Actor Anthony Ingruber called in to talk about his experience working on Age of Adaline. The young actor earned the role in the film because of his uncanny resemblance to Harrison Ford, and his Youtube impression from 2008.
The director of Age of Adaline, Lee Toland Krieger, reached out to Ingruber after watching the impersonation. The video in question currently sits at half a million views and and has cultivated a loyal and vocal fanbase for Ingruber.
“It was such a crazy turn of events that the director of Age of Adaline, Lee Toland Krieger stumbled upon my Youtube videos, in particular being the Harrison Ford one of course. After a Skype chat with him and a live audition, he offered me the part. It was a very strange, “one in a million sort of shot.” The odds of Harrison Ford playing that guy, then meeting that guy, and the guy being me was just crazy but really wonderful,” said Ingruber.
Before Age of Adaline fans were impressed with Anthony Ingruber’s Han Solo impersonation, but after Lucasfilm announced in July they are working on Star Wars Anthology: Han Solo, the internet exploded with fan support for Ingruber to be cast as a young Han. Several months have passed since the announcement of the film, and we checked in with Ingruber to see if he’s had conversations with Lucasfilm.
“Well that’s the thing about this industry you can’t really say anything until it is time to announce something. Again, I’m not saying there is anything to announce. I’m definitely trying my hardest to at least get a shot at it , because it would be amazing and it’s something I’d love to do. I’m working towards making it happen, fingers crossed,” said Ingruber.
Star Wars Anthology: Han Solo will be directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller and is scheduled for release on May 25th, 2018.
Age of Adaline is available now on DVD, Blu-ray, and VOD.
Listen to the complete Anthony Ingruber interview:
More monster dates means more of the same stuff happening. Or so you would think. But while I pretty much was out right against last weeks episode, this week I had a little more fun. But mind you that it was only a little more fun than last week. Still nothing to ride home about but at least it’s an improvement, right?
Episode summary
While on a date with Papi and Suu, with Zombina accompanying them, the group gets attacked by a giant Dryad. This Dryad was a friend that Papi had forgotten about and left in the woods. Her monstrous size was due to the pollution in the forest. Suu saves the day by accidentally absorbing nutrients and goes all Godzilla on her. But Kimihito is ultimately the one who saves he day by sucking all the nutrients out of the Dryads breasts.
After that its Cerea’s turn for a date. However most of the date is her fumbling around herself and doing things that hurt her pride as a noble centaur. She can’t seem to do anything right and gets tricked by a little devil girl to just let go and basically rape Kimihito. They all get attacked by a giant boar but Cerea comes to the rescue with a tree trunk. But even though she saved them she feels sad that all she seems good for is brute force. Kimihito assures her that she is useful in other ways and she decides that she will accel in those ways at home by making all the salads.
Episode thoughts
So it’s obvious by now that the whole “D” plotline in just an excuse to get these characters out of the house interacting with the world and on dates. So there’s not really much to be had in the realm of story development. Which is fine once you realize that. If you go into this dating arc expecting there to be some big story development your going to be disappointed. But if you take the “D” message as a literal Macguffin, and just enjoy all the antics that come because of it you’re going to have a good time. This is of course only if the antics are good enough to stand alone without anything else.
And while I think the antics this week hit better than last week, there is still room for improvement. Which is weird considering that the show is on episode 10 and still can’t find some sort of ground work. I feel like everything that is genuinely funny and sweet just happens by chance sometimes. And this episode is probably one of the most, you either like it or you don’t, episodes.
For me most of the jokes hit home in the first half. The physical humor with Papi being a bird-brain as well as her forgetfulness being the reason they find themselves in the predicament with a giant pissed off Dryad. And by adding giant Godzilla Suu into the mix and you get something that oddly enough makes sense in context. The Juxtaposition of the serious characters and the wacky circumstances just left me smiling through this whole altercation. Plus the change in aspect ratio and filter change during the monster fight was a nice touch. Also I want to see more involving Zombina being crushed and stuff. I think she could be like the “Looney Toon” of the show if they let her. So far the deaths she’s suffered have been pretty generic but if they make it more outlandish and silly, it could really be a funny running gag.
And while the first half is more or less, you either find sucking on boobs funny or you don’t, the second half just felt like rehashing character development. Most everything that’s shown about Cerea’s character has already been established and it feels unnecessary. But that’s not to say her character making the same mistakes isn’t still funny. Her misunderstanding the situation and being a bumbling giant horse girl still makes me smile even though I’ve seen it over and over. But I think its grown into less of a joke and I’ve just started thinking her mannerisms are cute in some way. Either way this isn’t bad either, it just shows that I’m starting to care more about the characters.
But again the character conflict in this episode doesn’t really help that. And the sad thing is, that it has to be here otherwise we wouldn’t see a realization in her character. Granted it’s really bad character development that really has no rhyme or reason to it, and all stems from coincidence. But I’m not really into Monster Girls for character development, so having a whole half of an episode be about nothing other than that seems rather pointless. But again Cerea’s cuteness does ease the pain, at least somewhat. I think there could have been better ways to finally give Cerea agency in expressing her feelings more openly, but I can forget about this and just chock it up to bad direction.
Something other than Cerea’s cuteness that saved the second half for me was my bae Rachnera crashing the party like she don’t give a fuck. And the scene with her making the Devil girl her sex slave at the end is priceless. And not only that but we got a pretty blatant call out to what may be future character conflict for Rachnera. Sure it wasn’t delivered in the best way, but the show acknowledging it at least makes it seem like it has a plan to address it later on. And I know it sounds like I’m being a hypocrite when i just said I’m not into this show for the character development. But Rachnera’s is best girl, so she gets special privilege. XP
So yeah, this episode was kinda good. Even though it was just another date episode like last weeks, I think the reason that this week did better is because of the pairings. Miia and Mero just aren’t simpatico and don’t play off of each other well. But Papi and Suu are two kindred spirits and the fact that they are so in sync at times makes them a hoot to watch. And Cerea and Rachnera are really good contrasts that fit well together too, they may not be as funny as Papi and Suu but they have the dramatic sync down.
One of the things that is inherently bad about date episodes is that it doesn’t give the whole cast a chance to interact. Like in the last two episodes more than half of the cast has been excluded because Kimihito is going out on dates. I think that if they get the whole cast back together things may click like they used to. Judging by the preview next week we”re stuck seeing more dates. So the whole cast together is at least two weeks away. But the next set of dates is with the MON squad, so that’s something. If its anything like the first half of this episode was, I’ll be fine with it. I just hope next week is the last of it, because I don’t think we need more monster dates than that.
It seems everyday there is new information coming out in regards to Star Wars: The Force Awakens and today is no different. Today we get a look at the exclusive, limited edition 3D glasses for the premiere.
The glasses are emblematic of four of the new characters.
The characters depicted in this batch will be Kylo Ren, Captain Phasma, Stormtrooper and new droid BB-8.
One of the best aspects of the giveaway is the 3D glasses will work in conjunction with 3D televisions at home, if you have one. Disney teamed up with RealD to design the glasses and it is evident that they have spared no expense in making these the best 3D glasses to be coupled with a film release.
One thing to keep in mind, the glasses will be given away at standard theaters and it remains to be seen if the IMAX release will contain any sort of commemorative eyewear.
The news of limited edition glasses for the release puts those who wanted to view it in a standard format for the first time in a bit of a predicament. Do you forego tradition and for the first time view a Star Wars movie in 3D as oppose to standard definition for a shot at owning some cool glasses?
The most simple solution is seeing it a few times within the first 24-48 hours.
As if you weren’t going to do that already!
Let us know which pair you think is the coolest in the comments section below!
The rock band Atomic Tom quietly announced last Friday that their new album, ERA, is out, and the complete album is available for a one dollar at Bandcamp for one week.
“It’s overwhelming and humbling to look back at all the names and faces that inspired this album. You’re more than music fans. You’re more than our friends. You brought us from playing empty clubs in the Lower East Side to late night TV performances and US headline tours. We couldn’t have made this album without you. Our story together is embedded in every note and word. This album belongs to you,” said Atomic Tom.
The band stands out with their unique sound, but what makes these four guys endearing is their use of digital and social media; from graphics to music videos, they use these platforms regularly to engage with fans. The group is made up of Luke White (lead vocals, guitar), Eric Espiritu (guitar), Ethan Mentzer (bass), and Tobias Smith (drums).
Track 10 from ERA – Music Makes the Heart Grow Stronger
The song and video that started it all for Atomic Tom, Take Me Out.
Author Buzz Bissinger stopped by to talk about the 25th anniversary edition of Friday Night Lights.
In 1988, in the dusty heat of Odessa, Texas, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist H. G. “Buzz” Bissinger set out to chronicle the Permian Panthers’ season. The students, parents, and townspeople gathered under the lights each Friday night from September to December to watch their team on the gridiron. The socially and racially divided town placed unimaginable pressure on the shoulders of its high school football players as fans tried to forget about the instability of the oil business, high unemployment, and racial tensions.
The book inspired a critically acclaimed film and television series.
Bonus track: Don’t poke the #Olicity fan base!
New to the 25th anniversary edition of Friday Night Lights is an afterword in which Bissinger returns to Texas. He meets with six of the players (Mike Winchell, Boobie Miles, Brian Chavez, Jerrod McDougal, Ivory Christian, and Don Billingsley) and the updates are stirring. Boobie, for example, is in prison for violating the terms of his aggravated assault probation. The town of Odessa and the culture of Friday night football is much changed as well.
These days you can pretty much find a school for anything and now that includes one who instructs on the proper way to use a lightsaber. The Saber Authority specializes in teaching classes on how to effectively use a Jedi’s most trusted weapon. The school has become so popular (especially now with Star Wars: The Force Awakens just 100 days away) that they offer packages for all sorts of groups. They even have pricing on an assortment of lightsabers that you can purchase at The Saber Authority. Just be sure when you look at the cost of the packages and lightsabers, to add in the cost of a plane ticket as the academy is located in Singapore. Check out this cool video from the The Saber Authority.
Here’s another one
As you can see, The Saber Authority is a dream come true for any hardcore Star Wars Fans.
For the next few weeks leading up to the 2015 fall season I’m going to cover a few of the upcoming anime that might not have the hype as a couple others (One Punch Man, anyone?). Starting off is the studio 8-bit original Mecha anime Comet Lucifer.
The synopsis goes: “The story takes place on the planet Gift, where precious crystals called Giftjium are buried in the earth. A young man named Sōgo lives in Garden Indigo, a prosperous mining town. Sōgo’s hobby is to collect rare crystals. One day, he gets wrapped up in a riot caused by his classmates Kaon, Roman, and Otto, and he loses his way until he finds a lake deep under the ground’s mining ruins. There, he meets a mysterious girl with blue hair and red eyes that gaze straight ahead. The story follows the adventure of what happens after this meeting.” (Source)
8-Bit is a relatively young studio, with their most notable work at this point being The Fruit of Grisaia, which, while being a total piece of garbage*, is very pretty looking, and this show looks to be no exception. Helmed by the director of Macross Frontier, Yasuhito Kikuchi, the show promises an interesting world, a bit of action, and some strangely psychedelic visuals.
The success of this show could really determine the reputation of Studio 8-Bit, they’ve shown they can animate, let’s see if they can tell a good story too.
Comet Lucifer will be airing at an undisclosed time around the beginning of October.
*Opinion is exclusive to writer, this opinion may not be held by other writers or the Monkeysfightingrobots team.
The untitled Jason Bourne sequel started filming today and director Paul Greengrass tweeted a photo of Matt Damon who looks shredded and appeared to be filming a countryside MMA fight.
The sequel is written by Damon and Greengrass, and stars Damon, Alicia Vikander, Julia Stiles, Vincent Cassel, and Tommy Lee. Jones.
Bourne Identity debuted in 2002 and it has been eight years since a Jason Bourne has appeared on screen.
Earlier today, the Irish Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphries, granted permission for Lucasfilm to film parts of Star Wars: Episode VIII on Skellig Michael, an island off the coast County Kerry, despite strong concerns raised by environmental protection groups. This is not the first time that Ireland has become part of a galaxy far, far away and filming for the Force Awakens took place on the same island in July and August of last year.
The filming will be subject to strict ecological and environmental conditions to ensure that the local wild-life is not disturbed as the area is quite fragile. The island is home to an ancient monastery which, along with the island itself, became an UNESCO world heritage site in 1996. Some have speculated that the island will be the home of Luke Skywalker in the upcoming sequel trilogy, a theory given some credence by the fact that both Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley were reported to have been part of the cast taken to the island. The fact that Lucasfilm has opted to return to the site indicates that whatever role the site plays in the film is likely to be quite important.
In another bit of related news which is sure to delight fans in Ireland and the United Kingdom, it was announced that Star Wars: the Force Awakens will launch in that market a day earlier than expected. Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits Irish cinemas on December 17th and will see world-wide release on December 18th.
Back in August the Universal Orlando Resort blog announced that The Incredible Hulk Coaster would shutdown on September 8, that sad day is here, but new bigger Hulk could be on the way.
“We want to let you know that The Incredible Hulk Coaster will be getting some great, new enhancements to its storyline, ride vehicles and overall experience.That work means we’ll have to close the attraction beginning September 8, with September 7 being the last day guests can ride. It will roar back to life next summer, and we’ll keep you posted on the details,” wrote the Universal Orlando Resort blog.
Universal’s Islands of Adventure opened in 1999, ten years later Disney acquired the rights to Marvel but as long as Universal Studios updates the attractions on a regular basis they will retain ownership of certain characters in theme parks east of the Mississippi, according to /Film. Universal refurbished The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man in 2013, which included re-mastering the entire ride film in high definition, replacing the projectors with digital equipment and updating the effects.
There are rumors that a brand new roller coaster could be built to replace the current rail system.
Universal plans to open the new Incredible Hulk Coaster in Summer 2016.
