cold, but for those willing to invite it in, they will be pleasantly surprised.
Season 1 of Into The Badlands just wrapped up, and with a recent renewal, fans eagerly await the start of season two. Presenting solid characters, twists and turns, and some of the best martial arts and fight sequences seen on TV, Badlands is easily one of this season’s breakout successes and a surprise hit for AMC.
Compiled here are the best fight scenes in this season. Daniel Wu, who plays Sunny and also serves as executive producer on the show, features in these, but it is OK because he is quite awesome.
5. WALDO VS M.K. – Episode 3
Sunny is attempting to train M.K. and is fighting a stubborn teenager. Sunny takes M.K. to visit with Waldo, Sunny’s mentor and former Regent, who is in a wheelchair. Sunny tells M.K. if he can land a hit on Waldo, he will train him any way he wants. Waldo proceeds to teach M.K. a lesson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8InDPJLoxto
4. Sunny vs Nomads – Episode 1
Barely 10 minutes into the first episode, Sunny (Daniel Wu) comes across band of nomads who have hijacked something of value from his Baron. Not wanting to answer his questions, the nomads decide to take Sunny out. It does not go well for them.
3. The Widow – Episode 2
Another scene that takes place right at the start of the episode, The Widow (Emily Beecham) fends off an assassination attempt and shows that she is not to be trifled with.
2. Sunny walks into an ambush, Sunny walks out – Episode 2
Discovering that Quinns’ poppy is being stolen in transit by nomads, Sunny and Quinn’s son Ryder head to a warehouse to locate the thieves. Ryder is incapacitated and Sunny faces off with about 15 nomads. It doesn’t seem fair…for the nomads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OasG6HdZOY
1. Sunny vs. The Widow – Episode 5
Having captured Tilda, The Widow’s daughter, she has infiltrated The Fort to free her, Sunny stands in her way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qqwXFleU5M
In a 6 episode first season, Into The Badlands has raised the bar for action on television and the above list is the best of the best.
Agree? Disagree? Is there a fight scene that was left off that should be on the list? Let us know in the comments.
Into The Badlands has been renewed for a second season, no return date has been announced as of yet.
In keeping with the season of giving, Warner Bros. Pictures has released a second international Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justicespot. Fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. Directed by Zack Snyder and written by Chris Terrio from a screenplay by David S. Goyer, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice stars Henry Cavill in the role of Clark Kent/Superman and Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film also stars Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane are returning from Man of Steel, joined by Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Jeremy Irons as Alfred, and Holly Hunter in a role newly created for the film. Jason Momoa will also be making an appearance as Aquaman. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is set to open worldwide on March 25, 2016.
Over the Christmas holidays, we’ve all been counting down the days till we get our final gift from the other guy in a red suit and that day is finally here. Deadpool is actually set for a February release, but 20th Century Fox has been taking full advantage of the Christmas season with the 12 Days of Deadpool marketing campaign. The 12 Days of Deadpool is two weeks of themed treats culminating in a brand new full-length trailer for the movie.
Deadpool stars Ryan Reynolds in the title role as Wade Wilson, a man who undergoes some very unsafe experiments to try and save himself from the cancer that’s eating at his body.Wade emerges from the experiment in bad shape but on the bright side now his healing abilities have made him almost indestructible. He immediately adopts the superhero moniker Deadpool and sets out on a mission to beat up bad guys Ajax and Angel Dust. The second red band trailer has now landed, with lots of new action, comedy, and of course gratuitous butt and crotch shots of our hero. Check out the Trailer !
Based upon Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti-hero, Deadpool tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Wade Wilson hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life. Deadpool is directed by Tim Miller, starring Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano, Ed Skrein, and Brianna Hildebrand. Deadpool will be in theaters on February 12, 2016.
With the likes of Superman and Captain America taking over the screens next year, along with many other superheroes and comic characters, it could seem like there’s no space for smaller and/or non-franchise films. Fortunately, 2016 promises that it will have a little something for everyone. Although (many of) these movies may not have the promise of big bucks and sequels, or characters that we already know, they do have the hope of making 2016 a great year for film.
1. Hail Caesar! (February 5)
The Coens are back in this comedy romp that pays homage and parodies Hollywood’s Golden Age. With a great cast and a mixture of their Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy, O Brother Where Art Thou sensibilities, this has potential to be the first great film of 2016.
Terrence Malick has taken us from the birth of the Universe to the New World, and now he takes us to Hollywood in what promises to be a trippy and spiritual ride. Love him or hate him, there’s no doubt that Malick’s films are unique and must be seen on the big screen.
Working alongside his father in Gravity, Jonás Cuarón has proven himself to be a very talented partner. But with Año Uña and his short films and music videos, he’s proven to be very talented on his own right. If this movie is anything like its trailer, we’re in for a very intense time at the movies.
Richard Linklater has described this as a spiritual sequel to Dazed and Confused, and if the trailer is any indication, he’s kept his word. Save for that “new movie” look, it looks like Linklater has matched his style of his 1993 classic ensemble comedy. If the characters and story live up to Linklater’s standards, we could have a classic for the people who went to college in the 80s and for those people in college now who long for a time gone by, or who realize that things aren’t so different after all.
Spielberg goes back to his family adventure roots, along with the last script by E.T.’s Melissa Mathison, adapted from a book by Roald Dahl. Has there ever been a more perfect unit to craft what could be a great family film?
Damien Chazelle’s musical follow-up to Whiplash has a great cast, so now it’s a matter of seeing if it lives up or surpasses Chazelle’s acclaimed last movie.
Although Gore Verbinski is known for his blockbusters and animated films, it’ll be nice to see him go back to a genre film that promises the same sort of eerie visuals and atmosphere we got with The Ring.
13. A Monster Calls (October 14)
Juan Antonio Bayona always delivers as a director. And with a script from the great Patrick Ness, and with that cast, it’s difficult to see how it could not deliver as a film.
Not a remake of the Anne Hathaway thriller from many years ago, this Sci-Fi thriller has long been in the making. Its screenplay has been called one of the best unproduced scripts in Hollywood, and with The Imitation Game director Morten Tyldum, and Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt as leads, we may be getting one of the best Sci-Fi thrillers in years.
For more information on 2016 films and their release dates, check out Box Office Mojo.
After a two and a half season run, Clara Oswald has left The Doctor – which means our time-travelling hero is in need of a new travel companion to explore the universe with. The Doctor’s Companion is one of the coveted roles on British television and Billie Piper and Karen Gillan have gone on to roles in Penny Dreadful and Guardians of the Galaxy respectively, using Doctor Who as a gateway to bigger roles and greater recognition. The Doctor’s Companion is a great role for an emerging actress and there are many talented actresses in the UK, so let’s look at some thespians who can combine a companion’s mental strengths and weaknesses and the necessary dramatic and comedic abilities.
Kae Alexander
Born in Kobe, Japan and raised in Yokohama, Hong Kong and London Kae Alexander is a young actress best known for being a regular cast member on the BBC Three sitcom Bad Education(not to be confused with the Pedro Almodóvar movie). She started as Jing Hua, a British-Chinese student with the gags revolving around her character being a lot smarter than her teacher – played by Jack Whitehall. When she was insulted by the teacher, Jing would scold him in Cantonese. On Bad Education Alexander’s character started as a girl with a prim and proper dress sense and smug, superior attitude and evolved into a more arty type by the end of the third series.
Alexander has obvious comedic timing, which any companion would require, and she easily can have the intelligence and wit to keep up with The Doctor. Due to Alexander’s heritage she has played British, Japanese and Chinese characters, which would give the writers and producers plenty of options when creating a character.
Alexander could play a Chinese or a British-Chinese under-graduate or post-graduate physics student – whose mind is blown when she is given the chance to explore the universe and be able to keep up with The Doctor intelligently. It would be a great way to have an Osgood type character travel with The Doctor.
Jessica Barden
Hailing from Yorkshire and starting her career on the soap Coronation Street, Jessica Barden is an actress with a growing reputation. To American audience, Barden is best known for a supporting role in the cult action movie Hannaas Hanna’s first real friend. Barden has shown her range in smaller British movies – she was the funniest character in Tamara Drewe, playing a bored teenager in a small English village, causing havoc with Charlotte Christie and she won a lot of praise for her performance as a grief-stricken teenager in the drama In the Dark Half– even though the rest of the movie was mediocre. Both are good qualities for any actress to play The Doctor’s Companion and she could easily play an original young woman thrust into The Doctor’s adventures.
Rosie Day
At 20-years-old Rosie Day is talented, an emerging actress in the UK, and becoming more of a presence in the British acting scene. She has made appearances in shows like Doctors, Misfits and Cuffs – all part of the course for any actor in Britain – and she has had leading roles in short and feature films. She is best known for starring in the horror-thriller The Seasoning House as a deaf-mute girl forced to be a maid in a brothel in a war-torn Eastern European nation, where she tries to escape her captures. Day won a lot of praise for her performance. Day has shown her range with her performances, in her one-off performance in the comedy show Siblings, she played a nerdy suck-up and in the horror movie Howlplayed a mouthy, annoying teenager.
Day would be the youngest companion to The Doctor in the rebooted series and, because of her youthful looks, she could play a teenager. Her role could be a street urchin in Georgian or Victorian London, an Oliver Twist type who had to beg, cheat and steal to survive and The Doctor could take her away to the world of grinding poverty and see the wonders of the universe. It would make a change from having a companion from contemporary Britain.
Rose Leslie
Rose Leslie is often seen as a potential companion for the Doctor, so it is impossible to ignore her for this list. Leslie is best known for playing Ygritte in Game of Thrones, the wildling spearwife who captures Jon Snow and says ‘You know nothing, Jon Snow’. Her star is rising in the UK, appearing in Downton Abbey, The Great Fire and the fourth season Luther.
But Leslie is also starting to appear in more American movies, she recently appeared in The Last Witch Hunter with Vin Diesel and she is set to star in the drama Sticky Notes with Ray Liotta and in the Kate Mara, Paul Giamatti led sci-fi movie Morgan. Leslie is also a redheaded Scot which would automatically rekindle thoughts of Karen Gillan.
Hannah Murray
The teen drama Skins has been a breeding ground for young British actors, helping star the careers of Nicholas Hoult, Dev Patel and Kaya Scodelario. Hannah Murray was also a part of the first generation of Skins actors and currently plays Gilly in Game of Thrones.
Murray has a sweet and innocent look to her and she could play an excited companion who enjoys the prospect of exploring time and space. Yet many of her characters have demons – in Skins her character was eccentric yet suffered from an eating disorder and suicidal tendencies. Murray recently won the Best Actress Award at the Tribeca Film Festival for the Danish suicide drama Bridgend. Murray’s companion could be a kind young woman who harbor a deep dark secret.
Murray, also from Bristol, which is less than an hour away from Cardiff where a lot of Doctor Who is mostly filmed.
Nora-Jane Noone
Irish actress Nora-Jane Noone is someone who should have a bigger reputation then she already has. Noone is best known for her roles in the hard-hitting historical drama The Magdalene Sistersand the Neil Marshall horror movie The Descent. Since those roles Noone has mainly appeared in independent movies and occasional TV appearances in the UK and Ireland. She deserves better and being The Doctor’s Companion would be a great way to achieve a prominent role.
In The Magdalene Sisters, Noone played Bernadette, a young orphan who is sent to the Magdalene Laundry after flirting with a teenage boy and she showed plenty of determination and resistance against her captors. This fiery attitude and independent streak would make for a strong-willed companion, who refuses to be ordered about and stand her ground against any monster or alien threatening her, The Doctor or the human race.
Sacha Parkinson
Like Jessica Barden, Sacha Parkinson started her career on Coronation Street as a teenage character and is seen as an emerging actress in the UK. In Coronation Street she played a teenager who ends up in a relationship with her best friend and since leaving the show Parkinson has had a roles in the historical drama The Mill, the BBC mini-series The Driver and the third season of Mr Selfridge.
Parkinson has a growing reputation and she has shown to have a strong aptitude for accents: she has a natural Manchurian accent and she has performed with Liverpudlian and London accents in pervious roles. Many of Parkinson’s previous roles have been in dramas and she certainly has the dramatic weight needed to play The Doctor’s companion, but it yet to be seen if she has comedic ability.
Katie Redford
The rebooted version of Doctor Who has thrown us curveballs over the years – who would have guessed relative unknowns like Matt Smith and Karen Gillan leading the show’s fifth season? So let’s include Katie Redford as a wildcard entry.
Born and raised in Nottingham, Redford is an actress who has appeared in short films and commercials in the UK as well as some TV appearances. She had a three episode run in the comedy-soap Mount Pleasureas a ditzy school drop-out and aspiring model who gives up on the profession after finding out she is being used.
Redford has also led the comedy web-series 2 Girls, 1 Flat with Sarah Dyas as one half of a London based flat-share. Redford played the smarter, straight-laced one having to deal with her dim-witted, sloppily roommate and Redford reacting with bewilderment to her antics. A useful skill when The Doctor speaks a load of techno-babble
Redford is currently contracted to the BBC Radio Drama Company, performing in radio plays with actors like Daniel Mays and Shelia Hancock.
Emma Rigby
The Doctor has seen three Londoners, a Scot and a Lancashire lass be his companion, so why not a Scouser? That is what we could get with Emma Rigby. Rigby started her career on the teen soap Hollyoaks, a programme that is often derided for its poor writing and acting, but Rigby did excel with an anorexia storyline. Since leaving the soap, she has been appearing in more television shows like Prisoner’s Wives and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.
Rigby is known as a sex symbol in the UK so she could replicate an Amy Pond style companion and like Jenna Coleman Rigby started her career in a soap. Rigby can clearly bring a lot emotional weight to Doctor Who and the show could play up her Liverpudlian background for comedy – similar to what happened with Karen Gillan being Scottish. Though Rigby is perfectly capable of performing a standard Southern English accent, if the showrunners want to play it safe.
Isy Suttie
Isy Suttie is a musician, a comedian and an actor, best known to audiences in the UK as Dobby from the cult sitcom Peep Show. As Dobby, it is easy to describe Suttie as adorkable, a woman who enjoyed video games and LARPing and seemed to be a perfect match for Mark Corrigan: yet Dobby had a fiery anger to her – she gives an extremely funny rant in the Peep Show episode “Seasonal Beating”. She has also appeared in shows like Shameless and Skins and she plays the guitar as part of her stand-up routine.
Sutttie could play a slightly geeky, socially awkward woman (maybe a science teacher) who has her world blown when she encounters The Doctor and becomes an avid fangirl very quickly – evolving into someone who has to become resourceful. At 37-years of age, Suttie would be older than the usual 20-something actress that plays The Doctor’s companion. Though she does have a very youthful look.
In now her third film with writer/director David O. Russell, Jennifer Lawrence takes the lead and commands every scene in Joy, a film inspired by real-life stories of strong-willed, innovative, and entrepreneurial women who fight through every conceivable obstacle and setback to make their singular visions into remarkable realities. Visually inventive, emotionally raw, and like most films by Russell, populated by complex, sometimes paradoxical characters, the film never fails to enthrall and entertain, while also delivering a powerful message about love, perseverance, and the importance of remaining true to one’s self, even when beset with the worst of life’s difficulties.
Lawrence plays the titular character, Joy Mangano, who in her early 20’s finds herself already divorced, raising her two children virtually on her own while her ex-husband, Tony (Edgar Ramirez) continues to live in her basement and chase his dreams of being a musician. She’s also forced to tend day and night to her agoraphobic, soap-opera addicted mother Terry (Virginia Madsen) and temperamental father Rudy (Robert De Niro), who at the outset of the film gets kicked out by his second wife and moves back into Joy’s house. Seemingly stuck in a dead-end, thankless job as an airline reservation attendant, and faced with stress and drama not only in her waking hours but also in her dreams, which take the form and expression of the daytime soaps Terry can’t tear herself away from, Joy sees the younger version of herself, the girl who used to spend her days envisioning and inventing things, slipping away entirely in the face of all her familial and practical obligations, and feels powerless to do anything about it.
The one voice in Joy’s life constantly reminding her to not let go of her true self and her dreams is Mimi (Diane Ladd), her maternal grandmother, who also lives in the Mangano home and sees all that Joy tries to keep up with at the cost of her own goals and aspirations. Joy also has in her corner her childhood friend Jackie (Dascha Polanco), who serves as a confidante and somewhat objective perspective, being on the outside of the Mangano family drama.
When Joy finally reaches her tipping point and resolves to take control of her life by attempting to make one of her inventive, problem-solving visions a reality, it’s Mimi, Jackie, and a surprisingly supportive Tony who prove to be her strongest supporters and advocates. The invention, a self-wringing mop meant to revolutionize kitchen cleaning and housework, faces its fair share of skeptics: Rudy, his new girlfriend Trudy (Isabella Rosellini) whose inheritance from her late husband Joy comes to count on for launching the new product, and Peggy (Elisabeth Röhm), Joy’s half-sister, who questions not only the vision behind the product but also Joy’s worthiness of being trusted with Trudy’s money or anything business-related. Despite the doubts of those around her, her ongoing responsibilities as a mom to her children, and the many problems that pop up once she actually gets her mop manufactured and must find a way to market it to retail stores and the public, Joy pushes forward. Just how she manages to turn an invention almost no one believed in into the launching point for a business empire, as depicted here, is quite simply the stuff American dreams are made of.
In many ways, Joy proves to be the ultimate vehicle for Jennifer Lawrence to showcase her versatility and talent as a performer. Russell’s script demands that Lawrence portray Joy across a span of decades and through a range of emotional extremes as she faces test after test of her vision and resolve, many of which come from within her own family, where one would think would be a source of support, not constant trial and stress. Not surprisingly for one of today’s most acclaimed actresses, Lawrence proves up to the challenge, projecting in her every scene, her every word and gesture, authentic and relatable emotion. There isn’t a moment in the film that you’re not rooting for Joy, and you may, depending on just how emotional you get in dramatic films, just find yourself sharing her tears as well as rejoicing at her triumphs. For the film to work, beyond any of Russell and director of photography Linus Sandgren’s innovative lighting and staging of particular scenes, especially the dream sequences set in a soap-opera-esque world, beyond the fine work of anyone else in the cast, audiences have to buy into Joy herself — her love for her family, as difficult as they make it for her at times, her determination, her heartbreak, her toughness in getting back up after each setback or betrayal. Thanks to Lawrence, buying in should not be a problem.
Speaking of supporting performances in Joy, there isn’t a single weak link in the chain as far as the cast arrayed here, but there are a few that really come off as memorable. De Niro is a welcome presence in David O. Russell’s films, whether the roles are large or small (he’s appeared in each one since Silver Linings Playbook, along with Lawrence and Bradley Cooper), and this time out is no exception, as he’s asked to play the sometimes lovable, sometimes horrible Rudy. While there really are no “one-note” characters in any of Russell’s previous work and certainly not in this film, De Niro’s task in bringing Rudy to life is significant considering he’s playing a father who really does think he’s a good guy and a good dad, when most of the time that just really isn’t the case. The veteran actor makes it look effortless; thus, Rudy’s interactions with Joy are among the film’s most emotional and difficult to watch. Elisabeth Röhm’s work also stands out here in a role that anyone who grew up with a sibling considered to be brighter or more talented and thus treated differently can relate to, while Virginia Madsen is almost unrecognizable in the best possible way as the fearful, virtually shut-in Terry, who can barely tear herself away from her room and her shows to go to the bathroom. It may sound comical, but the root of her fear, the motivation behind her retreat into a world of superficially-heightened drama, is all too understandable once it’s revealed, and Madsen delivers it all fearlessly.
It is important to note again that while the film story for Joy is mostly drawn from events in the life of the real Joy Mangano, it really is a composite of the experiences of a number of women who fought to make their inventive and entrepreneurial dreams into realities, which should only add to just how inspirational a film this could be for anyone, man or woman, watching who has dreams of their own, but finds them seemingly always out of reach thanks to the intrusions of “real life.” In that way, arguably it’s an excellent choice of film to enjoy at Christmas time, a time when love, faith, and family should be at the forefront of celebrations, no matter how challenging those values may be at times. But that’s just one reason to see it, one among many. See it if you’re a fan of Russell’s previous films, or you’re a fan of powerful, character-driven storytelling and film in general. See it if you’re a fan of the cast, particularly Jennifer Lawrence. Just see it — yes, it’s not as flashy and sexy as American Hustle or as traditionally romantic as Silver Linings Playbook, but in its own way it’s every bit as satisfying in terms of entertainment, and so it’s very unlikely you’ll be disappointed.
Joy
Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Edgar Ramirez, Diane Ladd, Virginia Madsen, Isabella Rossellini, Elisabeth Röhm and Bradley Cooper. Directed by David O. Russell.
Running Time: 109 minutes
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.
