Scott Bakula's filmography pt2

Color of night (1994) - did nobody tell him this was supposed to be a "serious" erotic thriller or was he intentionally acting silly bc he'd known it would be dogshit?

A passion to kill (1994) - literally THREE MONTHS LATER they released almost the SAME MOVIE but this time it wasn't Bruce Willis but him and his real life gf who got to film all those painstainkigly long sex scenes. Literally what??

Dream On (1994) - idk what show is this but I hate it

Nowhere to Hide (1994) - lmao cheap tv movies really have the best plot twists *chefs kiss*

Mi familia (1995) - who else could play a catholic priest that fucks

Lord of Illusions (1995) - is it good? hmmm. but is it absolutely cuckoo bananas? yes.

The Invaders (1995) - I have visions and I know what the aliens are up to - it's because of your autism. -is it because of my autism?

Murphy Brown (1993-1996) - oh god he has a permed mullet

Here Comes the Son (1996) - well, he paid himself and his wife to hang out

Mr & Mrs Smith (1996-1997) - young timothy olymphant???

Major league - back to the minors (1998) - where's charlie sheen

Netforce (1999) - I miss old scifi shows where the biggest threat is someone blowing up the internet

Mean Streak (1999) - "I'm not a racist, I'm dating you, a puertorican" and "I don't hate black people, just puertoricans" and "I hate black people, there's too many of them" and ....

American Beauty (1999) - oh I totally forgot he was in this

ok part 3 will be the last one I'm only gonna get to Start trek and then go watch something actually good for once

The Mask 1994

*I finally wrote the whole thing. I finally watched the movie that involved something I’ve been talking about A LOT. I think this took about an hour since I finished the movie. Forgot to mention Charlie.*

I wanna make this clear, even before I watched movie or ever writing this. I am legitimately a stupid and lazy person. Because my mom told me about this, and last week, my dad rented A Quiet Place Part 2. When I was trying to go to sleep but was looking up movies...I literally forgot my tv can do that too...and that I can rent or buy a movie...I rented the movie this morning, and deleted it afterwards...after all that talk...I could’ve done that...wow. I should do that more considering some movies I wanna see or like. Not too much though. My tv has DirecTV. Just a heads up.

But a few or couple of minutes ago, I finally watched The Mask film from 1994. This post is gonna be filled with spoilers and it’s gonna get long. Gonna be kind of a review. My overall thoughts on it. This was my first reaction to the whole movie.

I’d just wanna talk about this too. I like comic books, I like comic book movies. Mainly my favorites are ones like all of Zack Snyder’s DCEU movies, Spider-Man 1 & 2, The Suicide Squad 2021, Wonder Woman 2017, The Dark Knight(Despite whatever issues I have with it), and Joker 2019. Yeah, those are mainly DC films and two Marvel related ones. I don’t even mind Spider-Man 3 as well. I also forgot Dredd 2012 is another one of my favorites. Along with Batman 1989.

I was hoping The Mask could make that list of favorites. Because I read the comics first. I don’t think I ever watch the movie fully as a kid MAYBE. I’m a fan of the comics, I know this movie was gonna be a lighter take on the series. 

In a nutshell...I liked it. It’s possible it will be on that list of favorite CBM’s...but I want to talk about it. I’ll also admit I think what got me interested in seeing this film and this series was me liking Jim Carrey as Ace Ventura...now, let’s get to the point.

Yeah, I liked it. I thought the movie was genuinely entertaining. Despite seeing some clips before. But also Ryan Hollinger’s video about it. Revealing the ending, the twist, and other stuff. But I didn’t wanna watch more more that I haven’t seen yet.

I will be honest, it still made me laugh. Even some scenes I already have seen. I will admit, the Cuban Pete scene is actually one of my favorites. XD But what also surprised me is that at times, despite being a funny film. It can genuinely be touching in a way. And I am mainly talking about the developing relationship between Stanley and Tina.

I just wanna talk about the characters right now. I’ll just admit unless I haven’t already. I’m a Jim Carrey fan. Mainly because of his more goofier roles. Particularly his roles from the Ace Ventura movies, Liar Liar, and especially Sonic The Hedgehog. I also will admit this, Jim Carry nails playing Big Head or who they call...The Mask in this movie...I’ll nitpick about that later.

But yeah, Jim’s entertaining as Big Head in this film. He does make me laugh. But I think another role he does well despite there are some sillier moments, which is fine. I feel like in a way, Stanley Ipkiss in this version, is maybe one of his more normal roles. But I know I’m wrong considering whatever other roles he’s in. He portrays a likable good guy who’s sadly mainly pushed around. Which is quite the difference from the comics, except being pushed around. But that’s another topic. Yet for this story, even if maybe Stanley’s name could be changed. But him being a genuinely kind guy works for this story.

Even before I saw the movie, learning more about this version about the character. I can relate to Stanley in some ways honestly. Which is something that I like. He basically shines as a protagonist. 

He portrays both sides well. Despite at times...honestly, this Stanley is wacky. I shouldn’t be judging. Jim does a good stuff with what he played, and he’s the highlight of this movie. He also delivers possibly my favorite Jim Carrey line of all time now. Sorry if I get this wrong. I was looking for a clip of it to help me.

“Daddy’s gonna go kick some ass”. A literal line from Jim Carrey in this movie and I love it. He even brings a pistol with him.

I also wanna admit Peter Greene as Dorian is pretty good as a villain. The dude can be threatening and he works with what he is given. And he’s effective as an antagonist. I just wanna admit that I swear, one of these guys. One of them could’ve Walter in a way and I just think that could’ve been possible. But I’m not sure. Just one of Dorian’s henchmen looked like a huge guy. It just got me thinking about Walter from the comics.

Will admit, I think Kellaway is fine. And I just found out Christopher Reeve was one of the actors considered for the role...damn. But again, Kellaway was fine. He’s more like a supporting character and again, this is like an origin story. I do feel bothered Lionel Ray wasn’t added but replaced with this Doyle character. I will admit that Doyle is silly, which is the point of his character. I guess the writers and director didn’t want two sensible cops or something. I like Kellaway alright, but I’ll always dig Lionel too.

I really wanted to get this point. I thought Cameron Diaz was good as Tina Carlyle and Amy Yasbeck as Peggy Brandt. I will admit, I do strangely like the subversion with Peggy in a way with it’s twist. I get the idea if that it was going for that theme of, “We all wear mask” and Peggy turning Stanley into the mob said a lot about her character. While Tina was genuinely the one that truly supported Stanley.

I think was surprised me more was the fact despite Peggy turned in Stanley for selfish purposes such as paying for her condo. Yet what surprised me more was she was actually concerned for Stanley being killed, and didn’t want him hurt...which explains even more why she stuck around in the cartoon. And honestly, it makes me glad the director took out that deleted scene of her getting killed. So she wasn’t that heartless.

Also...it made me think that...my ideas and changes towards her character...maybe hold some weight.

I’ll just put this out there too. Milo is great, one of my favorite fictional dogs maybe. Good dog.

Trying to think what else, the score was fine. But the licensed music was good or something. Overall, I think my negatives could be just...nitpicks. Such as the Big Head part I wanted to talk about. Listen, I understand this is a different version. I just feel it’s weird to call him, “The Mask” instead of Big Head. I know other characters mask in their name or something. But...some reasons, the name Big Head is there. I guess it’s because of the title or something.

Honestly, I think my negatives are more that it feels short. And maybe Stanley becoming Big Head a bit too early. I sound kind of stupid, I know. But this was the 90′s and whatever else. This was a different take on the comics. But I did genuinely like it. Maybe I’m just a bit attached to those comics. Despite knowing the changes they did.

But I will admit, considering the development for this film. And learning that it was meant to be a horror film. But the director Charles Russell found the violence in the source material to be off putting. So he made it less grim, and more fun. I’ve also read somewhere that trying to make comedy with that violence was difficult.

Back to the point, to be honest. I feel like for that time and age. A more light Mask film was maybe the best choice to go. And we wouldn’t have Jim Carrey in it. I do also wanna say, I feel like The Mask series, you can do a lot of it. You can have something dark with it, or maybe more lighter.

There are still some of those darker elements. Mainly considering the moments with the gangsters and all that. But I will admit, learning that Charles mostly directed horror films. I think it’s impressive he made a more family friendly film and it worked. 

I liked it, despite my love for the comics. I thought when writing this, maybe some folks reading this may think I sound like fans who read the comics who first experienced this movie. But the film isn’t bad, it’s just a different take and a pretty nice one at that.

And to be honest, as much as I would of loved to see an actual sequel. And not that bad film known as Son Of The Mask. I understand why Jim Carrey dropped out, and I would’ve loved to see Peggy back because the director planned to bring her back reformed. But I feel like this film works as a one off in a way. And there’s also the cartoon, which works fine as a sequel despite some differences. Yet...I’ll admit, I would’ve loved The Mask 2 if we got Jim Carrey as Stanley again fighting against maybe someone like Walter.

The Mask 1994 is a good film. Despite changes from the source material, but the changes for this vision work. It’s cool this film has a cult following, and the fact I have used elements and story beats from it for The Mask Rebirth stuff I’ve been talking about. Even before watched this whole movie.

It’s a genuine fun flick. But I’m hoping down the line, if Warner Bros stops being fucking stupid with how they run things. Maybe we’ll get a reboot or how about an animated film that seems more true to the source material. 

I know The Mask/Big Head doesn’t have a big legacy such as the likes of Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man. But I do think this series could be reimagined and expanded upon. Using elements not only from the original comics, but even the movie and cartoon. 

And...despite it was because of Ace Ventura...I would like to thank @kaijuguy19 for being such a supportive dude, and talking about this franchise with me. Including wanting to talk about this movie long ago when I haven’t seen it. But I want to say...no...he’s one of the big reasons why I’m a fan. Because he’s one of the only guys I know who’s a fan. It started with Ace Ventura, but it was because of talking with Kaijuguy that I guess things started to escalate. So thanks man for talking about this stuff with me.

Also, Charlie was silly and he was fine as a character. I forgot about that dude despite wanting to talk about him. Gonna tag him too in case. Charlie schumaker

Granada Holmes (series review)

The 1984-1994 Granada series of Sherlock Holmes adaptations, starring Jeremy Brett as Holmes are regarded by fans as a milestone among the many adaptations of Sherlock Holmes that were made. Brett is said to be “the definitive Holmes”. And I would largely agree with that, despite it not being my favourite version, and it having some flaws and weak episodes, especially as the series went on.

The first thing that set this show apart is that it went back to the original stories and adapted those. Now, it isn’t the first version to do so, as some people (including Brett, apparently) claim. The 1920s silent film series with Eille Norwood was fairly canon accurate, and the 1960s BBC tv series with Douglas Wilmer and Peter Cushing also followed the canon. There is also the 1979-1986 Soviet Russian series with Vasily Livanov. And on radio you have more canonical dramatizations, such as the British John Gielgud 1950s series and the BBC Carleton Hobbs series from the 50s and 60s. People have an unfortunate tendency to ignore radio in favour of screen adaptations.

Still, it must be granted that Granada at its best is probably the supreme screen adaptation of the canon. The production values and acting are far superior to what the 60s BBC tv series had.

Jeremy Brett was a revolution in Holmes performances. The previous era defining Holmes, Basil Rathbone, as great as he was, made Holmes into too much of a straightforward hero. Brett brought back the eccentricities (including the drug use), the nervous energy and the character’s general moodiness and emotionality that was there in the text.

Holmes in the Granada series was ultimately on the side of good and a benevolent figure (if occasionally rude), but fictional justice perhaps had never an odder champion. He did everything from sitting weirdly, jumping over couches to taking drugs. Holmes felt neurodiverse, and indeed Brett used his own experiences with bipolar disorder in the performance.  And it was true to canon, in a way we seldom had seen on screen before.

Jeremy Brett’s performance as Holmes is extremely influential and often imitated by later screen adaptations, but has never been surpassed. The portrayal of Holmes in BBC Sherlock and the movies with Robert Downey Jr. is clearly inspired by Brett’s nervy eccentric genius Holmes, but ends up a bad parody. Holmes in the Granada series can like his canon counterpart occasionally be rude or careless towards other, but it was lapses, not a general trend. They seemed to be caused by an eccentric brain on another wavelength from the people around him, rather than any malevolence. Holmes in BBC Sherlock is a male nerd wish-fulfilment fantasy, where the character’s eccentric genius are allowed to excuse any crimes.

At its height, Brett’s Holmes is an awe-inspiring performance, with the actor pouring everything of his skill and energy into it. You could criticize it as melodramatic over-acting, but it makes for great viewing and fits the man who said “I never can resist a touch of the dramatic”.

The Granada series gets much credit for rehabilitating the role of Watson. Both of the actors playing him depicted as very much intelligent and capable. It is somewhat overstated of course, the turning away from the comedic figure Nigel Bruce portrayed started already with Andre Morell’s Watson in the 1959 Hammer Hound of the Baskervilles. Still, the Watson depicted by the Granada series is still one of the show’s chief draws.

The series had a switch in the actors playing Watson, with David Burke portraying him in the first two seasons of 13 episodes  and The Empty House featuring Holmes return to a Watson portrayed by Edward Hardwicke. And honestly it is hard to choose between them, because they are both great and there is a consistency in the writing that makes them feel like the same basic character. 

Burke’s Watson comes across as younger and more energetic of the two actors and has perhaps the better comedic dynamic with Holmes. He is perhaps my pick, as despite his actual age while playing the part, he feels closer to the young Watson of the canon.

But that is no serious slight against Hardwicke’s performance, which is still first-rate. Hardwicke’s Watson feels older, despite the difference in age between the actors being but a few years. The performance is also defined by an effortless charm and warmth, giving Watson an avuncular aura. But Watson is not at all infirm and is still an intelligent medical man and an experienced soldier, ever ready with his revolver.

An interesting change from the Canonical stories is that Watson never gets married and moves out of Baker Street. The Sign of the Four features Mary Morstan, but at the end she walks out of the story without any romance between her and Doctor Watson. The reason this was done, is that it simplifies the set-up of the stories. With Watson in 221B, he is always on hand to join Holmes. No need for a scene at the beginning of Holmes taking Watson away from wife and practice. Also it saves them keeping track of when Watson was married or not, something that Conan Doyle himself got into a serious continuity tangle about.

As producer Michael Cox (quoted in David Stuart Davies’s book Starring Sherlock Holmes)  noted, Conan Doyle himself probably regretted marrying off Watson, considering The Empty House has Watson suffering from a “sad bereavement” and then moving back in with Holmes. So it is a very much acceptable deviation from canon.

It also frees the writers to focus on the most important relationship in the canon: the friendship between Holmes and Watson. The canon has been called “a textbook of friendship” by Christopher Morley, and the chemistry and relationship between Holmes and Watson is vitally important to any adaptation. And that aspect of the stories is wonderfully conveyed here, with both actors playing Watson working together with Brett as Holmes well to convey the odd but close friendship between the two men.

Rosalie Williams plays Mrs. Hudson, and she is excellent in the role. The Granada series has a lot of little scenes of Mrs. Hudson added into the canonical cases, and they work excellently, giving her more of a presence. Many of them are comedic, making jokes about how a difficult and eccentric lodger Holmes is, but there is a clear undercurrent of affection throughout their interactions.

The recurring cast members include Charles Gray as Mycroft Holmes and Colin Jeavons as Inspector Lestrade.

 Gray as Mycroft is close to ideal, fitting the character of the overweight, lazy and intelligent canon character perfectly. He was such a good fit for the role that he had actually earlier played the part in the film adaptation of The Seven-Per-Cent Solution.

Jeavons fit the part of Lestrade and his acting is superb, capable of showing the full extent of Lestrade’s character, having both smug over-confidence at times, yet also having genuine respect and affection for Holmes.

The acting skills of the actors playing characters who only appear in one episode is also generally very high. And that is part of the general high quality of execution the show had for most of its run. The period sets and the directing was of a similar high standard. The music by Patrick Gowers is excellent, and I suggest any fan take a listen to this Youtube playlist of his soundtrack.

The scripts are quite excellent, for the most part sticking close to the Conan Doyle stories. Of course there are always infidelities here and there, and sometimes the episode would go on non-canonical tangents.

Usually it was to make the story work better on screen. For example, the villains in The Greek Interpreter escape from Holmes and Watson, ending up being killed “off-screen” as it were. So the Granada version of the same tale has a non-canonical ending of Holmes, Watson and Mycroft confronting the villains on a train, something that works rather well. Another example is The Musgrave Ritual which entirely ditches the original story’s framing device of Holmes telling Watson the story of an early case of his. In the Granada version Watson is with Holmes on this case, and it works better that way.

And with all of these elements working together, for most of its run, the Granada series is perhaps the definitive screen adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. The first four seasons of 50 minute episodes, which were broadcast under the titles of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Return of Sherlock Holmes from 1984-1988 plus the feature length adaptation of The Sign of Four are pretty much all great. It went from strength to strength, consistently making very well-made adaptations of the canon.

The Sign of Four is probably a good pick for Granada’s peak, due to its epic nature. And it is definitely the best of the five feature-length films they did. Outside of leaving out any romance between John and Mary, the film is faithful to the book, although it goes too far in that direction in keeping in the racism of the story. But it also has all of the book’s virtues as a story too, and fine acting from Brett, Hardwicke, and John Thaw as Jonathan Small make for an enjoyable viewing experience.

There was however a decline in the series later years. The lynchpin of the series was Jeremy Brett, and his health began to seriously fail him by 1987, leading to his death in 199 (my source of information on Brett’s health decline and general behind the scenes things is mostly Davies’s book Starring Sherlock Holmes) Once lean and looking remarkably like the Sidney Paget illustrations of Holmes, his conflicting medications for his heart problems and bipolar disorder caused him to retain water and bloat, causing him to no longer look like the lean figure he once was. His looks wasn’t really the problem, what was however was that his health problems drained him of the energy that he once was able to put it into his performance, creating through no fault of his own a more lethargic and weaker Holmes.

There was also a growing lack of care shown towards the series by Granada itself. The budgets began to shrink by 1988, and while the series looked good for the most part, it did impact the show.

Probably the first disappointing episode is the double-length adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles from 1988. You would expect the Granada series, with their excellent leads and excellent track record up to this point, to create the definitive version of this often-filmed story, but it just isn’t. It isn’t bad, but it is ultimately mediocre in a way that is hard to pinpoint. My guess is that the direction and cinematography doesn’t manage to create the suspense the story needs, resulting in a slow-paced and slightly boring experience.

It also ends up show-casing the problems the show would now begin to have, with the production crew not having the money to do location shooting on Dartmoor and Brett obviously showing the signs of his failing health.

The Hound film was followed by a season of six 50-minute length episodes, called The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes. And these were mostly fine, considering the circumstances. The budget had been reduced compared to earlier seasons and you could tell the writers sometimes lacked a first-rate canonical story to adapt.

There were one or two weaker episodes, but those were due to the original story being weak. For example, the season ended with a faithful adaptation of The Creeping Man and it is as good and well-made a tv adaptation you could ever hope to make with such a bizarre plot. The result is of course pure camp, but so is the original story. When the show had a good Conan Doyle story to adapt, like The Boscombe Valley Mystery, The Problem of Thor Bridge or The Illustrious Client, the results are indeed up to the standards of its past.

The real nadir of the series came later, however, when in 1992-93 the series decided to do three double-length episodes. Granada wanted the Holmes series to copy the success of Inspector Morse and its 100 minute tv film format. The problem was the show would still adapt Conan Doyle’s short stories into a format that was far too long for them. So the scriptwriters had to pad the stories out with their own inventions.

This sort of worked for the first film of these three films, The Master Blackmailer. It was based on Charles Augustus Milverton, which is one of the shortest stories in the canon, but one of the most rich in dramatic potential. Writer Jeremy Paul’s script decided to show in detail what is merely mentioned in the story, such as Milverton blackmailing people and Holmes courting Milverton’s maid in order to gain access to his home. The end result works, it is somewhat slow-paced but is ultimately coherent and at its best feels like you are watching the backstory to the canonical events.

The same can’t be said for the second and third of these films, The Last Vampyre and The Eligible Bachelor. The Last Vampyre is an almost completely incoherent non-adaptation of The Sussex Vampire, where elements from the canonical story probably make up less than 5% of the resulting film. There is an attempt to create intrigue and suspense around the original character Stockton, but the film is so vague about what he is and what threat he poses that the resulting film makes no sense.

The Eligible Bachelor is a similar adaptation of The Noble Bachelor, where the canonical story elements that remain is entirely subsided by a new bizarre plot where Lord St. Simon is now a ruthless Bluebeard-like villain. It is slightly better than The Last Vampyre, simply because the villain here poses an identifiable and somewhat coherent threat. Still, the film has to pad things out with bizarre subplots, like Holmes having prophetic dreams, which ultimately doesn’t lead anywhere.

Wisely, the series returned to the 50 minute format for the last season of six episodes, which aired in 1994, under the name of “he Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. It was with this season Jeremy Brett’s health problems and the lower budgets really began to seriously affect the show. Brett was in a bad state at this point, and the description of the production in Davies’s book makes for sad reading.

During the filming of one episode in this season, The Three Gables, he had to use a wheelchair between takes and supplementary oxygen to ease his breathing. His performance is naturally lacking in the energy he once had, but the fact it is a performance at all is testament to his commitment. The Three Gables is actually one of the better episodes of this season, as it actually manages to improve on one of the weakest stories in the canon.

Edward Hardwicke was unavailable to film The Golden Pince-nez, and they couldn’t re-schedule the shooting dates (which I suspect was a budget issue). So the writer wrote out Watson and replaced him in the role of Sherlock’s assistant with Mycroft, since Charles Gray was available. The result is well-made otherwise, with guest stars Frank Finlay and Anna Carteret giving great performances, but the lack of Watson is sorely felt. It is fun to see Charles Gray’s Mycroft again, but it feels contrary to his character to accompany his brother like this.

And before he could film The Mazarin Stone,  Brett’s health gave out on him and he was hospitalized. Again Charles Gray was called in by the producer to play Mycroft as a substitute. It is nice to see Mycroft for a fourth time, but Mycroft doing this doesn’t feel true to his character. And this episode is one of the weakest in the series, due to the script. Not that I blame the scriptwriter too much, The Mazarin Stone is one of the worst stories in the canon. The efforts to improve on the story by combining it with another weak story  The Three Garridebs don’t at all manage to rescue it.

However, there are still some rather good episodes in this season . The Red Circle is good and The last ever episode of the series, The Cardboard box manages to close out the series on a good if dark note.

Jeremy Brett died in 1995 due to heart failure, ending all hope of any future series.

I might have delved too much on the series failures in this essay. Because all of that is outweighed by the consistent high quality the series managed to achieve in the first four seasons, and with a few failures, still managed to sometimes achieve again in the later ones. Those adaptations are perhaps the peak of Holmes on screen.

It is not my favourite adaptation, that is the BBC radio drama versions made starring Clive Merrison as Holmes from 1989 to 2010. Those were just as consistently good, with Merrison and Williams/Sachs as Holmes and Watson being on the same general level as Brett and Burke/Hardwicke as performances. In fact, the BBC version is more consistent, never going off the rails as the Granada version sometimes, and it actually managed to achieve the goal Brett had hoped for: adapting every canonical story.

Still that doesn’t take away from Granada’s great achievement in adapting the Holmes stories with such quality. It is an achievement that later movie and tv adaptations haven’t been able to surpass.

The Last Seduction

Director John Dahl Stars Linda Fiorentino, Peter Berg, Bill Pullman, JT Walsh, Bill Nunn UK/USA 1994 Language English 1hr 50mins Colour

Gloriously nasty 1990s noir

[Spoilers about the events of the first 10 minutes or so of the movie]

Is the greatness of The Last Seduction a marvelous accident? (You may, of course, not agree that it’s a a great movie). Why an accident? Because although this was the writer’s first movie, he only has two further credits. Because although John Dahl was a promising director making his third movie, in the quarter century since he’s only made five more. And, most of all, I guess, because Linda Fiorentino gives such an indelible performance, yet by the end of the decade her career was effectively over and in 2009 she officially called it quits. 

I think that summary is unfair to Dahl, at least: he’s one of several directors who made good low-budget movies in the 1990s who have gone on to have long, steady careers in the waves of great TV that followed – he’s done episodes of Billions, Justified, The Americans and Dexter, to give just a small sample. As for Fiorentino, I can’t presume to know whether her failure to become a big star was down to bad luck, Hollywood’s misogyny, her own character or some combination of the above. 

After watching the film again, though, what I can say is I still think she’s extraordinary here.* She plays Bridget Gregory, who wants the kind of Manhattan apartment that her job as a manager at a telemarketing firm and her husband’s income as hospital resident won’t pay for. So Clay Gregory (Bill Pullman) does a drug deal – which, presumably, is Bridget’s idea – and then she double-crosses him, drives off with the cash and ends up laying low in Beston, a characterless town in upstate New York.

In Beston, she has what’s meant to be a one-off screw with none-too-bright local Mike (Peter Berg), which sort of becomes an ongoing thing. 

In a way, the tension of the story comes from a situation where Bridget’s been advised by her lawyer Frank (JT Walsh) to sit patiently until her divorce comes through, but she’s not prepared to be passive. She’s spotting opportunities and using them to build a scheme to protect the fruits of her first crime. 

The great JT

What occurs to me is that although the femme fatale drives the events in, say, Double Indemnity (which The Last Seduction references) and Basic Instinct (a huge recent hit when this came out), we don’t see the story from her point of view. The perspective in those movies, and in most others in the tradition I can think of, is of the manipulated man.** But The Last Seduction is emphatically Bridget’s story. 

And, doubling-down on that, Bridget has little vulnerability and no warmth or empathy.  Mike says to her: ‘I'm trying to figure out whether you're a total fucking bitch or not.’ and Bridget replies: 

‘I am a total fucking bitch’.

The closest thing she has to a friend and confident is Frank, and while she clearly enjoys his amorality and the fact that he trades insults with her, she’s also relying on attorney-client privilege. Walsh – one of the great character actors – and Fiorentino seem to have a terrific energy together but since all their conversations happen over the phone, who knows if they were actually even acting together?

Bill Nunn!

So it’s up to Fiorentino to carry the movie and she does. She makes Bridget a compelling and convincing sociopath rather than a cartoonish character. She finds a way to make the spirit of Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity work in a post-innuendo age. And Dahl keeps the film lean and efficient around her. Along with Walsh, there’s able support from Pullman (who, like Fiorentino, was somewhat older than the character he was playing) and Bill Nunn as a private eye. Peter Berg went on to be better known as a director and exec producer than actor, but this is one of his better roles.

A passing thought on the question of genre, even though I know these are just arbitary categories we give movies. Like most critics I tend to think of The Last Seduction as a noir (or neo-noir, if you like) rather than considering it an erotic thriller, which is what the production company allegedly thought they were getting and which its none-of-the-cast-or-main-crew sequel The Last Seduction II presumably is. Part of that might just be snobbishness – I like this therefore I’d rather slot it  alongside, say, Scarlet Street than the movies starring assorted Shannons that followed in the wake of Basic Instinct or indeed Jade, the William Friedkin/Joe Eszterhas movie Fiorentino starred in shortly afterwards.  (Then again, I’ll make the case for the bonkers but in places briliantly made Basic Instinct – absolutely an erotic thriller – anytime). More to the point, though, is the fact that the sex scenes in The Last Seduction are all short and plot-relevant – it is (like the noirs of the 1940s) a film whose sexual charge comes through atmosphere and dialogue rather than flesh. 

However, there’s a clear difference in style from Dahl’s debut, Kill Me Again, which although it was set in the present day had lots of scenes that were clearly trying to evoke the 1940s in their look. The Last Seduction in its lighting and sets and technology is unashamedly early 1990s. There are a couple of things that can be seen as retro nods – Bridget’s hair has a Veronica Lake shape to it, for instance – but its noirishness is much more about the characters and the narrative than the visuals. 

Oh, and I like the way that in the outdoor shots in NYC the shots emphasise the height of the buildings and bridges*** to provide a contrast for when we reach low-rise Beston.

(Quick note: if you were born after the film was made and have 2020-flavour progressive sensibilities or are older but share those concerns, there are a couple of things in this film you may regard as problematic.)

Which I guess brings us to the final question: rewatching it in 2020, was I as blown away by The Last Seducation as I was in 1994? Absolutely.

*And I think she’s good in Men In Black and Dogma and – but I want to check this sometime soon – After Hours.

**I’m sure there will be some that pre-date this. But the Wachowskis’ Bound, for instance, is a couple of years after. ***I know, I know, but you can film at eye-level rather than frame your characters tiny against tall buildings. 

Do you have any tan lines? Nope. Have you ever wished you could stop time? Yes. I’ve also wished I could speed it up. Is there any pictures on the wall you're in? Yeah, there’s several. Who was the last person who called you? My mom. Did you make any money today? No.

Have you ever fallen and twisted your ankle? No. What was the highest place you've ever jumped from? I haven’t jumped from anywhere. Have you ever gone swimming in a river? No. Ever been so unfortunate to slip on wet rocks? Nope. When was the last time you got completely soaked by rain? It’s been a long time. One of the times that comes to mind is when my mom, aunt, a former friend, and I were at an outdoor festival and we got caught in an unexpected rain storm. It just started pouring down hard and we were not prepared at all. We had to run back to our car, which was parked a good distance away and yeah we were absolutely soaked. 

Is there something you really want to buy at the moment? I’d love to be able to book a beach vacation getaway. Would you ever consider culinary school? No. I’m not a cook and have no interest in trying to become one. Do you ever watch the clouds, to see if they look like objects/animals etc? I did when I was a kid sometimes. When was the last time you didn't want to get out of bed? That’s me everyday. It’s a real struggle. Are you excited for anything coming up in the near future? No. My foreseeable future consists of more doctors and appointments and struggles and spending most of my time in bed. Speaking of dancing, do you know any real dance moves? I know them, but I can’t do them. Do you save cards from your birthday/x-mas, etc? Yes. What was the last souvenir someone got you? A shirt. Do you have a favorite remix of a song? One of my favorite covers is Adele’s cover of George Michael’s “Fast Love” that she preformed at an award show in honor of him after he died. I can only describe it as hauntingly beautiful. I really wish she would have released a studio version of it. When was the last time you printed something off? I don’t recall; it’s been awhile. Are you one of those people who can learn music/songs by ear? No, I wish. There was a guy in my piano class I took my senior year in high school that could do that. It was really cool. Has the power gone out recently? No, but I have a feeling it will happen soon. It always does when we have a lot of triple digit degree weather, which is what this week has consisted of. Do you like driving at night? I don’t drive, but I like nighttime drives. Like, whenever I travel I love leaving really early when it’s still dark out. It’s a different experience. Does seeing roadkill make you sad, or just grossed out? Both. Does wearing heels make you feel sexier? I don’t wear heels. What do you think is the most saddest sounding instrument? The piano can sound that way. What day do you go back to school (if you're in school)? I’m forever done with school. When was the last time you've gone shopping with a friend? It’s been a few years. Do you ever go out to dinner with your Mom? We haven’t physically gone out to eat for dinner in quite a long time.  What is your favorite kind of salad dressing? Ranch. Have you ever bought fireworks? Not me personlly, but my dad and brother do every 4th of July. Do you really pay attention to the ratings on movies? Sometimes, but I ultimately decide if I want to see it or not. Have you ever snuck in to a theater/dance/bar etc? No. If given the chance, would you go to Ireland? Sure. Who was the last person/website to send you an email? I don’t feel like checking. Has your phone ever rang and scared you? Yeah. I’m such a jumpy person anyway. If you have a cat, does it ever "converse" with you? I don’t have a cat. If given the chance, would you ever fly in a fighter plane like the F-16? No. Are you afraid of standing on the edge of hills/skyscrapers/cliffs etc? Uh, YES. Do you have a favorite species of wild cat (tiger/lion/cougar etc)? No. Do you support the funds designed to protect endangered animals? (Like WWF). I haven’t done much myself to support them, but I’m glad they exist. What type of a drunk are you? (Obnoxious, calm, emotional, violent, etc) I was a chatty drunk. I feel like I was annoying, ha. I was also the sad drunk. Do you have an absolute favorite name (boy or girl)? I love the name Alexander. Are you good at pronouncing foreign words? Uhh, depends. If you're not already, when do you plan on getting married? I don’t want to get married. Can you tolerate the smell of cigarette smoke? Nooo. It honestly makes me sick, like I get lightheaded and dizzy, I get nauseous, and I get a really bad headache. When listening to music, do you usually tap your foot etc to the beat? I sometimes tap my fingers and hands. Have you ever literally cried on a friend's shoulder? No. Was there something that "made your day" today? It literally just turned midnight, so today is just now starting. Do you have a favorite kind of chocolate bar? White chocolate. Are you happy that it's summer? Ugh, no. It’s hot and miserable. Is there anything that you should be doing right now? I’m about to make my nightly bowl of ramen.  Has anyone had expectations that you just couldn't live up to? (finishing this a couple hours later...) That’s how I’ve been feeling. Are you currently in a relationship? If so, how long have you been dating? Nope. Would you ever consider being a DJ at a party if you were paid? Nah. Have you ever tried those electric toothbrushes? Wow, this question makes it seem like they’re so futuristic and rare lol. Yes, I use electric toothbrushes. Are you or anyone you know devoted to "being green"? Not overly so, no. When it comes election time, do you vote (if you're old enough)? Yes. What was the last movie you watched that was on TV? I watched Fear 1994 on Netflix recently if that counts. How long have you had an account on bzoink? I don’t have an account on bzoink. Do strapless bras work for you? I don’t like them. I only wear them if I have to, like with a dress. Do you have a favorite hair elastic that you use almost always? No. Has anyone told you that they wanted to marry you/ were planning on it/etc? No. When you were younger, did you have a yoyo? I did. I couldn’t do any tricks, though. What was the last video game you played, if any? Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Has anyone ever called you nerdy? Yeah. Have you ever had to call 911? Yes. Has there ever been a tornado near where you live? No, fortunately. Are you a rollercoaster addict? Noo. I’m a big scardy cat. Do you feel comfortable enough to wear short shorts? No. I’m very self-conscious about my legs. About my body in general, really. If you have iTunes, do you find the Genius recommendations helpful? I don’t even recall what that is; I haven’t used iTunes in almost 10 years. Are you quick at looking up numbers in phonebooks/ words in dictionaries? Phonebooks, wow.  I haven’t used a phonebook or actual dictionary in yearsssss thanks to the Internet/Google.  Have a favorite actor/actress from Old Hollywood? (Marilyn Munroe, etc) Lucille Ball. Out of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, which are you the best at? None of those. Is there a friend you can always talk to about anything? I don’t have any friends. Can you stand spicy foods? Not anymore. :( It’s gotta have like barely anything like McDonald’s or Taco Bell mild hot sauce type of stuff. It’s wild because I used to be obSESSED with spicy food. I put hot sauce on everything and had a high spicy tolerance. Then a few years ago I developed a sensitivity and I can’t even have red pepper flakes now. It sucks. What's your opinion on people who stretch their ears? Hey, do what you want. I’ll admit the really stretched out lobes freak me out, though. Do you think tattoos are expressive art or unattractive? To me they can be either one, it just depends. What is your school mascot? -- Do you find black and white photos to be pretty? Yeah. Food you make doesn't taste as good as food made by others, true? Sometimes. Especially foods like sandwiches for some reason. I think they’re way better when my mom or a deli makes them.  Is there a certain color that doesn't look good on you? I don’t think I look good in anything, so. Have you ever heard anything interesting about Nova Scotia, Canada? Not that I can recall. Have you ever seen a bear in the wild? No, thankfully. Do you know when you will get to see your significant other next? I’m single. What's the book you're currently reading? ”Such a Good Girl” by Willow Rose. Is your room currently a disaster? No. If going to a concert, do you prefer it to be outside or in a stadium? Definitely in a stadium.

Do you have a case for your camera? I use the camera on my phone, which I do have a case for. Can your cellphone take a beating? I’ve dropped it a few times and so far so good. Is there a month you prefer over others? October and December. Do you ever buy lottery tickets? Just a couple of times. Can you recall the most disturbing movie you've ever seen? A Clockwork Orange is one. Are you more of a tape or a glue person? Tape. Of course, it does depend on what I’m doing. In some cases, glue is the better option.  Has anyone you know gotten mono? Not that I know of. What is/or was your graduating year? I graduated UC in 2015. Have you had a weird dream lately? All my dreams are weird. Have you ever gotten an autograph from someone famous? Yes. Do you own a pair of slippers? No. Do you ever watch VHS movies anymore? No. I don’t even recall the last time. Has your computer ever decided to completely erase itself? No, but I’ve lost stuff because of viruses back in the day. :(

Only when the power goes out do we realize how much we rely on it, true? It definitely becomes quite apparent quite quickly. Have you ever picked an apple off the tree and eaten it? No. Can you say yes / no in different languages? ”Si” and “No”, ha. Are you good at styling your own hair? No. Especially not anymore since I just don’t have the motivation or energy to do anything with my hair, which is why it was always up in a bun. I finally just cut it really short and have been wearing a cute wig if I go somewhere cause that’s all I can to do right now. I am sad, though. It was so long.   Out of the traditional superheroes, which one is your favorite? The Scarlett Witch and Iron Man. What color is the shirt you're wearing right now? Black. Have you ever been lost? Physically and figuratively, yes.

How the Saving Private Ryan Cast Launched a New Generation of Stars

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This article contains spoilers for Saving Private Ryan.

Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan (1998) is known for a number of things: the gut-wrenching, visceral terror of its battle scenes (especially the opening landing at Omaha Beach), the shocking way in which bodies are torn to pieces during the course of those battles, the attention to period detail, and a powerful performance by Tom Hanks that rates as one of his finest.

But one thing that the film may not be as widely recognized for is the lineup of young actors who played members of Capt. John Miller’s (Hanks) squad, or soldiers they met along the way as they searched throughout Normandy for the missing Pvt. James Francis Ryan. From Matt Damon to Vin Diesel, Spielberg recruited relatively new faces who were all, in one way or another, either launching their careers outright or just starting to make their mark on Hollywood.

Saving Private Ryan is now considered one of the greatest war movies of all time. Part of that is due to its incredible realism, part of that is due to the skilled direction by Spielberg at the top of his game, and no doubt part of it is thanks to the work of its youthful cast. Let’s look back at who those actors were then, and what they went on to accomplish afterward.

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Matt Damon (Private James Francis Ryan)

Matt Damon was largely unknown until around 1996 when he gained some good critical notices for his role in Courage Under Fire. At the same time, he and childhood pal Ben Affleck got to finally see their screenplay Good Will Hunting filmed, with Damon in the title role. The movie was in rehearsals in Boston when Steven Spielberg — who was shooting some scenes for Amistad there — stopped by the set to visit with Robin Williams, who introduced Spielberg to Damon. That led to Damon getting the title role in Saving Private Ryan. He’s the young soldier than Tom Hanks and company are trying to find — and who must “earn” his ticket home.

By the time Ryan came out in mid-1998, Damon had gone from unknown to star thanks to the success of Good Will Hunting (which arrived in December 1997), and his and Affleck’s Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay instantly became the stuff of award season legend. Damon has stayed a superstar ever since, starring in the Bourne and Ocean’s Eleven franchises, along with other hits like The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Departed, True Grit, Contagion, The Martian, and Ford vs. Ferrari. Next up for Damon is in Stillwater and reteams with Affleck as co-writers and stars in Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, both due out later this year.

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Edward Burns (Private Richard Reiben)

Ed Burns had already garnered some attention before landing the role of the feisty, rebellious Pvt. Reiben, one of the few members of Miller’s squad to survive the film. He wrote, produced, directed, and starred in two independent features, The Brothers McMullen and She’s The One, with McMullen in particular earning acclaim and awards (including an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature).

Reiben was Burns’ first role in a major Hollywood production, and he followed that up with parts in films like 15 Minutes (2001), Confidence (2003), Life or Something Like It (2002, and the notoriously bad sci-fi thriller, A Sound of Thunder (2005). He also continued to make his own pictures, including No Looking Back (1998), Ash Wednesday (2002), Newlyweds (2011) and Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies (2019), while also creating, directing and starring in a TV series called Public Morals (2015) that lasted for one season on TNT. Not exactly a household name, Burns has nevertheless remained active and prolific.

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Vin Diesel (Private Adrian Caparzo)

Before being cast as Pvt. Caparzo — the first member of Miller’s squad to die while searching for Ryan — the only credits Vin Diesel had to his name were a short film called Multi-Facial, an uncredited walk-on as an orderly in 1990’s Awakenings, and the tiny 1997 indie release Strays, a semi-autobiographical piece which Diesel wrote, directed, and starred in himself. He was, for all intents and purposes, a complete unknown when he was gunned down by a German sniper in a memorably tragic scene early on in Saving Private Ryan.

Things happened quickly for Diesel after that, as he landed the title voice in The Iron Giant (1999) and launched two franchises back to back: in 2000 he introduced the world to the space criminal Riddick in Pitch Black while 2001 brought the film The Fast and the Furious, not to mention Diesel’s signature character, Dominic Toretto. While his other films since have had varying degrees of success, the Fast and Furious series has turned into one of the biggest box office behemoths of the past decade, with F9 coming this summer. Diesel has also played in the world of comic book movies, voicing Groot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and launching his own superhero film venture with last year’s Bloodshot.

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Paul Giamatti (Sergeant William Hill)

The same sequence that features the death of Vin Diesel’s character also introduces the sardonic, war-weary Sgt. William Hill, played by Paul Giamatti, whose inadvertent collapse of a wall leads to a tense standoff with a hidden group of German soldiers. Before Ryan, Giamatti had bounced around in small film and TV parts for the early part of the ’90s, scoring his breakout role in the 1997 Howard Stern biopic, Private Parts, as radio station program director Kenny “Pig Vomit” Rushton.

After Ryan, Giamatti continued to work steadily and garner more acclaim for outstanding performances in films like Man on the Moon, American Splendor, and Sideways, a movie for which we’re still angry that Giamatti did not receive an Academy Award nomination. He did earn one the following year for his supporting role in Cinderella Man and has continued as one of today’s best working actors in movies like Barney’s Version, Win Win, The Ides of March, 12 Years a Slave, and Private Life, along with his exemplary starring work in TV on John Adams and Billions. He even won an Emmy for playing the United States’ second president.

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Nathan Fillion (Private James Frederick Ryan)

He’s only onscreen for a few minutes, but Nathan Fillion makes a distinct impression as the “wrong” Pvt. Ryan, a soldier with nearly the same name whom Miller and his men come across — only to realize that they have to keep looking. The Canadian-born Fillion first scored some attention in the mid-1990s as Joey Buchanan on the daytime soap One Life to Live (he returned briefly in 2007). Aside from an obscure 1994 film called Strange and Rich, Saving Private Ryan was for all intents and purposes his major motion picture debut.

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Since then, Fillion has worked steadily with his biggest successes coming on TV and in the world of geek culture, where he remains a fan favorite. The Joss Whedon-created sci-fi series Firefly didn’t even last one full season between 2001 and 2002, but has become a cult classic and spawned the movie Serenity (2005). Fillion’s later series, Castle and the currently airing The Rookie, have proven more durable. His other notable film and TV credits include James Gunn’s Slither, Desperate Housewives, Modern Family, Santa Clarita Diet, and Monsters University, while his voice work has also included a recurring role as Green Lantern/Hal Jordan in a number of DC animated films. Next up: more comics-related fun as Floyd Belkin/TDK in Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, and the voice of Wonder Man in Hulu and Marvel’s animated M.O.D.O.K.

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Jeremy Davies (Corporal Timothy Upham)

Jeremy Davies is unforgettable as the terrified, cowardly Cpl. Upham, a nerdy translator who is brought on the mission for his linguistic skills and can only stand paralyzed paralyzed with fear as his fellow soldier Mellish is stabbed to death just up a flight of stairs by a Nazi. Like many of his castmates, Davies kicked around in small acting jobs before garnering acclaim in the 1994 black comedy Spanking the Monkey, which also marked the directing debut of David O. Russell.

Saving Private Ryan was his next big attention-getter and cemented his position as one of the more quirky and compelling character actors in film and TV. Following Ryan, Davies worked in films like Ravenous, Solaris, Secretary, and Rescue Dawn, but has also found success on the small screen in series like Lost, Sleepy Hollow, and Justified. He’s also appeared as Dr. John Deegan in the “Elseworlds” arc of the Arrowverse shows The Flash, Supergirl, and Arrow. We’ll see him next in Scott Derrickson’s The Black Phone, based on a story by Joe Hill.

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Giovanni Ribisi (Medic Irwin Wade)

Acting since he was a young child, Giovanni Ribisi already had a substantial career under his belt before playing the doomed medic Wade in Spielberg’s powerful war epic. He had recurring roles in the late 1980s and early 1990s on shows like My Two Dads and The Wonder Years while guesting on a number of other series as well. In the latter half of the ‘90s, he landed parts in movies like That Thing You Do!, Lost Highway, and The Postman, with Ryan easily his highest-profile big screen effort during that time.

After that, Ribisi continued to do character work in movies like Gone in 60 Seconds, Lost in Translation, Cold Mountain, and Public Enemies, before landing the part of the villainous corporate stooge Parker Selfridge in James Cameron’s massively successful and creatively groundbreaking Avatar (2009). He’ll return in Cameron’s upcoming Avatar sequels and has kept busy on the big and small screens, most recently finishing up a three-season run in the title role of the Amazon series Sneaky Pete (fun fact: Sneaky Pete was co-created by Bryan Cranston, who also has a small role in Ryan as one-armed War Department Col. Bryce).

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Barry Pepper (Private Daniel Jackson)

Hailing like Nathan Fillion from Canada, Barry Pepper had just a handful of small credits to his name when he landed the role of the God-fearing but lethal sniper Jackson in Saving Private Ryan. Jackson is perhaps the deadliest weapon in Capt. Miller’s arsenal, although he is eventually killed along with Miller and most of the others during the film’s climactic defense of the bridge in the shattered town of Ramelle.

Pepper probably remains best known for his portrayal of Jackson, but he scored notable roles soon after that in The Green Mile (1999), the TV movie 61* (2001) as baseball legend Roger Maris, and Spike Lee’s 25th Hour (2002). He also appeared in the starring role of 2000’s disastrous Battlefield Earth with John Travolta. Pepper’s recent film work has included roles in The Maze Runner franchise and the sleeper horror hit Crawl (2019).

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Adam Goldberg (Private Stanley Mellish)

“Juden,” says Pvt. Stanley Mellish, pointing to himself and the Jewish Star of David he wears around his neck as a stream of German POWs is marched past him. It’s a small but powerful moment in Saving Private Ryan for the defiant, wisecracking Mellish, who’s there to wipe out as many Nazis as he can. In the movie’s climactic battle, he bravely and viciously fights hand to hand with a German soldier before the latter sinks a knife slowly into his chest in one of the film’s most intensely horrifying moments.

Adam Goldberg had already appeared in a number of notable films before Ryan, including Billy Crystal’s Mr. Saturday Night (Goldberg’s 1992 debut), Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused (1993), John Singleton’s Higher Learning (1995), and the cult horror classic The Prophecy (1995). Mellish remains perhaps his most famed role, but other standouts like A Beautiful Mind (2001), Déjà Vu (2006), and Zodiac (2007) dot his filmography. He’s guested frequently on TV as well and currently has a regular role as Harry Keshegian opposite Queen Latifah on The Equalizer. He’s also directed three features of his own, recorded four albums of his own music, and has exhibited his work as a photographer.

The post How the Saving Private Ryan Cast Launched a New Generation of Stars appeared first on Den of Geek.

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Remembering Donald O'Connor ❤

“A performer has to answer to himself. If you think something’s funny, you’ve got to go out there and try. It’s only by trial and error that you find out.”

 August 28, 1925 - September 27, 2003

“I’m tired of being a machine … I am no angel, I’m the same as everyone else, with the same temperament and temper. I resent having people tag me as perpetual, super-polite juvenile. I’m subject to fever, headaches and bad-temper just like anybody else.” February 1954

“Alcoholism was a desease, a genetic thing. I used to have a marvelous time drinking. Until I passed that invisible line and became an alcoholic. I figured that I could master the rehab programme, be out there in a week, go back to drinking. But once I was there, something marvelous happened. My obsession to drink left me. Now I have been a recovering alcoholic for fifteen and a half years.” June 1994

After he suffered a very serious physical collapse caused by excessive alcohol abuse in 1978, Donald was finally hospitalized for approx. three months. Ever since he was cured from alcoholism in 1979, Donald recovered visibly, regained the trust of his family, went back to work successfully and never touched a drop of alcohol again for the rest of his life. On top of that, he claimed that he had never been happier in life ever before.

“He’s the man you’d wish to be with you for the rest of your life.” Gloria Noble O'Connor ~ Donald’s second wife

“I’m the guy who danced through life. It seems that no matter what I do, if I did MacBeth, they’d want me to do eight bars of ‘Tea for Two’ just because it pleases. It’s the kind of dancing I do – jumping around and having a good time. It’s happy, gay, and pleasant. Dancing is so wonderful. Once they start the music, your whole day, if it’s been rotten, seems to melt away. You get carried away in the tune that you’re moving to. It’s a marvelous catharsis … to be able to get on top and tap dance.”

“Donald was a spontaneous artist and comedian, and he could never do anything the same twice. There was no way you could say, ‘Do it this way, and it will be funnier.’ It was all improvisation.The dummy he uses in the dance, for example, was lying on a rehearsal stage next door to us [on the set of SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN]. We walked in one day and Donald started to fool around with it. For half an hour, we just roared with laughter. Finally, we said, ‘Well, let’s put that in the number.’ All of it came right out of Donald. It was unbelievable. We had to throw out 20 minutes of it.“ Gene Kelly

“I was born in a trunk, and I’ll die performing.”

… you nearly made it, Don! I love and miss him with all my heart … it is a blessing that Donald shared his unique talent with the world for more than 70 (!) years! He loved to entertain his audiences, was a passionate performer and made generations laugh (of course, he still does!), even though he had to struggle with many personal, painful strokes of fate. Donald O'Connor was the youngest and the fourth surviving child of seven, born to John Edward “Chuck” O'Connor, who was from County Cork in Ireland, and Effie Irene O'Connor (née Crane), both vaudevillians. The O'Connor Family was billed as “The Royal Family of Vaudeville” at the time. When Donald was 10 months old, his father died from heart attack while performing on stage, only a few weeks after his seven year-old sister Arlene was killed in a car accident. As she was crossing the street with Donald in a stroller, the car hit her. Miraculously, Donald remained nearly unhurt. Effie O'Connor had become extremely overprotective of her remaining children, seeming never to completely recover from the shock of losing her daughter and husband within weeks of each other. Donald joined the family act when he was just a toddler. He enjoyed being on stage, which also served as escape from his domineering mother. Sadly, she had a good reason to worry. Until 1958, Donald finally had survived all his siblings. Don was only 19 years old, when he married his first wife Gwen Carter in 1944, the year he entered service in WWII. While he was overseas, he got acquainted with the devil who became finally an obsession ... alcohol. After returning home, life went back to normal very slowly. Universal Pictures, where he was under contract since 1942, did not really know what to do with him. His first apperance on screen after the war followed in 1947. In the meantime, his daughter Donna was born in 1946. Unfortunately, the marriage of Don and Gwen didn’t went very well and finally ended up with divorce in 1954. All these incidents and the fact, that Don was always a workoholic resulted in alcoholism, he suffered from for almost 25 years ... creepingly getting worse and worse over the decades, reducing his ability to work increasingly and reaching its sad low point, visible to the outside, in the 1970s. As he was also a heavy smoker, he additionally developed a heart deasease. Burning the candle at both ends resulted in a heart attack in 1971, a serious physical collapse in 1978 and a quadruple bypass surgery in the early 1990s. That was quite a price to pay, but he always managed to pick himself up and keep going. After all, Donald O'Connor stayed down-to-earth and was beyond that one of the most versatile, charming, modest and sweetest gentlemen in Hollywood. ☆ Thankfully, Don found happiness with his lovely second wife Gloria Noble. She was the love of his life and the best that could have happened to him. Because of his addiction, they went through hard times, but she never let him down. Their marriage lasted over 46 years until his death in 2003, three children were born to them.

Dream team - Donald & Gloria at “Ciro’s” in 1956. They got married in October of the same year. ☆ Since I was a child, I’ve adored him as an excellent (tap) dancer, singer, comedian and actor. By the way, he was a great composer, too! Until 1955, at the age of 30, Donald had appeared in 45 (!) motion pictures [“Singin’ In The Rain" is #38!]. The press called him “the youngest old-timer in show business” at that time. That’s quite a statement of what had been accomplished by such a young man. In addition, his vaudeville background, successful TV shows during the 1950s and 1960s as well as a vast number of stage performances his entire life speak for themselves. It always seems to me that there was nothing Donald couldn’t do. In his later years, when the popularity of musicals slowly had faded away, Donald should have been managed better. After “Singin’ In The Rain” he never got a role again matching his extraordinary talent in this way, even if he made some wonderful movies in the 1950s, such as “Call Me Madam”. It wasn’t considered enough that he was a also a fine ‘serious’ actor, proved by his performances in the ‘Francis the Talking Mule” series or in ”The Buster Keaton Story” (although the script is awful and terribly incorrect!) and even in his early roles as a child. It makes me sad that Hollywood didn’t really know how to take advantage of his versatility. Unfortunately, he does not receive the credit he really deserves … he was so much more than 'Cosmo Brown'! ☆ Over the years, I’ve also developed profound respect and admiration for this wonderful man away from the spotlight. I’m fascinated by his real life achievement, kindness, honest modesty and willpower. Hopefully, someone will pay tribute to this endearing human being and unique  artist, perpetuate his memory by writing down his life story. Maybe one (or more) of his four lovely children, Donna, Alicia, Donald Frederick or Kevin … … I could die happy then!

“I’m no longer a superstar. Now I’m working on being a quasar, because stars wear out. Quasars go on forever … I look for the parts where I die and they talk about me for the rest of the movie.” 1992

Happy Birthday Donald 💋 … You’ve always been my mentor and the light of my life, darling!

Keeping his legacy alive … le grá go deo ♡♡♡

(Photos on top show Donald O'Connor over the decades, in order 1930s - 2000s from left to right.)

Famous Muses & Groupies in Rock Music Pt. 36

MUSE: Marianne Faithfull (full name Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull)

Marianne was born December 29th, 1946 in Hampstead, England to Robert Faithfull and Eva von Sacher-Mosach. Through Eva’s family lineage, Marianne has aristocratic roots of Austrian nobility. Her great, great uncle Leopold von Sacher-Masoch is the author of the infamous novel Venus in Furs (1870). When Marianne was 6 years old, her parents divorced and she spent the rest of her youth with her mom in Reading. Not long afterwards, Marianne was diagnosed with tuberculosis, which took her years to successfully be cured of. Despite her mother’s family lineage being Jewish, Marianne attended St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Convent School as a teenager and considered becoming a nun. When she was 17 she began performing in local theatre productions and singing in coffeehouses. Only months later in 1964, she was discovered by rock music producer and manager Andrew Loog Oldham. Oldham quickly got her signed to a record contract, and had Keith Richards and Mick Jagger compose her first single and trademark song, ‘As Tears Go By.’ Marianne then had more success with the singles ‘Come Stay with Me,’ ‘This Little Bird,’ ‘Summer Nights,’ ‘Go Away from My World,’ and ‘Something Better.’ In 1966, she crossed over into acting including the films Made in USA (1966), Anna (1967), Girl on a Motorcycle (1968) and the short film Lucifer Rising (1972). She made movie history as the first person to ever say the word ‘fuck’ in a major film release with I’ll Never Forget What’s’isname (1967). Her on stage performances include ‘Three Sisters’ (1967) and ‘Hamlet’ (1969). During the 1970s, her career took a dive from drug addiction, but bounced back with the new wave album ‘Broken English’ (1979), which soared to success on the charts and critically. The title track and ‘The Ballad of Lucy Jordan’ from the album were particularly favored as well.

Marianne’s not only an accomplished music artist and actress, but also one of the most famous muses in rock music. To the point where her relationships almost overshadowed her work. The year she was signed to Decca Records, Marianne began dating artist John Dunbar when she was 17 and he 21. Less than a year later they married on May 6th, 1965, and had a son named Nicholas in November. Peter Asher of Peter & Gordon was John’s best man at their wedding. The marriage was very short-lived because Marianne started becoming a bit too familiar with the Rolling Stones. In her 1994 self-titled memoir, Marianne revealed that she hooked up with Brian Jones and Keith Richards before officially becoming Mick Jagger’s girlfriend. She claims that Brian was a great guy and musician, but an awkward lover, so they only made out. Keith was apparently the best time she ever had in bed (:O), though he was the one who suggested she go out with Mick. Keith was more interested in Brian’s girlfriend Anita Pallenberg, who coincidentally became Marianne’s best friend. (Marianne also suggested that for a brief period in the early 1970s, she and Anita were FWB as well. Hot.)

In August 1966, Marianne left John and moved in with Mick. Almost instantly she began experimenting with drugs like weed and acid. In 1967, Mick and Marianne started hanging out with the Beatles frequently and appeared the promo video for ‘A Day in the Life.’ She was also part of the all-star line-up in the Stones’ shelved TV special Rock & Roll Circus (1968); where you can see Marianne clearly intoxicated and Mick not amused by the end of the performances. Earlier in ‘67, Mick, Keith and Marianne were busted for drugs on Keith’s Redlands property in Sussex, where Marianne was found nude in only a fur rug. Marianne’s called the whole incident frustrating and embarrassing. “It destroyed me. They were branded bad boy rockstars, while I was labeled a slut and a horrible mother.” Then in ‘68, she started snorting coke and miscarried a baby (she would also lose custody of Nicholas two years later because of the extreme drug abuse). The song ‘Wild Horses’ from the Stones’ 1971 album ‘Sticky Fingers’ originated from the first words Marianne said after waking up from a near-death drug overdose: “Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.” Around the same time, Marianne composed the song ‘Sister Morphine,’ which the band also covered on ‘Sticky Fingers,’ and was the B-side of Marianne’s 1968 single ‘Something Better.’

Mick and Marianne officially broke up in May 1970, not long after she attempted suicide. In her book, she went into detail of how she cut off all her hair and tried to make herself look less pretty to get Mick to be the one to end the relationship. By now, Marianne was addicted to heroin and practically homeless. With the exception of a rather unique 1973 TV performance covering ‘I Got You, Babe’ with David Bowie and the 1975 album ‘Dreamin’ My Dreams,’ her music career was at a stand-still until ‘Broken English.’ Things began looking up again when she started going out with Ben Brierly of the punk band the Vibrators. The two met in 1975, married on July 8th, 1979 before divorcing in 1986. A year before the divorce in 1985, Marianne finally entered rehab to end her drug issues. Since then, Marianne’s life is back on track. She has been steadily releasing music, occasionally acts and she published two more memoirs, Memories, Dreams and Reflections (2008) and A Life on Record (2014). She also reconciled her relationship with son Nicholas and they have regularly been in contact since the 1990s. Marianne had two more serious relationships after Ben as well. Her third and last marriage was to actor Giorgio Della Terza from 1987-1991; and she lived with her manager François Ravard from 1994-2009.

Fun fact: Marianne directly inspired the Hollies’ 1967 single ‘Carrie-Anne.’ Graham Nash had a crush on her at the time, but never told her and slightly modified the namesake.

Improve your English and spook yourself this Halloween

Are you in the mood to watch something spooky this Halloween? Grab some pillows and pop the popcorn! Halloween is the perfect time to sit on the sofa with friends (or alone if you’re brave) to watch a horror movie or two. Why not use this opportunity to practice your English listening skills as well?

There are tons of good and bad horror movies out there on Netflix, Hulu, or your other favorite streaming service. With so many options to choose from, you might not know where to start. So here’s a list of important horror movies from the past five decades to get you started. Keep in mind that these movies are adult-oriented. That means you should make sure the kids are asleep before you start watching. Happy viewing!

Horror Movies to Watch

1970s

The Exorcist (1973)

This supernatural horror film by William Friedkin— which is based on William Peter Blatty’s novel that is in turn loosely based on true events—has often been called the greatest horror movie ever made. It deserves the praise.

The film centers on a priest who is called to examine a young girl’s disturbing behavior. Her mother can’t find any medical or scientific explanation, and the priest concludes that the young girl, named Reagan, is showing signs of demonic possession. The priest requests the Catholic Church to send an expert priest to perform an exorcism (a religious ritual to remove an evil spirit from a person’s body). The devilish ordeal unfolds over the rest of the film.

The film famously uses complex visual and audio special effects as well as a chilling soundtrack to achieve moments of terror and disbelief. It has many memorable scenes, and the acting is excellent. If you only watch one film from this list, I recommend this one.

Halloween (1978)

John Carpenter directed and scored (wrote the music for) this genre-defining slasher film, which has led to many sequels and remakes. This includes the highly-praised 2018 direct sequel with the original lead actress, Jamie Lee Curtis, reprising (performing again) her role.

The film tells a story of an escaped mental institution patient named Michael Meyers who stalks and kills teenage babysitters in a small town one Halloween night. One by one, the babysitters fall until the last girl remains and fights back with everything she has.

Although it wasn’t the first in the slasher horror genre, Halloween is a hugely influential movie, paving the way and creating a blueprint for other slasher horror films like Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th. Carrie (1976)

Carrie would the first of many film adaptations of novelist Stephen King’s bestselling work. In fact, Carrie was King’s first published novel.

Brian De Palma directed this story of supernatural suspense and horror about a seventeen-year-old girl who is bullied in high school. One day, she discovers that she has telekinetic powers (the ability to move objects with her mind). She uses this power to take revenge on the cruel classmates who humiliated her. The prom night scene is one of the most famous moments in the history of horror movies.

Also consider:

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) The Wicker Man (1973) The Omen (1976)

1980s

Creepshow (1982)

The best thing about Creepshow is that you don’t have to watch the whole film to enjoy it. The film comprises (consists of) five short dark comedy horror stories written by Stephen King and directed by George Romero. Creepshow isn’t a particularly good film by acting or film-making standards. It has the feeling of a comic book. Still, horror movie lovers will find a lot to enjoy here. It’s not too silly to be called a comedy, and it’s not too serious to be truly scary.

The Evil Dead (1981)

The Evil Dead follows five college students who stay the night in a cabin in a remote part of a forest. In the cabin, they listen to an audio tape which summons demons which possess their bodies. This film has a lot of gory (showing lots of violence or blood) special effects and make-up, which may be disturbing for some viewers.

Despite the very low budget used to make it, The Evil Dead lives on as a critical and fan favorite in the genre. The tight story drives viewers through a terrifying plot that gets more gruesome and tense with each passing scene.

The director, Sam Raimi, and lead actor, Bruce Campbell, went on to create two direct sequels, The Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness. Campbell plays the main role in both. Both sequels take a more comic approach than the first film. Developing a close relationship through their partnership, Campbell appears as a cameo character in all of Raimi’s films. Look for him in the Sam Raimi Spiderman trilogy films.

The Thing (1982)

John Carpenter made this science fiction horror film about a group of American researchers in Antarctica. They encounter “the thing”, an alien parasite which can take the shape of and imitate any person or creature which it absorbs. The researchers must fight against the parasite creature and their own sense of paranoia (false belief that other people are trying to harm you). The story becomes grimmer as the researchers lose trust in each other and realize that any of them could be an imitation. Kurt Russel plays one of the main characters here.

Although the film was released to negative reviews, it has grown in popularity over the years and is now considered a horror classic. It has been praised for its very impressive special effects and slow but steadily increasing suspense.

The alien is a terrible creature, but the main fear is not knowing which character is still human.

Also consider:

The Evil Dead II (1987) An American Werewolf in London (1981) Poltergeist (1982) The Fly (1986) Friday the 13th (1980) The Shining (1980) Prince of Darkness (1987) A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

1990s

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

Francis Ford Coppola directed this international renowned Gothic horror film which won Academy Awards for costume design, makeup, and sound editing. The story, of course, is a classic, based on the 1897 novel by Bram Stoker that built up the lore (traditional knowledge and beliefs) and mystery of Dracula, Van Helsing, and the vampire fantasy genre. Gary Oldman’s performance of Vlad Dracula might be the most impressive part of this film, but don’t ignore the excellent costumes, make-up effects, and background sets. Don’t miss out on Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It does a great job of telling this classic story in a unique way.

Francis Ford Coppola is a central figure in cinema, known especially for The Godfather series and Apocalypse Now.

Event Horizon (1997)

This science fiction horror film directed by Paul W.S. Anderson occurs in distant space. A group of astronauts go on a rescue mission near the planet Neptune when they suddenly find the Event Horizon, a spaceship that has long been missing. They board (get into or onto) the Event Horizon and discover that the entire crew is gone. They also find out that the ship’s engine is designed to open passages to another dimension. As they continue to look for the missing crew members, they realize that there is an evil presence on the ship.

Sam Neill is widely known for his role as Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park. But he actually played a major role in Event Horizon and several other horror films—including another on this list, In the Mouth of Madness.

Scream (1996)

Scream is a slasher film directed by Wes Craven. The film stars a group of 90s TV and film celebrities (including Drew Barrymore, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and others) who play high school students. A knife-wielding murderer wearing a ghost mask terrorizes the group, killing them off one by one. The film combines slasher horror with comedy and mystery elements. It also satirizes (makes fun of) clichés (common situations or characters) within the horror genre. The movie was very popular when it was released, and a series of sequels and films with similar stories were released thereafter.

Also, consider:

In the Mouth of Madness (1994) Army of Darkness (1993) The Blair Witch Project (1999) The Silence of the Lambs (1991) Candyman (1992) Tremors (1990)

2000s

Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

Trick ‘r Treat is an anthology (collection of art) film like Creepshow. It offers four different Halloween stories, but there is one character that appears across each of them. Every time one of the characters breaks a “rule” of Halloween, the character Sam shows up to show teach them a horrifying lesson. One reason you’ll love Trick ‘r Treat is that all the stories take place on Halloween, and the stories play on people’s expectations of Halloween customs and horror movie plots. It couldn’t be more a more perfect film to watch this season. All the stories are well-crafted, balancing a line of fun entertainment and scary thrills.

The Descent (2005)

The Descent is a British horror film about six adventure-seeking women who go spelunking (cave exploring) in a cave system. Inside the cave, they encounter a long-hidden group of bloodthirsty creatures who start to hunt them down.

The cave setting increases the tension since you know the characters have very few places to hide. Also, the moody soundtrack does a great job of building and holding suspense. This film also explores the characters’ flawed relationships and problems, adding a sense of personal development to this tale of monster horror.

The Mist (2007)

Frank Darabont directed this Stephen King science fiction horror adaptation. It follows a group of people who barricade themselves in a supermarket after a thick fog covers their entire small town. When anyone goes out into the fog, they are swept up or gruesomely attacked by monstrous insect-like creatures.

Although the monsters are huge threat to the characters, the film also explores the extreme tension between people as they struggle to survive the unnatural mist that drives them to the brink (edge) of sanity. The climax of the film is really remarkable.

Also consider:

Drag Me to Hell (2009) 28 Days Later (2002) Slither (2006) Let the Right One In (2008)

2010s

The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

The less I say about The Cabin in the Woods, the better. It follows a group of college students who visit a cabin in the woods, and you’ll just have to see the film to find out anything else. This is the kind of horror film where the surprise is the most rewarding part of the movie. I’ll just say this, the more horror movies you’ve seen in your life, the more you’ll appreciate The Cabin in the Woods.

Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) wrote the screenplay for the film in just three days. The film has great special effects and make-up.

The Conjuring (2013)

The Conjuring is an expertly crafted supernatural horror film from director James Wan. It follows Ed and Lorraine Warren, a husband and wife team of paranormal (very strange events that can’t be explained by science) investigators, whose real-life reports have inspired many other horror films, like Annabelle and The Amityville Horror. In this film, the couple tries to help a family which recently moved into a severely haunted house in Rhode Island.

The chills (sudden feelings of fear) in The Conjuring are outstanding. The film does an amazing job of getting you to sympathize with the family and investigators’ plight (very bad situation) as they deal with the disturbing events taking place in the house.

The Conjuring is the first film in The Conjuring Universe, which includes direct sequels, the Annabelle series, and the newly released The Nun. Get Out (2017) Get Out is a landmark (very important achievement) of American horror films. The film is the directorial debut (first produced film) of Jordan Peele, a well-known comedian from his retired Comedy Central show, Key and Peele. It tells the story of an African-American man, played by Daniel Kaluuya, who goes to visit the family of his white girlfriend for the first time. While he stays at their home, he uncovers a horrifying secret.

Not only does the film tell an exceptional story of tension and terror, it spaces out the dread with moments of brilliant humor. Looking closely at the film, viewers will see how Jordon Peele addresses racism through the lens of (with the perspective of) a unique horror story while paying homage (respect based on previous work) to classics of the genre.

Also consider:

It Follows (2014) The VVitch (2015) It (2017) The Babadook (2014)

Some people might read this and think, why should I watch horror movies at all? I don’t like to be scared. Well, there’s not a perfect answer for that question. Your brain produces a mix of chemicals that makes you feel scared when you think something bad is going to happen. It’s the same as when you ride a roller coaster or do something else that takes you outside of your comfort zone.

If you enjoy suspense or the feeling of surprise that keeps you on the edge of your seat, then you can’t go wrong with any movie from this list for a great Halloween thrill. Just about all of them have received critical praise or have gone on to become fan favorites.

Moreover, watching movies can be a great way to improve your English! For one thing, you’ll get to hear English that isn’t coming from a textbook. The English spoken in movies is very natural, which means that it’s what you would hear from native English speakers. Second, when you watch a movie, you’ll develop a sense of the context around the dialogue. This means that you have chances to learn or guess vocabulary based on the situation. Finally, by hearing natural English in movies you can hear and see the way words are expressed. You can pay attention to body language, pronunciation, and reactions to understand what the characters really mean.

LASC faculty and staff always want to help students learn English in interesting ways. Teachers here would recommend you keep your dictionary by your side, turn on the English subtitles, and don’t worry about catching every word. Even rewind and repeat scenes if you’re using English movies to study. Watching movies, scary or not scary, can be a fun way to improve your English. You can also follow this blog for more great tips on learning English and living in southern California.

Talk to an LASC representative to learn how we can help you on your learning journey.

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Film Face-Off: Deadly Target (1994) Vs. White Tiger (1996)

While re-watching some of my movies in search of something to review, I realized how strikingly similar 1994’s Deadly Target and 1996’s White Tiger appear to be. Both are pretty good vehicles from Gary Daniels’ solo career, and seemingly by coincidence, they have the same plot. This realization and the provisional quality of the films makes me want to try something new and turn this would-be review into a competitive comparison between the two. Should be fun, right?

Know now that this article’s almost exclusively for the Gary Daniels fans out there. Few casual viewers will have seen both features, but hey, we’re all about niches here at B-Movie Dragons.

First, some background. Deadly Target is a PM Entertainment production, and while not the first starring picture for Gary Daniels, it’s his first solo vehicle that’s actually good. Indeed, it wasn’t until PM gave him this nudge that the prettyboy kickboxer from London became Gary friggin’ Daniels. Just a couple years afterwards, he was working on a Hong Kong feature when the production went broke and was bought out by the Canada-based Keystone Pictures company. Keystone scrapped the existing footage and did away with the storyline, committing themselves to a completely different movie called White Tiger, which inexplicably ended up being very similar to Daniels’ aforementioned feature. There’s no evidence that this was actually their intention, but there’s no denying the parallels.

Now, let’s look at which version of this adventure did it better.

The Story

In both features, a law enforcement agent seeks to capture a rogue member of the Chinese-American mafia who’s killed the hero’s partner en route to distributing an addictive narcotic on the West Coast. In both cases, the hero is aided by a love interest and the final showdown takes place on a docked ship.

The overriding difference between the two is how seriously the story takes itself. As tends to be the case with PM productions, Deadly Target is lighthearted with a noticeable comedic streak. It’s a popcorn flick despite never having seen the inside of a theater. Contrarily, White Tiger is far too serious to have much fun with itself. It goes for drama over laughs, and even when there is some humor, it’s dry or ironic. Merely considering this, I prefer the former. While I can see some viewers being bored by Deadly Target’s 90s-style cheesiness, it’s the same cheese which gives the story texture and an organic quality that White Tiger lacks. That said, White Tiger invests you more in its characters. While not the most skillfully-written action feature, it knows what it’s going for and does a good job of directing viewers’ emotions. Deadly Target’s characters are established as soon as they appear onscreen, but White Tiger’s tend to not show their cards right away. There’s development here, and it’s not just limited to the leads. The movie wants you to think about characters’ motivations, and it’s ambitious enough to try and surprise the audience at intervals with out-of-nowhere twists. Wisely, it doesn’t overplay its hand: though it liberally sprinkles the thriller aspects,  it never forgets that we’re expecting an action movie and makes sure to avoid pretentiousness. To that end, it wins me over. Deadly Target may be more fun, but White Tiger gives me more to write about. It’s a pretty good movie with which to introduce newcomers to Gary Daniels, whereas Deadly Target is mainly for established B-movie audiences.

Point: White Tiger

The Hero

Gary Daniels wasn’t the greatest actor at this point in his career and his starring roles sort of blend together. Such is the case when you compare these movies: he’s Detective Charles Prince in Deadly Target and Agent Mike Ryan in White Tiger, and they seem like merely different takes on the same character. The major difference between them is that Charles seems to have more fun with his life-or-death mission, taking the time to crack jokes and express interest in other things while Mike pursues his target with uniform intensity. You can see practically Charles in an early scene of White Tiger while the hero’s vacationing with his partner’s family, and Mike seems to pop up in Deadly Target whenever he’s faced with the lead villain.

When it comes to their motivations, Mike is a little easier to empathize with. Charles mentions that the villain killed his (first) partner, but with Mike, you not only see this happen but also experience his investment in his partner’s family. This favors White Tiger, and it doesn’t help that Charles seems to have some sort of unspoken homophobia going on…but despite that, I give the point to Deadly Target. For all his shallowness, Charles is simply more likable. Gary Daniels turns in a better dramatic performance for Mike, but he’s just not interesting enough to make his relentless seriousness worthwhile. Charles is an example of Daniels having fun with a role, and in this case, it wins him the category.

Point: Deadly Target

The Villain

A hero is only as impressive as their adversary, and in both cases, Gary Daniels draws a good card for a bad guy: Byron Mann as Chang in Deadly Target and Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa as Victor Wong in White Tiger. Mann and Tagawa are both acclaimed performers who, despite having predominantly acted in other genres, are generally known for playing martial artists – Mann in Street Fighter: The Movie and Tagawa in Mortal Kombat. Both are versatile actors who swing between low-budget and Hollywood-grade productions with ease, bringing class to both while keeping their dignity intact. For both movies, they elevate the production and help legitimize Gary Daniels with their presence.

That said, I’m more impressed by Cary in this instance. Part of it’s just that his character’s written with greater nuance, but he also just has the stronger presence. It helps that this role goes against type for him, so that he’s not depicting an upright sentinel for a change. He starts off like that, but within minutes you get the impression that Victor Wong would be more at home in The Silence of the Lambs than Showdown in Little Tokyo. By the time the movie reaches its climax, Victor has become a self-destructive freak, single-handedly justifying the film’s drug & fire motif. Comparatively, Mann doesn’t have much going for him other than that he’s obviously having fun. Byron manifests the tone of the screenplay perfectly, but his character sometimes goes absent long enough for me to almost forget he’s the bad guy. Given his youth, Mann may seem like the more obvious choice for an underworld renegade who’s upsetting the established order, but Tagawa stands out thanks to Victor’s greater depth. (Also, he has a fight scene with Gary Daniels, which Mann doesn’t.)

Point: White Tiger

The Love Interest

Please forgive the condescension this label implies, but in both movies, the most prominent female character is largely defined by her relationship with the hero. Nevertheless, Susan Byun’s Diana Tang and Julia Nickson’s Jade are uniquely different characters that lend differing tones to their features. Diana is a warm-hearted person who, despite working in a casino owned by a mob boss, leads a pretty sheltered life. Jade spends much of her movie being an enigma, clearly knowing more than she’s letting on. Diana wants to get intimate with Charles because she feels genuinely attracted to him, whereas Jade is a femme fatale who nudges Mike along and has sex with him only to further a personal agenda. Also, Jade is infinitely more in touch with her Hong Kong heritage while Diana is utterly Americanized and initially repulsed when Charles prepares her a “Chinese delicacy” with squid.

As for who earns the point, it comes down to how they fare in the face of danger, and there’s really no question. Diana introduces herself by clubbing an attacker in the head to rescue Charles and later goes on to have two unexpected fight scenes. Susan Byun becomes a temporary action hero despite her character’s conventions, but Julia Nickson ironically fares worse. White Tiger spends much time building Jade up as an experienced assassin, but when the need for her to make a move arises, she’s instantly overwhelmed and becomes a damsel without really having accomplished anything. For both of these characters, they end up doing the exact opposite of what you’d expect, but only Diana benefits from it. It’s a cheap move on the part of White Tiger’s writers to ultimately demean their character this way, and in this instance, it costs them.

Point: Deadly Target

The Supporting Cast

Which set of supporting characters you end up preferring is largely dependent on what tone you favor, as all the performers do a good job reflecting the mood of their picture. Again, there are many parallel roles that are merely played differently. Portraying the hero’s partner is Ken McLeod in Deadly Target and Matt Craven in White Tiger: martial arts-practicing straight man and tragic best buddy. Both police captains are played by award-winning TV actors: colic-y Max Gail (Barney Miller) and the reserved Philip Granger (Neon Rider). The most visible mafia lord is played by the expressive Aki Aleong in the first film and the graceful Dana Lee in the other. Both feature henchman extraordinaire Ron Yuan as the villain’s lieutenant, but he’s only a fully-fledged character in Deadly Target. Last but not least are the roles good ol’ George Cheung plays: he’s a mafia figure with no lines in the first picture, and one of the more interesting co-stars in the second.

If there was nothing else to consider, I’d happily decree this category a draw, but the deciding factor ends up being the amplitude of supporting fighters in Deadly Target. It’s a cool lineup: Leo Lee, Al Leong, James Lew, Randall Shiro Ideishi, and Koichi Sakamoto all have at least one highlighted altercation, and the late Master Bill Ryusaki plays one of the more active henchmen. Lieutenant Lydia Look – along with her stunt double, Olympian taekwondoka Dana Hee – has a couple of surprisingly good fights against Susan Byun. By comparison, White Tiger doesn’t bother highlighting many of its supporting kickers, and that seals it for me.

Point: Deadly Target

The Production

In addition to the filmmakers’ talent, the quality of a movie’s production is a matter of time and budget, and it’s easy to tell which of these films had more. As I’ve mentioned, Deadly Target is a PM Entertainment film, and while PM was great at maximizing its resources and cranking out exciting B-movies, it’s obvious that these are, in fact, B-movies. Deadly Target’s no exception: the locations are unremarkably urban, the cinematography is staid, the camerawork isn’t dynamic, and even the film quality is a little grainy. Director Charla Driver – one of the few women to direct a PM production and one of the few women to direct a U.S. martial arts feature, period – is every bit as good as her cohorts at putting together a compact and entertaining action package, but there’s no opportunity for it to rise above that status.

White Tiger, on the other hand, may easily be mistaken for a Hollywood production. Keystone Pictures would actually produce a couple of those shortly after this one, which in retrospect seems like a warm-up exercise for director Richard Martin. The movie showcases some exotic locations, has a lot of good-looking sets, and actually has the time to do fun stuff with its camera. The musical stings are almost comically overdone at times, but the soundtrack still stands out where its adversary’s is forgettable. The movie generates mixed results when trying to be artsy but still has the finesse to qualify as a neo-noir. Whereas both features are by-the-numbers in their own way, White Tiger is simply more lavish and thereby pulls ahead.

Point: White Tiger

The Action

In a way, this is the most important category. Action pieces and fight scenes are the backbone of any martial arts feature, and with a star as capable as Gary “Danger Man” Daniels in the lead, both productions knew they had the potential to make a minor action classic. To help get them there, both selected fantastic coordinators to get the job done: Deadly Target had Jeff Pruitt and White Tiger had the late, great Marc Akerstream.

Pruitt was an exotic regular of the TV and DTV realms from 1991 to 2003. As the first American member of the Japan-based Alpha Stunts team, his cohorts and he brought a dynamic, stunt-heavy style of action to the small screen. Though best known for working on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Jeff regularly got career-defining performances out of the performers he directed, particularly DTV golden boy Jeff Wincott. Deadly Target was the first (and thus far only) time Pruitt collaborated with Gary Daniels, and the Hong Kong veteran works well with the style of his handler. No slouch either is Akerstream, whose career highlight may have been working with Jackie Chan by coordinating the vehicle that gained JC fame in America: Rumble in the Bronx. Though he tended to work in low-budget fare, he coordinated several times in Hollywood blockbusters and did a ton of work for TV. Tragically, an accident on the set of The Crow: Stairway to Heaven ended his life in 1998.

White Tiger may actually be Marc’s magnum opus as an action filmmaker, as he delivers some strong pieces without being relegated by a higher-placed coordinator. Though this is primarily a martial arts movie, it mixes things up with some vehicle scenes and shootouts. Deadly Target does this as well, but White Tiger has a flair in that regard that the former can’t top, especially when it comes to the well-choreographed scenes with the biker assassins. Still, Gary Daniels’ fight scenes are the highlights of the picture, and what highlights they are! The brawls dig deep into Daniels’ real-life abilities, featuring not only a plethora of spinning kicks but also aikido throws and intricate kung fu exchanges. A showdown with Ron Yuan is pretty cool, and the final match with Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa is a very decent brawl.

However, the increased production standards ultimately work against White Tiger via over-editing. While not horrible, the fight scenes are filled with cuts and slow motion that tries to fool you into thinking that the brawls are even better than they already are. Gary Daniels isn’t some inexperienced Ken doll with shortcomings that need disguising, so the editing tricks are facetious. Deadly Target’s fights have no such problems, with their long takes and limited slow motion. Though Jeff Pruitt’s heavy usage of throws and flips may seem excessive to some, the fact is that his film’s simply less restrained in showcasing physicality. While I understand that White Tiger’s action may simply be a matter of stylistic consistency, Deadly Target’s greater willingness to show a fight junkie like me everything its performers have to offer puts it over its competition.

Point: Deadly Target

The Winner: Deadly Target

Deadly Target (1994) Directed by Charla Driver (assistant director for Ice Cream Man) Written by James Adelstein, Michael January (To Be the Best) Starring Gary Daniels, Susan Byun (Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.), Ken McLeod (College Kickboxers), Byron Mann Cool costars: Ron Yuan, Aki Aleong (Farewell to the King), Lydia Look (Battle of the Damned), Philip Tan (Martial Law), Master Bill Ryusaki (Ulterior Motives), George Cheung (First Blood II), Al Leong (Rapid Fire), Leo Lee (The Perfect Weapon), James Lew (Balance of Power), Randall Shiro Ideishi (Black Scorpion), Koichi Sakamoto (Bounty Tracker), Butch Togisala (Firepower) Content warning: Violence against women, kidnapping, police brutality Copyright PM Entertainment Group / Echo Bridge Home Entertainment

White Tiger (1996) Directed by Richard Martin (Air Bud: Golden Receiver) Written by Bey Logan (original story), Gordon Melbourne (Bulletproof Heart), Roy Sallows, Don Woodman, Raul Inglis (uncredited) Starring Gary Daniels, Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa, Julia Nickson (Noble House), Matt Craven (Crimson Tide) Cool costars: Ron Yuan, George Cheung, Dana Lee (Dr. Ken) Content warning: Violence against women, torture, sexual assault Copyright Keystone Pictures / Crown Media

When we think of video game movies/adaptations, the thing that first come to mind is the horribly forgettable 1993 Super Mario Brothers movie. That movie laid the foundation of a string of multiple bad video game movies made by Hollywood, and one of which was 1994 Street Fighter starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. While there somewhat of a redeeming value with the movie (mostly for the wrong reasons), the 1994 Street Fighter movie represents the difficulty Hollywood has had in adapting a long-running fighting game franchise.

A year ago, I was full of excitement and hyperventilation when they announced that the live-action TV series based on the popular Street Fighter video game franchise—that had been in the works since 2014—was finally moving forward. What’s really exciting about the upcoming TV series is that it will be a sequel to an already existing live-action Street Fighter adaptation. Thankfully it’s neither the 1994 movie nor the Chun-Li movie.

https://deadline.com/2018/03/street-fighter-video-game-franchise-adapted-tv-series-entertainment-one-mark-gordon-1202352026/

To put things in perspective, this article will be a retrospective about the 2014 live-action web-series/movie Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist (to which the upcoming TV show sequel is based on), and why I consider this live-action foray to be one of the finest and most faithful screen adaptations of any video game to date and why this needs more mainstream exposure.

Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist is the brainchild of British actor and stuntman Joey Ansah. If you are not familiar with this man’s work, I suggest watching one movie he is most known for: The Bourne Ultimatum.

  The Bourne Ultimatum was the perfect stepping stone for Joey Ansah to showcase his talents that would eventually get him the opportunity to do a live-action Street Fighter adaptation, especially one that is done properly and faithfully. Out of all the Street Fighter aficionados that I’ve seen, Joey is arguably the only one that is genuinely passionate for the entire lore and universe, and it is very much evident in Assassin’s Fist on how much he carefully crafted dimension and humanity to well-known characters that are basically two-dimensional polygons in a fighting game.

Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist arose from a proof-of-concept short film that was released on YouTube in 2010, and it immediately got positive traction from fans and numerous media publications. The well-received short film, Street Fighter: Legacy, was done as a mere response to Hollywood’s failed attempts at adapting CAPCOM’s popular IP. Hearing from Joey’s interviews, like many Street Fighter fans he disliked the two Hollywood adaptations, and he really wants something to be done right.

Joey initially pitched a TV series to CAPCOM, but because of the certain difficulties of trying to get a TV show to be made, he re-approached his pitch into a short film which eventually became Legacy. Fast forward to 2012, the announcement of a new live-action Street Fighter feature-length series made me feel apprehensive at first. However, when I heard that it would be made by the same guys who did the Street Fighter: Legacy short film, it sparked a huge amount of hope, as I thought this might be the first live-action Street Fighter that will be done right. Two years later, the series Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist, was about to arrive. It was around 4-AM, and I was all prepared with early morning breakfast. Going in, I was feeling a bit anxious because, given the current status of video game adaptations in Hollywood which are still a work-in-progress, I still didn’t feel that a live-action Street Fighter series would merit any artistic or narrative value. However, after watching the series in its entirety, tears started pouring down and I felt so happy and relieved that it was very good. I thought it was the most intense, emotional and immersive experience I’ve ever had cinematically.

Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist was first released as a web series on YouTube, consisting of 12 episodes which are 10-12 minutes per episode, so if combined, it’s like a 2 & 1/2 hour movie. In terms of its production value, the series is very cinematic in quality, and so I feel it could have been released in movie theaters. Assassin’s Fist is truly a fan’s wet dream, having a huge amount of in-game references and Easter eggs for fans familiar with the games. But underneath its fan-service contains an incredible amount of deep narrative that strongly flushes out each of the characters. Of all the video game adaptations that I have seen, this is one that I would watch over and over. So, I asked myself: “Why did this work?” “What were the strengths?” Here are a few reasons as to why Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist worked so well as a fighting game adaptation:

This live-action adaptation is Street Fighter to the core.

The film/series stars the franchise’s poster boy, Ryu, played by Korean-American actor, Mike Moh. It also stars his American best friend/rival, Ken, played by British actor, Christian Howard. What I can truly say with this is… FINALLY!!! We have a live-action Street Fighter that is very true to the core essence of the games.

The main actors are well-cast, especially Ken Masters because he looks exactly like Ken in real life. Ryu was also spot-on that he reminded me one of the artworks from Street Fighter III: Third Strike. 

    The story takes place in Japan.

Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist’s setting takes place in the secluded mountain wilderness of Japan, which should have been the appropriate start for a live-action adaptation of the game. Street Fighter may be a global game franchise, but its roots will forever be ingrained with Japan. So, who lives in Japan? Who else?! The franchise’s poster boy, Ryu.

Ryu, perfectly embodied by Mike Moh.

The great thing about Assassin’s Fist is that it mostly tells the story of the Japanese characters. The story is set around the late 80s’ Japan where Ryu trains in the deadly style of martial arts known as “Ansatsuken” (Assassin’s Fist) under the tutelage of his master, Gouken. Though Ryu is not the only one learning the art of Ansatsuken, his American best friend Ken Masters is also learning the arts after his father brought him to Gouken when he was young to change his way of life after his mom’s death. During their final years as students, they learn the ways of the Hado, learning to do the 3 signature moves: Hadoken, Shoryuken & Tatsumaki Senpu-kyaku.

Assassin’s Fist is 2 storylines told in a non-linear way. The present-day storyline takes place in the late 80s’, while the past takes place around the late 50s’ as flashbacks. In the past storyline, we get to learn how Ryu and Ken’s master Gouken learned the ways of Ansatsuken under his master Goutetsu, and how the dark traditions and legacy of the art led to Gouken’s younger brother, Gouki, into becoming a powerful entity known as Akuma.

I don’t know about you guys, but I love Japanese storytelling, especially in cinema. What I love about Assassin’s Fist is that, despite this being a western adaptation, every aspect feels authentically Japanese. Of course, there were lots of English dialogue, but it balances it with Japanese dialogue that makes the film feel like an authentic Japanese movie. The landscape cinematography and film scope often reminded me of classic Akira Kurosawa films I’ve watched.

It’s not an adaptation of any Street Fighter game.

Among the major strengths of Assassin’s Fist is that the core essence of the games remains intact despite the film not being a direct adaptation of any existing Street Fighter game. The movie acts as a prequel to the events of the first game, while referencing a variety of narrative elements from the games. Aside from the 2 terrible Hollywood film attempts, Street Fighter has had several adaptations, mostly in the animation and comic field. Having read a number of Street Fighter-related comics and watched all of anime, Assassin’s Fist makes a number or references and nods to the various animations and comic book iterations.

The balance of drama and martial arts is perfectly-paced.

What made Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist work as a piece of film was the intricate balance between character drama and martial arts. The film runs at 2 1/2 hours, which was perfect for adding fight scenes at the right pace. The film had about 4 fight scenes and 2 training sequences, which is a total of 6 action scenes. The martial arts scenes were superbly-shot and tightly choreographed, and what really helped make this happen was the fact that the actors themselves are actual martial artists.

As a whole, Assassin’s Fist plays more as a “drama film with martial arts” as opposed to being a martial arts film. The drama worked very well because it was very non-linear, yet straightforward—as opposed to being convoluted and scattered. The character development perfectly humanizes each character’s motivations while still adding a bit of mystery to them. Moments of interaction between Ryu, Ken & Gouken were great to watch, especially the training sequences. My favorite dramatic moments, though, were from the flashback scenes between the young Gouken, Gouki & Goutetsu. The movie is mostly serious in tone, but I also enjoyed the comedic moments just to lighten the mood.

The huge amount of dramatic depth was mostly shown in scenes in the past, especially in scenes between Gouki and Goutetsu where they’re arguing about the traditions and philosophies of the Ansatsuken lineage. There is no clear protagonist and antagonist in the movie, but what really immerses me with each character is that fact that they’re dramatized as very multi-dimensional. They have moral grey areas, flaws, fears, struggles and insecurities that would make you root for any of the characters.

Reflecting on its release, Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist provides a solid proof that fighting games and video games in general can work as cinematic adaptations if done faithfully and properly. This movie is the perfect template for any filmmaker attempting to adapt any video game that properly balances in-game action and story. It’s just slightly disappointing that with everything that was accomplished here, mainstream press overlooked this piece of cinematic gem.

My only assumption as to why Assassin’s Fist not getting its much-deserved mainstream exposure is because it was a fan-made adaptation. But I feel like some of the press overlooked that this movie was made with CAPCOM’s involvement. I guess bigger attention to Assassin’s Fist will subsequently pick up when more updates with the upcoming TV series is released. Thankfully, many of the actors who appeared in this movie/web-series are now getting much bigger opportunities, particularly the Ryu actor, Mike Moh who recently got his Hollywood breakout portraying Bruce Lee in Quentin Tarantino’s latest film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

From Ryu to Bruce Lee.

So, I’m going to end this article by saying… Thank you, Joey Ansah, for giving us a true-to-heart live-action cinematic adaptation of Street Fighter, and a great yet overlooked video game movie which I truly hope will find its way into much bigger publicity than its initial release.

After over a year trying to sum up my overall thoughts on this particular topic, this is a retrospective on what I consider to be the most overlooked and underappreciated video game adaptation ever. Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist. When we think of video game movies/adaptations, the thing that first come to mind is the horribly forgettable 1993 Super Mario Brothers movie.

Character Development

So I decided to do a thing. (This was meant to be done a while ago. But school, work, and doctors appointments have been making my life a relay race.)

BASICS AND APPEARANCE:

Age? 23 Date of Birth? May 8th 1994 Hair color? Blonde Eye color? Blue Skin color/ethnicity/nationality? White; Hispanic & Dutch; American (3rd generation on both sides) Accent (if any)? He grew up in Ohio, so he has a pretty neutral American accent for the most part. But living in New York, he’s picked up a few little things here and there. Height? 6′1″ Weight? 175 lbs last he checked Tattoos? None (Yet) Piercings? None Birthmarks? A heart shaped birthmark on his right hip. Disfigurements? None Scars? He has a line about 3 inches long on the outside of his left leg, on the shin. Do they have any nicknames? Where did they come from?

Cal - shortened version of his name.

C - super shortened version of his name.

Brother Bear - his sisters call him this when he gets overprotective

Babe, Baby, Handsome, etc. (There are literally so many it’s ridiculous) - pet names given to him by Izzy.

Mijo, Baby Boy, Ducky - nicknames given to him by his moms Brittany and Santana.

P-Lo Shortened version of his last name.

How do they usually dress? What do they wear to sleep? Do they wear jewelry? - How he dresses will change depending on where he is and what he’s doing.

Just hanging around? He’s probably in jeans and a tshirt.

Going out somewhere nice? He’s a master at the semi-formal look.

Sleeping? Sweatpants and a t-shirt when it’s cold; Shorts and a tank or shirtless when it’s hot.

He doesn’t own a whole lot of jewelry. He has a couple of watches that he rotates in and out. And a few necklaces and bracelets.

Is there anything about their appearance they wish they could change? - Cal’s body has gone through a lot of changes over the years. Going from constantly playing sports and training even on the off-season, to not playing any sports at all, changes a person’s body. And at first those changes were a little strange. But after 5 years, Cal’s settled in and he feels good in his own skin. So he wouldn’t change anything about himself right now. He’s healthy and happy, and he still likes how he looks with his shirt off, so he’s good.

How would they look as the opposite sex? - As the opposite sex Caleb would probably look something like Blake Lively or Eliza Taylor.

What do they smell like? Why (do they wear the scent or does it occur naturally)? - Caleb doesn’t wear cologne usually, so most of the time he smells like the laundry detergent from his clothes and his shampoo & conditioner. He only wears cologne on certain occasions and it will be something like Davidoff’s Cool Water or The Art of Shaving’s Vetiver Citron.

Do they have an accurate mental picture of their appearance (how they see themselves versus how the world sees them)? - Cal knows he’s good looking. But he’ll never understand the attention it brings him.

LOCATION: Where does your character live? Why did they choose it, and how did they acquire it? How do they handle intruders (graciously? violently?)? Describe the space. - Cal lives in a 2 bedroom spacious loft in Manhattan, NY. It used to be a loft shared by Kurt and Santana in their younger days when they were both kicking off their performing careers. The property still belongs to their parents but when Calebella decided to move to NY, Kurt insisted they live in the loft so he knew his daughter and granddaughter would be well taken care of. The only stipulation was, so they didn’t feel completely dependent on their parents, they would pay rent and all of their own bills. Thankfully they’ve yet to have any intruders pay them a visit. But if they were to, Caleb would definitely have a more violent reaction. His home is meant to be a safe space for his family and anyone who violates that will answer to him.

PREFERENCES: Favorite color? - Blue

Favorite music artists? Movies or TV shows? Books or authors? Actors? -

Music Artists: Too many to pick one. 

Tv Shows: Law & Order SVU, Orphan Black, and currently, Sense 8. 

Movies: Hercules and Aladdin (The Disney versions), the Dark Knight, and Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2.

Books: Peter Pan 

Authors: Rick Riordan and Robert Ludlum. 

Actors: Angelina Jolie, Rosario Dawson, Tatiana Maslany, Will Smith, and Harrison Ford.

Favorite animal? – Tigers & Dogs

What is their favorite time of day? Favorite weather? Season? -

Time of day: Evening. He enjoys having nights that are just down-time. Nights spent lounging around the house with his family are the best.

Weather: Sunny but with a small breeze so it’s not too hot.

Season: Autumn

Favorite food? Favorite drink? Hot drinks, soft drinks, or alcohol? -

Food: Mofongo Relleno de Churrasco (Fried Plantain stuffed with shredded beef)

Drink: Lemonade (Cold); Hot Chocolate (Hot); Whiskey Sour or Daiquiri (Alcoholic)

Political stance? Are they active in politics or do they not care? – For so many obvious reasons, Caleb is very very liberal. And given the recent political climate, he’s more active in social-justice and political movements than he’s ever been.

What are some of their pet peeves? – Coughing/Sneezing without covering your mouth; Blowing your nose at the dinner table; People having loud phone conversations in enclosed public spaces; People who try to judge him and his family.

What sort of gifts do they like? – He prefers sentimental gifts. They don’t have to be big or cost a lot, but things that someone put a lot of thought into mean the most.

Where do they like to spend their time? – Caleb spends most of his time back and forth between work (whether that be the show or the dance classes he teaches) and home. But on his down time you can find him training at the Dojo, or browsing the aisles in Barnes and Noble.

Do they have any pets? Do they want any? – No he doesn’t have any pets right now. But he’s definitely a dog person so he’d like one someday.

What relaxes them? – Music, Family (usually), Reading.

Do they have any bad habits? – Not really a bad habit but probably annoying, he taps on things when his mind is unoccupied. His main bad habit is holding in things when they bother him instead of talking about them.

HOBBIES: What are some of your character’s hobbies? What do they do with their time? - Not one to be idle, he’s always up to something. He teaches some hip-hop and Latin ballroom classes at a dance school not too far from their home maybe once or twice a month. His Martial Arts instructors from Lima helped him find Dojos where he could continue training. He can also be found fiddling with one of his instruments. And on a slow or rainy day, he’s probably reading in a corner somewhere.

ABILITIES: Where did they learn their abilities? –

Dance: Cal’s been mimicking his Momma’s dance moves since he could stand on his own two feet. But soon as she thought he could handle it, she enrolled him for classes at her dance school.

Singing: Santana was always singing around the house, so it was only a matter of time before their home became a live in sing-a-long. And as he grew, Caleb never grew out of it. Stage fright and Insecurity about his voice were grown out of with coaching and lots of practice.

Instruments: Self-Taught via YouTube University (with the exception of Guitar, which he actually learned from his Abuelo.)

MMA: He’s been taking Martial Arts since age eight starting with Muay Thai.

Sports: Aside from MMA, Caleb played Baseball in middle school and Football in high school. Football was his favorite between the two and under the tutelage of Coach Puckerman (Or Uncle Puck, as he knew him off the field), he got to be pretty good.

OTHER CAPABILITIES: How are they with technology? - Caleb is pretty handy with technology. He knows his way around most of the electronic devices he uses. He’s probably the one in a million who actually reads the instruction manual that comes with things.

Are they specially qualified in any particular field? Would they be considered at the top of the field? - Especially qualified? Probably not. He’s good at a lot of things but he wouldn’t say he’s at the top of those fields.

Have they ever been publicly acknowledged for anything? (Ex. Nobel Prize) - Not outside of high school.

Is there anything they’ve deliberately sought to improve at? - Caleb is always trying to hone his skills. And right now he’s focused on improving his acting abilities. He sometimes feels like he cheated his way into his profession somehow, having not been classically trained, but he’s working on it.

Do they speak more than one language? - Yes, Caleb is fluent in 3 languages. English, Spanish (he learned these both at the same time growing up), and French. He’s also got a decent conversational grasp of Italian but he wouldn’t call himself fluent.

RESOURCES: Why do they have their resources? How long have they had them, and how have they served the character over time? (Ex. Contacts, money, political power, fame, etc.) – Caleb was born into a fairly wealthy family, and his last name became something of a power in itself in the right environment. While that could be a good thing, it also made him very careful not to lean too hard on those things. Things like contacts and money were almost always in Caleb’s back pocket, but he more often than not chose not to use them. He preferred to get by on what he brought to the table rather than what was already given to him.

If they have an income, where does it come from? – Currently his income comes from performing as Gabe in the soon-to-Broadway production of Next to Normal. 

Do they have a job? Do they like it? How do they feel about their co-workers? - Yes. (See above.) He loves it. It’s everything he wanted to be doing. It’s an original show and everything about it is amazing. His co-stars are fantastic people. He’s the baby of the cast and he’s found great mentors in his co-stars. They all have far more experience on stage than he does, but they don’t look down on him for it. They are very encouraging and recognize his work ethic and ability over his last name and associations (Kurt is included in associations of course) which he appreciates.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES: What are some of your character’s more notable merits and flaws (including physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, etc.)? How did they develop? How has this helped or hindered them in the past?

Merits - Caleb puts the needs of his loved ones before his own needs in most situations. He’s the type of guy that will make sure you’re taken care of before worrying about himself. And when you’re struggling, he’s doing everything and anything he can to try and help. He wants to be the person you know you can call in a hard time. This comes from watching how his moms and grandparents are with their family. They’re always making sure everybody they care about is okay and Cal always found it comforting. He wanted to be that for his loved ones too. This can be seen as a flaw by some people. He’s been called a martyr before. But it doesn’t matter to him because he knows that no matter what, the people he loves most in this world know that he’s always there for them. No matter what.                Caleb also tries very hard to not come across as judgemental, and he thinks he succeeds pretty well. He wants people to feel free to be themselves around him, whoever that may be, and be completely comfortable. This again came from his family, but it also came from his personal experiences. He’s been bullied before for other people’s lack of understanding.                Cal is one of the most loving people you could ever meet. He has a big heart and he's always trying to make people around him feel appreciated and irreplaceable.

Flaws - He has quite a temper and when you’re on the receiving end, it’s not a fun experience. His anger doesn’t play favorites and unfortunately he’s a master at hitting where it hurts. So if he’s not careful, what would otherwise be a simple argument could turn into a fight to end a relationship. The running joke is he gets said temper from Santana, who everyone knows has a whip for a tongue. But he’d rather keep his contained. In the past, Cal has almost lost friends and loved ones because of his temper. A lot of people have a hard time dealing with the levels he can take things to and he completely understands why.             He’s also not the best at dealing with things that upset him or make him insecure. It’s easier for him to pretend something doesn’t exist than to deal with the negative emotions surrounding it. This makes him pretty hard to decipher when he’s hurting, and even harder to help.             Combine the two, and it makes for a sticky situation when you’re on his bad side. He can go from real emotional to feeling nothing at all, on command. And when you’re not ready for it, that quick 180 can be a little devastating.

RELATIONSHIPS AND HISTORY: What is their family history like? How does it affect them? How do they feel about their family? How does their family feel about them?

          Caleb has always known since he was small that his family was different than how most people would define one. He didn’t have a mommy and daddy like many of his friends, but he was never ashamed of that. He was always proud to have two moms and he never let anyone take that from him. He knew that growing up with two moms was going to have its struggles. People would look down on him and them, they’d laugh, they’d tease him, but it just rolled right off of his shoulders. He would always just say they were just jealous, because there was more love in their household in a day, than most of those people would experience in a lifetime. Cal was extremely proud to be his mothers’ son. They were amazing women, and they did so much for not only their loved ones, but their communities.

          But Cal’s family life did impact him in a way he wasn’t expecting. Caleb is bi-racial; one half Hispanic, the other half White. And inside the P-Lo home it obviously wasn’t an issue. Inside their home, Cal and his sisters were always surrounded by their culture. They even grew up speaking Spanish as their second language. But the kids quickly found out that once they were outside of their home, it was a lot harder to feel connected to that culture. Caleb took this lesson really hard as the years passed. Even now, Caleb finds it difficult to relate and in certain situations it does take a toll on him. But for now, as always, he pushes these things down and tries to focus on positives instead.

          Caleb’s family loves him so very much. They are so proud of who he is and what he’s been able to accomplish. Although they are all scattered across the country sometimes, they are all as close as ever. His mothers still love to call and harass him as often as they have the chance (especially with all the wedding planning things they want to “help” with). And he is always in contact with at least one of his sisters throughout the course of his days.

CHILDHOOD: What were they like as a child? What was their favorite toy? Favorite game? - Caleb was kind of hyperactive as kid. He was always running around and climbing or jumping off of things. It made his moms pretty nervous when he was small. He also had a bit of a knack for finding trouble. In his early elementary school days, both his parents and school counselors were concerned because Caleb kept getting into fights with classmates. They were concerned that as he grew the fights would turn more physical than they already had, and they believed he needed extra attention to turn that behavior into something more productive. Hence, contact sports became Caleb’s new extracurricular activities.                As a kid his favorite toy was probably his little plastic lightsaber that he would swear was real. He would clip it to his waistband and be off on his adventures. Actually there was a time period of about a year or so where he wouldn’t go anywhere without it. His reasoning? A Jedi can never be caught without his lightsaber. He wanted to be a Jedi so bad. He’s actually still waiting for his force abilities to kick in.               Caleb used to love to play pretend when he was a kid. He would spend hours in an imaginary world having some crazy adventures. He would draw inspiration from movies and tv shows some days. And other days his mind would spin a brand new adventure of its own. His favorite adventures were the ones he could convince his sisters and his friends to join him on. Because as much fun as he had playing pretend by himself, it always made it a little extra special when there was another leading character in the story of the day.

Playmates? - Caleb spent a lot of time around the Hummel-Anderson girls when he was very small and they’ve been close since practically birth. When the P-Los moved back to Lima, he found quick best friends in Janey Puckerman and Lucky Morales. And after some convincing from his sister, Jason Puckerman eventually came around and found a friend in Cal too.

MEMORIES: Describe their best and worst memories from childhood: Best - Caleb spent a lot of time with his grandparents when the family moved back to Lima and he loved it. But there’s one memory in particular that always brings him joy. It was a time when Santana had a meeting to attend to in Los Angeles and Brittany was going to take the trip with her. It was only for the weekend but naturally they needed someone to watch the kids. They ended up staying the weekend at Abuelo and Abuela’s house and it was great. At one point in the weekend, the kids had the idea to build a fort in the living room. They were sure their grandparents wouldn’t allow it, but to their surprise, they even helped. Abuelo had started stacking chairs and side tables to make a high ceiling, and Abuela had grabbed all the pillows and blankets they could find. When it was all done, they had stayed in there the whole night having a movie marathon and the kids all woke up still in the fort, the next morning. The fort stayed up the whole weekend. That’s actually where Brittany and Santana found the kids (and Abuelo) when they came to pick them up Monday morning. From that moment on, every time the kids came to visit, they would beg to build more forts. And they only got crazier each time.

Worst - One of Cal’s worst memories was a confrontation that had happened when he was 11 The P-Los were out to dinner and some guy had came up to their family screaming at the top of his lungs. He had seen Brittany and Santana kissing and decided he needed to tell them (and the rest of the neighborhood apparently) how disgusting he found them and their “disgrace to wholesome traditional families”. He threw around a lot of words that Caleb didn’t really understand like “Abomination” and “Damnation” and some other words that he eventually learned to despise. Santana had absolutely lost it on the guy and if it weren’t for Brittany reminding her that their kids were present, she might’ve gone to jail that night for what she later said she’d been planning to do to the man. But the worst part was when the guy had gone so far as to start telling the kids that they weren’t really a family; he’d told them that they probably weren’t even related. There was a lot more that had been said that night but at some point Caleb had to tune it out because his sisters and Brittany were already crying, he didn’t want to cry too. For a couple of weeks afterwards, Cal was very distant from both family and friends and it took a while for him to open up to his moms about what that night made him feel.

WHERE IS HOME?: Where (and when) did they grow up? How did they view it as a child, and did that change as they matured? How do they feel about the place now? - Cal grew up in Lima, Ohio. As a kid he always thought it was an okay place to be. He liked it because all of his friends and his moms’ friends were here with them too but sometimes it was just a little too small (and small minded) for him. As he grew older, he realized more and more that Lima was only the product of the people who lived there. And not all of them were bad. It was still a kind of conservative place to live, but not nearly as bad as the Lima his parents had grown up in. The people were still quick to gossip and judge, but their kids were learning more about tolerance and cooperation (mostly anyway). Now, when Caleb thinks about Lima, he thinks about how it will always be a home to him. It was the place that watched him grow up; where he found a new kind of family in his best friends; where he fell in love; where he learned the lessons that would mold him into the man he is today. And maybe when he thought of it that way, it wasn’t so bad after all.

MENTORS & EDUCATION: Do they, or have they in the past, had a mentor? - Caleb had mentors in his parents, his grandparents, and even his “aunts and uncles”. But outside of them, Caleb had one mentor in particular that really helped him shape up. His Martial Arts Instructor, Cesar.

What was their relationship with this person, and how has it changed since then? - Caleb was brought to Cesar when he started having trouble in school with fighting and keeping his temper controlled. His grandfather and Cesar served in the military together back in their day and had been long time friends. So when Caleb was brought in, no time was wasted in getting his training started. But all the years he spent training, taught Caleb more than just how and where to throw a punch. As corny as it sounds, one of the most important lessons Caleb learned was how to walk away from a fight. He was taught self-control, patience, and that not every conflict needed to end with someone on the floor. It was this lesson in particular that was most important to keeping little Cal out of trouble. And if he’d never learned it, he might have been a completely different person today.

          Cesar was always a strict but determined instructor. He made sure that all of his students were pushed to their fullest potential and Caleb was no exception. Now even though they no longer train together, they keep in touch through both social media and their shared connections. And when they end up back in the same town for a few days or so, Cesar is always ready to remind Caleb of his teachings.

What sort of education have they had? Do they want more? - Caleb graduated high school with honors. But he never necessarily wanted to go to college. He tried going to school with online courses for a little while but ultimately realized it wasn’t going anywhere. He was just wasting money on classes to fill requirements for a degree he wasn’t even sure he wanted. Not to mention the time schoolwork was taking out of his already packed schedule.

FRIENDS AND ENEMIES: Who is their closest friend, and why? What do they like to do with this person? - Caleb keeps a tight circle. He doesn't have a lot of close friends but the ones he does have are basically family. His closest friends are Janey and Lucky. Back when they all lived on the same side of the country, it was a lot easier to hang out together.

                  When Caleb and Lucky spent time together, it was always about distractions. There were parties to go to (there were a lot of them), sports to play, and pranks to pull. With Lucky, there was never enough time for Cal to sit down and be upset by whatever was getting him down that time. And even when there was nothing wrong, it was still a ton of fun. But now that they’ve both grown up a bit, they’ve calmed down. They’re still a couple of fools, but they’re a little more stationary nowadays.

                  Janey and Caleb have a completely different relationship. Janey had always been the person Cal would go to for heartfelt (also, usually good) advice, and emotional support. This meant quite a few heart-to-hearts during their excursions. Add in their similar thought processes and this meant a whole lot of geeking out too, sometimes a bit of existentialism thrown in for good measure. Oh, and food! Lots and lots of food. When those two got together, no diner or burger place within a 50 mile radius was safe

Do they have any rivals? Who and why? - Ohhh yes. There is definitely a rival in Caleb’s life. Although in recent years, it’s calmed down for the most part. Marc Vallieri and Caleb never got along. From the day they met, they were almost always on opposite sides of every line. And as they grew, it only got worse. Add in some pretty strong feelings for one Ms. Isabella Humderson, on both of their parts, and it was a recipe for disaster. Caleb tried to be civil while Izzy and Marc were together, but he also tried to not be around so it was a tricky situation. Then when they broke up, all bets were off. It got a little confusing during the on- and-off period but for the most part, Cal just tried to keep his distance. This was working out just fine until it started looking like Cal was finally going to get his chance with the girl he’d been crushing on since middle school. Marc didn’t like that. There were a lot of digs, a lot of jokes, and a whole lot of almost fights between the two boys. It even turned into an all out brawl at one point. (McKinley wasn’t ready for that one, but ask me about that later.) But eventually it turned into more of a stalemate when Caleb came to grips with Marc always being in Izzy and Noah’s lives; and when Marc realized that Caleb was a fixed feature in the family he could’ve had. Now they’re civil, for real this time, and both trying to make it work for the woman and little girl they share love for.

Have they ever been betrayed? By who, and how did it affect them? - The only time Caleb was ever really “betrayed” by someone was when his girlfriend junior year cheated on him. They’d only been dating a few months and it wasn’t a particularly serious relationship. Looking back on it, Caleb only regrets the time he wasted trying to fill a space with someone who wasn’t worth it. But her betrayal didn’t sting too bad in the long run. At first it messed with his head a little bit in terms of feelings of inadequacy. But his friends and family were quick to snap him out of that mindset. After that, though, all it did was make him more careful about who he spent energy on and who he brought into his life.

SEX AND ROMANCE: What is their sexual orientation? Do they ever question it? - Caleb grew up understanding that sexuality can be a fluid thing. It wasn’t something he ever questioned or actively explored, but his mind was always open to the possibility of having feelings for anyone regardless of sex or gender. But at 23 years old, he’s yet to feel any kind of serious attraction or romantic feelings for a man. And since he's about to marry the actual love of his life, it's probably a safe bet that he never will. So if you ask him, Caleb will tell you he's straight.

When did they lose their virginity? Who to? Where? What was it like? - Caleb lost his virginity during spring break of his sophomore year, to his girlfriend at the time. They were at her house and her mom had gone out for the day with her little brother. It was a little awkward as one could expect, being it was the first time for both of them. But all in all it wasn't a bad experience.

What is their favorite sexual fantasy? - Listen, cheerleaders are everyone’s thing. But when your fiancée actually used to be one, it just makes things a little more fun. And yes he knows it’s very cliché.

Do they have any particular fetishes or kinks? - Caleb doesn’t mind a little power struggle every now and again. He also gets a kick out of walking around with any marks Izzy’s given him, exposed. (Bites, Hickeys, Scratches)

What’s the strangest thing they’ve ever done in bed? - Well not strange in general but strange to Caleb. He had a headache one day and Lucky thought it’d be hilarious to slip him a little blue pill instead of the painkiller he’d been asking for. But joke was on Lucky cause as it turns out, medicine isn’t the only way to get rid of a pounding headache.

Is there anything in particular that they won’t do? - Anything involving degradation. He ain’t about it.

What are they attracted to in a partner? - Confidence. And he’s gotta admit, he likes a little fight.

RELATIONSHIPS PAST AND PRESENT: If applicable: Who is their current partner, and what attracted the character to them? - Isabella Hummel-Anderson is his fiancée . And he was initially attracted to her personality. He really just enjoyed the way being around her felt.

How did they meet? - They’ve known each other almost literally since birth. Their parents were close friends for years so naturally, since they were so close (geographically and personally) it was pretty much guaranteed that they’d be spending quite a bit of time together as kids.

How long have they been together? - Since October of 2011 so...5 years going on 6.

What kind of a relationship is it? - The two of them couldn’t find better matches in this world if they were given a millennium to search. If soulmates exist, they are definitely each other’s.

Do they have any plans for the future? - Broad future? Get hitched, raise a family, live happily ever after. Near future? Get through the wedding without killing somebody.

What would be their perfect date? - They’re disgustingly adorable so pretty much anything that involves them spending quality alone time together. But their perfect date night involves nothing but Disney movies, snacks, and cuddles. Also singing at the top of their lungs for all of their neighbors to hear.

Describe one of the character’s past relationships and what was significant about it. - Caleb’s only ever been in one other relationship that actually meant a lot to him. He started dating Alisa Souza their sophomore year. She was an army brat who’d moved to Lima the year before, from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Her and Caleb shared some classes and they became really fast friends. It took them a while to start dating, but when they did, popular consensus was that they were the perfect couple. Their relationship was definitely important to Caleb because it was the first relationship he’d been in where he felt like it was okay to be himself. Every other time he’d tried to date, he always felt like he was meant to play a part. It was also the first time he genuinely thought he could move past his feelings for Isabella. This relationship became Caleb’s basis of comparison for the rest of his relationships up until he started dating Izzy. He learned to take note of different things that could make or (more likely) break a relationship for him; How comfortable he was with the person; How deep (or not) the connection really went; How valued he felt by the other person. The relationship ended because Alisa’s family moved away again, the summer after their Sophomore year. It hurt them both pretty bad, but they managed to stay friends until they eventually just drifted and lost contact.

Have they ever hurt someone they loved? - Unfortunately Caleb has. He wishes he could say he never meant to, but he’d be lying. Again, that temper of his does not play nice.

Do they fall in love easily? - Depends on who you ask. He’d say no, absolutely not. But others would say we’ll never know for sure because he’s been in love with one special someone for as long as anybody can or chooses to remember.

FUTURE: What are their dreams? What do they want to do someday? - Caleb always dreamed of being an entertainer. And he loves being able to do so in his current career. But he wants to expand his skill set and see what the film and tv industry has to offer. He’s actually already started trying, going on auditions here and there for small tv roles. But he loves the theatre so he has no intention of leaving it at this moment in time.

Are there places they want to go? Where and why? - Hawaii, Australia, Greece. Why? Cause he’s been told they’re beautiful places to be.

If these don’t apply already: Do they want to get married? - Again, engaged. Yes.

Have kids? - Already has a daughter, Noah.

Would they ever consider adopting a child? Why or why not? - Absolutely. Every child deserves love and to feel like they’re wanted. If he and Izzy can bring a child into their life and give them that, that’d be a beautiful thing for everyone involved.

HEROES AND OLD AGE: Who do they want to meet? - If Cal ever got the chance to meet Mark Hamill or Harrison Ford, he’d probably lose his shit. But it would be the best thing ever.

What about them is heroic? - Caleb’s willing to do whatever he has to do for his friends and family. He would bend over backwards to help them or protect them.

What would the character be like in their old age? - When Caleb’s an old man he’ll be that Grandpa that acts more like a kid than a grown up. His kids will be responsible for making sure he doesn’t run off to get into trouble. And if he manages to sneak away, he’ll be sure to sneak any little ones off with him. He’ll probably also be flirting with his wife like they’re teenagers all over again. It will make the kids cringe, the grandkids laugh, and the rest of the population “aww”. When he’s getting into his senior years, Cal’s going to definitely be older, hopefully wiser, and possibly in a motorized wheelchair. But he’s going to be the same goofball, wannabe Peter Pan he is now.

PLOTS: Describe one (or more) plots you would like to do.

Okay so fun fact, waaaaay back when this whole thing originally came together, I had been toying around with this one plot in my head. It goes back to the original storyline, but we carried some of this plot over so it still exists. Caleb used to be in a touring production of Spring Awakening. While he was going around the country (this is the part where things differ from the way we changed it), Izzy was still in Lima and then going to college in Florida. So one of my genius ideas at the time was this whole elaborate breakup plot that basically just involved the two of them being heartbroken and it shaking up every single relationship with every single person they’d been connected to. And it was great, in my head. There were also a few songs thrown in there for good measure. But ultimately, we never did it because Nicky wouldn’t let me release the angst. It’s okay though, i’m over it now, but it would’ve been a fun kind of shit show back in the day. Anyway, as far as plots i’d like to do currently...I have a list:

I’d really like to see the conversation that happens between Caleb and Marc that is essentially them burying the hatchet.

When Cal first meets Janey and Lucky

And a whole bunch of other ones that I have written down but won’t make sense until we release the list of changes.

VALUES: What is one thing in their past they’re ashamed of? - Trying to push the people that matter to him most away from him. Especially because of the ways he went about it.

One thing they’re proud of? - Caleb’s proud of himself for never giving into peer pressure to be someone he wasn’t. It was tempting sometimes to just go with what everybody else was doing so he wouldn’t have to deal with arguing with people. But every time that temptation came close, he would look around and see exactly the kind of people he didn’t want to become. And although it was a struggle, he made it out of McKinley as one of the few people who knew who they really were on the inside.

What is one thing they feel strongly about? - Equal rights for all.

One trait they admire? - Cal admires when people are willing to look beyond image, and when they’re willing to push past their own impressions, to see the real person underneath it all. He thinks the ability to judge people only on the content of their character is incredible.

What disturbs them? - One thing he will never understand is how people can be full of so much hatred for others. Especially when they don’t even know the person beyond a first impression.

Do the ends justify the means in their eyes? - Not always.

Would they be more likely to act for the good of one or the good of many? - Depends on who the one and many are.

Are they manipulative? - He absolutely can be when he feels it’s necessary.

Are they a leader or a follower? Why? - Caleb is definitely a leader. He might only be leading himself, but he’s okay with that. He refuses to be anything other than the most authentic version of himself, and if that means he walks alone, so be it.

What do they feel responsible for? (Ex. I owe it to the world to do this.) - Caleb feels responsible for taking care of his family and friends.

Do they believe that a person can redeem themselves from mistakes of the past? - Yes. He believes that people can change for the better and while they can’t change the past, they can learn from it and become better people for it.

What scares them? - Cal’s worst fear is not leaving behind a positive legacy when he’s gone from the world. It doesn’t have to be a big thing, or even for a lot of people. But he wants to be a positive influence in something or somebody outside of his own life. If not, he’s scared that it will mean in the grand scheme of things, his life served no purpose.

DEATH: How do they feel about death? Have they been significantly affected by it? - Caleb’s not afraid of dying. He’s not ready to die yet, but he doesn’t fear it. For him, the part of death that scares him is the idea of having to watch his loved ones die. That would break him in unimaginable ways. Luckily, Cal hasn’t lost anyone he’s particularly close to (he’s hoping it stays that way.) But he has come close a few of times. He’s even come close to losing his own life on a couple of occasions. And all it’s done is made him more grateful for the time he has, and the people he has around him.

How would they like to die? - Cal would like to die in his sleep. Sounds corny, but he’d rather go out in literal peace.

RELIGION AND BELIEFS: Is the character religious? What are their views, and why or why not? - Cal’s not religious at all. He’s agnostic but also polytheist. Basically he isn’t sure if any God exists or not, so why not believe in them all? He thinks the stories written in the bible and other religious texts are just that, stories. But there’s nothing wrong with telling a good story. His only issue with religion is that people then use these stories to cause pain to others and he’s not about that.

Do they value faith over reason or vice versa? - Reason and Faith each have their time to be valued, as far as Caleb is concerned. But he’s more inclined to value reason over faith. He can accept logical reasoning a lot easier.

Do they believe in an afterlife? - Yes. He’s just not sure which one he believes in. Right now, he likes the idea of Elysium.

Do they have any habits that reflect their beliefs? (Ex. regular prayer, vegetarianism, etc.) - None that can be recalled.

Do they respect the beliefs of others? - Of course. Everyone is free to believe whatever they believe. Just don’t use your beliefs to do any kind of harm to others and Cal has no issues.

RANDOM: First crush? - Alexa Vega in Spy Kids 2. He thought she was really pretty and funny and her attitude would be perfect for her to fit into his family.

Do they have any prominent sensory associations? (Ex. the smell of their mother’s perfume, the sound of ice cracking under their feet as a child, etc.) -

Sound: The sound of footsteps on the hardwood floor of an empty dance studio; The beeping of hospital monitors; Rain pattering against his window

Smell: Fresh cut grass; Fresh baked brownies; Burning charcoal

Sight: The stars from an open field; Flickering diner signs; The black and white old school movie countdown

Taste: Fresh popped popcorn; S’mores; Vanilla soft serve ice cream

Touch: Crushing fallen leaves in his hand; Soft pillows; The cold when you first dive into a body of water.

Stuck in a waiting room. Which magazine do they pick up? - National Geographic or Time.

How a Batman 1989 Deleted Scene Cost Sean Young the Co-Starring Role

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1989’s Batman is widely regarded as a time-tested, transformative entry for the comic book movie genre, and its $411.5 million worldwide gross ($872.8 million adjusted for inflation,) certainly shook an unsuspecting film industry to its core. However, for actress Sean Young, who was initially set to co-star in the film as Vicki Vale opposite Michael Keaton’s Caped Crusader, it represents a point in which misfortune pulled her away from a prospective mainstream breakthrough. Indeed, not only did a pre-production accident force her off the film, but the scene for which she was preparing ended up getting cut from the movie!

Director Tim Burton’s choice of Sean Young for Batman’s leading lady role, photojournalist Vicky Vale, seemed auspicious, since it brought the genre experiment a rising star with pertinent gravitas from roles in then-recent offering like Blade Runner and Dune, along with dramas like No Way Out and Wall Street. It was a positive outlier against the buildup from the film’s 1988 production, during which it was preemptively savaged by fans and critics over Burton’s selection of comedic character actor Michael Keaton—fresh from starring in Burton’s 1988 hit, Beetlejuice —as opposed to a conventionally imposing action movie star. However, a fateful accident would see blonde bombshell Kim Basinger take the role of Vicki, depriving Young of the film’s defiant, industry-altering success.

Amongst a normal number of revised permutations, the Batman script, written by Sam Hamm and Warren Skaaren, once had equestrian leanings—initially involving Vicki—designed to build toward a major action sequence. Consequently, in a setback that now resides in the realm of comic book movie legend, Young, who had been in London for four weeks of read-throughs and rehearsals for Batman’s imminent production in Pinewood Studios, was practicing her horse-riding skills when she was thrown off and sustained a fractured arm. That led producer Jon Peters—who had purportedly convinced Burton to cast Keaton—to suggest that the incapacitated Young be replaced with Kim Basinger, as cameras were set to roll in a week. The suggestion was immediately accepted, resulting in the replacement being quickly flown in, costing Young what was to be the biggest role of her career.

“They did spring the horse-riding thing on me, and I fell and had an accident,” explains Young in a recent interview with The Daily Beast. “Could they have kept me on the show and shot around my arm? They probably could have. I think [producer] Jon Peters had this hard-on for Kim Basinger, and he saw an opportunity to exit me, and he did. And no one ended up being very happy with that choice. But it is what it is. I had an accident and then got walked to the door.”

Warner Bros.

The scene in question was the intended start of Bruce Wayne and Vicki Vale’s first date, set at Wayne Manor. While the final cut started the date inside the dreary, echoey estate, the date would have instead started outside, at the horse stables. There, we briefly see the two riding horses—with Vicki coming across as the more experienced rider—before they dismount and kick off their flirtations. In an example of intended foreshadowing, Bruce says, furtively alluding to his secret crimefighting exploits, “Horses love me. I keep falling off. Maybe that’s why they love me. You should see me, I’m one big mass of bruises.” At that point, they walk off to a patio on which Alfred (Michael Gough) awaits them with a bottle of champagne,” at which point their date continues inside. Indeed, it’s a minor scene, and, as we were meant to see later in the film, Vicki’s horseback riding was merely a plot device designed to set Bruce on an arc for his own horseback action sequence; an aspect that lends Young’s role-costing accident a cruel element of irony.

The eventual payoff to the stable scene would have manifested after a scene that did make the film (at least partially), in which Bruce visits Vicki in her apartment, hemming and hawing as he tries to muster up the courage to reveal to her that he’s Batman. Of course, the Joker (Jack Nicholson)—enamored with Vicki—then interrupts at the door, resulting in a confrontation with Bruce that ends with Joker—after dropping the crucial clue of the “You ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?” line—shooting Bruce with a pistol, leaving Joker convinced that he killed him before leaving Vicki with an offer to consider. As we saw in the movie, Bruce secretly lined his shirt with a bullet-stopping metal tray, and pulled a Batman-esque disappearing act on Vicki after Joker departed. However, this scene was initially designed to kick off an elaborate chase sequence.

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In a major contrast from Batman’s onscreen form, early drafts of the script’s apartment scene had the Joker kidnapping Vicki after he revealed the suicide of girlfriend Alicia (Jerry Hall), and smashed the porcelain mask that covered her acid scars. Indeed, the famous, “You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs” line was to be followed by a dramatic cut, after which we see that Vicki was taken by the Joker and his men in their convoy of purple vehicles. At this point, Bruce arrives on the scene to find a mounted policeman in bad shape, sporting a familiar unnatural grin delivered by Smilex gas. Thus, without any other vehicle nearby, Bruce commandeers the cop’s horse and proceeds to chase down the Joker’s convoy. As the chase through Gotham starts to prove fruitless, a red symbol light flashes on Bruce’s belt, at which point a Volkswagen Bug—conspicuously going 70 mph—closes in on him, revealing the driver to be Alfred, who arrives bearing a bundle of fresh Batman attire, resulting a quick pit-stop before the rescue commences. It’s a major divergence from the film itself, in which Vicki wasn’t taken by the Joker at all, save for the climactic scene atop Gotham Cathedral.

“Falling off that horse was something kind of—I couldn’t hang on. There’s kind of a poetic symbolism about that,” lamented Young back in 2005 DVD documentary Shadows of The Bat: The Cinematic Saga of The Dark Knight. “In a way, I look back at that particular time in my life and I go, ‘Wow, I wish I’d been able to hang onto that horse. I wish I’d been able to do that.’ Because then the turning point in my particular career—I would have been able to stay on the film, I would have been in a big box office hit, I would have been able to go on to other big box office hits. That kind of domino effect would have occurred in my career. That was the turning point in my career where that didn’t happen.”

DC Comics

The horseback scenes, while ultimately cut, weren’t as excessive as they seem in retrospect. That’s because it was always clear that Burton’s version of Batman was to reflect the darker elements that came into prominence with Frank Miller’s groundbreaking, profoundly influential 1986 DC Comics miniseries The Dark Knight Returns. By no coincidence, that comic story contains a scene in which Batman rides a horse off into battle; an element of the story that created iconic imagery. Thus, it was merely a reflection of the revolutionary influences—divorcing Batman from the comical stereotype from the 1960s Adam West TV series—that helped form the film. Additionally, one draft even used this sequence as the vehicle to set up the origin story of Robin.

Yet, the saga of Sean Young and Batman continued in the public sphere—sans horses. As the sequel that would eventually become 1992’s Batman Returns had just cast Michelle Pfeiffer for the key role of Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Young felt slighted for not having been given the chance to audition for the part. It’s an understandable feeling, given the way she was unceremoniously recast, which belied any serious volition for her to field the part, since they could have possibly shot around her broken arm during the production’s initial months. Consequently, Young started what became a very public campaign to be cast as Catwoman. This culminated in a 1991 appearance on The Joan Rivers Show (seen just below), in which Young showed up in a homemade Catwoman getup and—through a sultry performance of the character evocative of Eartha Kitt—took Tim Burton to task on his apparent reluctance to even meet with Young in any capacity.

“Even if he wasn’t even going to use me in the sequel, I can’t understand why he wouldn’t at least see me. He wouldn’t see me,” exclaimed Young—at this point out of character—to the late talk show host, who then brought up the rumor that Burton thought the Walkie-talkie Young liked to carry during those days was a gun. “How would I know what he thinks,” Young responded. “He wouldn’t see me, he ducked me, he ran. And then later on, my agent told me that he was going to hire a bodyguard because I was like a dangerous lethal person.”

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Nevertheless, Batman‘s nixed horseback scenes ultimately proved to be a major undoing for Sean Young. Her status as a rising headliner evaporated after that tumble. She would subsequently suffer from, as she now alleges, being blackballed by prominent Hollywood figures such as Steven Spielberg, Warren Beatty and, yes, Tim Burton. In fact her most prominent post-80s movie was the co-starring (twist-touting) role in 1994’s Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, which Young says she only landed because star Jim Carrey advocated on her behalf in spite of studio Morgan Creek. Yet, Young has always worked steadily, and was recently seen in director Tracy Wren’s 2020 drama, Rain Beau’s End, with multiple movies still on her backlog. So, don’t discount the prospect of a potential Sean Young-issance just yet.

The post How a Batman 1989 Deleted Scene Cost Sean Young the Co-Starring Role appeared first on Den of Geek.

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Shahrukh Khan figures among Top 5 Richest Actors and Celebs in 2018

Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan who has a net worth of $600 million, is among the top five Actors and Celebrities across the World of Entertainment. While Salman Khan and Amir Khan too find a place in the list of Top 40 richest Actors and Celebrities but their rank is far below than Shahrukh Khan. Shahrukh Khan is at no 2 below Jerry Seinfeld, an  American actor whose net worth is estimated at $820 million.  

Salman with a net worth of $ 230 Million stands at the 26th position, whereas Amir Khan with a  net worth of 180 Million is at 33rd position. Akshay Kumar too is in the list but at 35 no. His net worth is 170 million US Dollar.

Here is the 2018 list of World’s Top 10 Richest Actors with big fat bank balances.

10- Adam Sandler

Adam Sandler has spent more than two decades amassing his $340 million net worth as one of Hollywood’s biggest comedic superstars. Sandler raked in $41 million in 2015 alone, thanks to the big-budget movie “Pixels,” as well as four exclusive movies he has contracted to make with Netflix.

9-Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood is an American actor, director, and producer who has a net worth of $375 million. In 1964 Eastwood was cast in his first iconic role as the "Man with no name" in Sergio Leone's "A Fistful of dollars". The character would go on to "For a few more dollars" and "The Good, the bad, and the ugly". The film reconfirmed Eastwood as a western hero. Eastwood also made his directorial debut with "Play Misty For Me".

 8- Bill Cosby

Controversial American actor, comedian, and an author Bill Cosby’s net worth is currently $400 million. In recent years, Bill Cosby’s image and reputation were damaged by many accusations of rape, sexual assault, abuse, and misconduct. In fact, over 60 women have come forward and fired these accusations at Cosby. It wasn’t until April 2018, that Cosby was actually convicted of sexual assault. However; with everything that’s been happening recently, you can expect this figure to be a lot lower in the next few years.

 7- Tom Hanks

Hanks’ net worth is listed as $350 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. His big break came in 1984 when he landed the lead role in Ron Howard’s movie “Splash.” Several major Hollywood blockbusters later, such as “Big” in (1988), “Sleepless in Seattle” in 1993 and “Forrest Gump” in 1994, Hanks became a multi-millionaire. He continued to accumulate his wealth via movies such as “Apollo 13” in 1995, “Saving Private Ryan” 1998, “Castaway” in 2000, “The Terminal” in 2004, “Charlie Wilson’s War” in 2007, “Bridge of Spies” in 2015 and “Sully” in 2016.

 6- Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise,  an American actor, and a producer has a net worth of $400 million. Over the last three decades, Tom Cruise has starred in dozens of major blockbuster movies and is generally considered one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. His big hits were the 1986 film Top Gun, which grossed $356 million worldwide. His next big hits were the 1986 film Top Gun, which grossed $356 million worldwide.

 5-  Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp is an American actor and producer who has a net worth of $450 million. Johnny Depp’s many successful films have grossed over $3.1 billion in America and $7.6 billion worldwide at the box office.

 4- Jack Nicholson

This American actor has a net worth of $480 million. Jack Nicholson is one of the wealthiest and most-award-nominated actors in American history. Nicholson has appeared in sixty-four films and been nominated for twelve Academy Awards. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice, for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and for As Good as It Gets.

 3- Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry is no doubt one of the most financially successful directors in the entertainment industry at the moment. It is estimated that Perry earns between $100 and $150 million yearly from his entertainment business. Perry net worth is put at $600 million.

 2- Shahrukh Khan

Shahrukh Khan is an actor, film producer and TV personality who has a net worth of $600 million. Shahrukh Khan earned his net worth through his many films, such as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Om Shanti Om, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, and many more. Shahrukh opened two production companies, Dreamz Unlimited and Red Chillies Entertainment.

1-Jerry Seinfeld

Jerry Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, and writer. Seinfeld is best known for playing himself in the sitcom ‘Seinfeld’, which was written by Larry David and himself. He’s had an incredibly successful career as a stand-up comedian; and in 2018, Jerry Seinfeld’s net worth is estimated to be $920 million.

10 Surprising Facts About Burt Reynolds

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10 Surprising Facts About Burt Reynolds

If your first memory of Burton Leon Reynolds is from the 1993 film Cop and a Half, then you’re probably too young to remember—or even realize—that Burt Reynolds was once Hollywood’s biggest movie star. To put it in perspective: Every year from 1973 to 1984, Reynolds was listed as one of Quigley’s “Top 10 Money Makers,” and held the top spot on the annual poll from 1978 to 1982 (the only other person to boast a record five consecutive years at the top of the list is Bing Crosby, back in the 1940s).

After a serious knee injury and subsequent car accident ended a promising football career at Florida State University, Reynolds found his way into acting. He got his start in a series of television roles, including a regular gig on the western series Riverboat, then hit the big screen big time with his breakout role in John Boorman’s 1972 backwoods classic, Deliverance.

Reynolds followed Deliverance up with such hits as Smokey and The Bandit (a film Playboy called “the Gone with the Wind of good-ol’-boy movies”), Semi-Tough, The Cannonball Run, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Though he hit a bit of a rough patch for a few years, all of that changed when Reynolds agreed to star in Boogie Nights, Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1997 ode to pornography, which earned the actor a Golden Globe award, a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination, and one of the biggest comebacks of the decade. Here are 10 things you may not have known about the mustachioed Hollywood icon, who turns 80 years old today.

1. HE TURNED DOWN SOME MAJOR ROLES.

Over the course of a near-60-year career, one is bound to pass on some prime roles. And Reynolds has turned down a lot, including (by his own admission in the video above) Han Solo in Star Wars, R.P. McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Edward Lewis in Pretty Woman, and John McClane in Die Hard. Although he doesn’t regret that final one: “I don’t regret turning down anything Bruce Willis did,” Reynolds told Piers Morgan.

More notably, and perhaps more regrettably, Reynolds turned down a chance to play James Bond in 1969. As Reynolds explains it: “In my infinite wisdom, I said to [producer] Cubby Broccoli, ‘An American can’t play James Bond. It just can’t be done.’ And they really tried to talk me into it. It was a 10-minute discussion. Finally they left. Every night, I wake up in a cold sweat.”

The role Reynolds laments turning down the most, however, is a role that was written specifically with him in mind. When director James L. Brooks approached him about playing Garrett Breedlove in 1983’s Terms of Endearment, Reynolds balked, instead taking a role in Hal Needham’s Stroker Ace. “When it came time to choose between Terms and Stroker, I chose the latter because I felt I owed Hal more than I did Jim,” Reynolds explained (Needham also directed Smokey and the Bandit, Hooper, and The Cannonball Run). “Nobody told me I could have probably done Terms and Universal would have waited until I was finished before making Stroker.” The role went to Jack Nicholson, who took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1984.

2. HE POSED NUDE IN A 1972 ISSUE OF COSMOPOLITAN.

It may be common knowledge that Burt Reynolds posed naked in Cosmopolitan. What may be less known is that he regrets that decision. “I’m very embarrassed by it,” Reynolds told Piers Morgan. Editor Helen Gurley Brown asked Reynolds to do the photo shoot after the two appeared together on The Tonight Show. “I thought it would be a kick,” Reynolds said. The issue came out only a short time before Deliverance was released in theaters and all 1.6 million copies of the magazine sold out.

Despite the popularity of the spread, Reynolds now believes that it may have distracted from the critical reception of Deliverance. “I thought it cost some actors in Deliverance an Academy Award,” Reynolds told Morgan. “I think it cost Jon [Voight]. I think it cost Ned Beatty, who certainly deserved an Oscar nomination. I think it hurt me, too.”

3. HE TURNED DOWN HIS OSCAR-NOMINATED ROLE IN BOOGIE NIGHTS. SEVEN TIMES.

Paul Thomas Anderson was adamant that Burt Reynolds play iconoclastic porn producer Jack Horner in his 1997 masterpiece, Boogie Nights, despite Reynolds’s aversion to the material. Anderson asked seven times, and got seven passes from Reynolds. “One night—the eighth time—[Anderson] came to my hotel room,” Reynolds recalled. “And I said, ‘Look, you don’t get it.’ And I went a little berserk. And at the end of the tirade, he said, ‘If you can do that in the movie, you’ll get nominated for an Academy Award.’ And he was right.”

4. AN ON-SET STUNT CAUSED HIM A LIFE OF PAIN.

The 1980s weren’t always kind to Reynolds. “I can’t believe I did all those bad films in a row until I looked at the list,” he said. During the filming of 1984’s City Heat, Reynolds was struck in the face by a metal chair and shattered his jaw. He developed TMJ as a result of the injury and ended up losing 40 pounds due to his inability to eat solid food. The shocking weight loss fueled speculation that Reynolds had contracted AIDS, a rumor he spent years refuting. He also developed a severe drug dependency as a result of the chronic and debilitating pain he suffered from TMJ; at one point Reynolds was taking up to 50 Halcion sleeping pills a day.

Reynolds eventually kicked the pill addiction, but was not so lucky with the pain. He still suffers daily from the more than 30-year-old injury.

5. HE HAD AN IMPROMPTU PIE FIGHT WITH DOUBLE DARE HOST MARC SUMMERS ON THE TONIGHT SHOW.

Burt Reynolds had just finished up his segment as a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 1994 and had shifted over to make way for the next guest, TV show host Marc Summers (Double Dare, Unwrapped). Reynolds became visibly irritated with Summers for, ostensibly, turning his back on him while he was speaking to Leno. Summers then made the comment to Reynolds, “I’m still married, by the way.” This jab precipitated a water fight between the two combatants: Reynolds dumped his mug on Summers’s lap, Summers retaliated, so on and so forth. The donnybrook culminated in a rather violent pie fight followed by a very awkward hug.

“This was not a bit,” Summers explained. “I didn’t know what to expect. He was going through a divorce with Loni Anderson at the time and he was angry … He hugged me and said, ‘I only did that because I really like you.’ You wait to get on The Tonight Show your whole life. You’re sitting next to Burt Reynolds. He drops water on your crotch, then you get into a pie fight!”

6. HE PISSED OFF ELMORE LEONARD.

Reynolds was a longtime admirer of writer Elmore Leonard. After reading Leonard’s novel, Stick, Reynolds decided that he wanted to direct and star in the film version. Things did not go well.

After watching Reynolds’s first cut of the film, the studio pushed back its release date and forced him to re-shoot the second half of the movie, much to the actor/director’s dismay. “I turned in my cut of the picture and truly thought I had made a good film,” Reynolds told the Los Angeles Times. “Word got back to me quickly that the [studio] wanted a few changes … I gave up on the film. I didn’t fight them. I let them get the best of me.”

The biggest blow came from Elmore Leonard. “Leonard saw the film the day he was interviewed for a Newsweek cover and told them he hated it,” Reynolds shared. “After his comment, every critic attacked the film and he wouldn’t talk to me. When I re-shot the film, I was just going through the motions. I’m not proud of what I did, but I take responsibility for my actions. All I can say—and this is not in way of a defense—is if you liked the first part of Stick, that’s what I was trying to achieve throughout.”

7. HE DABBLED IN THE NIGHTCLUB BUSINESS.

Burt Reynolds’s foray into the booming 1970s nightclub business was a short-lived one. He opened Burt’s Place in the late 1970s at the Omni International Hotel in downtown Atlanta. The club’s most notable feature was a stained glass dance floor that featured a rendering of Burt’s face and the words, “Burt’s Joint”—which was odd, considering that wasn’t even the name of the establishment. Burt’s Place/Joint closed after a year.

8. MARLON BRANDO WAS NOT A FAN OF REYNOLDS.

Coming up in the movie business, Burt Reynolds was a huge Marlon Brando fan. Brando did not share the sentiment. When Reynolds was being considered for the role of Michael Corleone in 1972’s The Godfather, Brando adamantly declared that if Reynolds was given the role, he would remove himself from the project. The rest is history.

Brando later said about Reynolds, “He is the epitome of something that makes me want to throw up … He is the epitome of everything that is disgusting about the thespian … He worships at the temple of his own narcissism.” Ouch! To be fair, in the same conversation, Brando admits that he had never even met Reynolds.

9. HE RELEASED AN ALBUM. 

Hot off his success in Deliverance and his nude spread in Cosmo, a solo album seemed like the next, most Hollywood-appropriate course of action.

Reynolds released his debut record, “Ask Me What I Am,” in 1973 and somehow this gem seems to have evaded critics and fans alike. We do know that the album came with a double-sized poster of Reynolds in a blue jumpsuit and cowboy hat. You can listen to a track on YouTube, but if you must hear it in its entirety, it’s available on Amazon.

10. HE DOESN’T THINK DELIVERANCE COULD BE RE-MADE TODAY.

“They keep talking about a remake, but I don’t think you could find four actors crazy enough to do it,” Reynolds said. “Not by any stretch of the imagination were we white water experts. We’d quit for the day and come back and practice. We got to the point where we were more proficient, or at least we didn’t get tipped over all the time. I have to admit that, in spite of the danger, or maybe because of the danger, it was the most fun I ever had.”

Reynolds has often said that Deliverance is the finest of all of his films.

Tonya Harding Sufjan Stevens – “Tonya Harding” is Trendingon Wednesday December 6 2017 http://ift.tt/2AcPW1D

SPIN says: Sufjan Stevens – “Tonya Harding” The Ringer (blog) says: I, Tonya, Like Its Subject, Is All a Bit Much

Top 2 articles about Tonya Harding:

Sufjan Stevens had a busy November, releasing a Thanksgiving mixtape, featuring unreleased material from the Carrie amp; Lowell sessions, and unveiling two new songs (and a remix) that are used prominently in the more critically lauded films of this year Do you remember Tonya Harding as the first U.S. woman to land a triple axel in competitive ice skating history, or do you remember her for the 1994 attack on Nancy Kerrigan? Its likely the latter, which is not your fault: I mean, who could forget? I

Trending Images of Tonya Harding on Instagram:

This Tonya Harding’s photo Trending 1 on Instagram, Photo credit to Instagram

Description: Tonya meets Tonya! @itonyamovie star #MargotRobbie got to meet the real life #TonyaHarding at the premiere of the upcoming film. The Australian star beamed as she stood on the red carpet with the ice skating legend, whom she portrays in the new film. Click the link in our bio for more details. : Vivien Killilea/Getty Images

This Tonya Harding’s photo Trending 2 on Instagram, Photo credit to Instagram

Description: When Tonya Harding herself shows up to the “I, Tonya” premiere… _ Actress Margot Robbie and former ice skater Tonya Harding could barely contain their excitement as they posed together at the LA premiere of “I, Tonya” at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. | December 5, 2017 | : @richfury | @ceycheese | #GettyEntertainment

This Tonya Harding’s photo Trending 3 on Instagram, Photo credit to Instagram

Description: Awwwww sebby … • • #itonya #margotrobbie #sebastianstan #sebastian #seb #sebstan #buckybarnes #jamesbuchananbarnes #wintersoldier #winterschildren #actor #tonyaharding #peoplemagazine #la #awardseason #oscars #allisonjanney #avengersinfinitywar #tjhammond #lancetucker #marvel #mcu

This Tonya Harding’s photo Trending 4 on Instagram, Photo credit to Instagram

Description: New pic of Margot ready for the LA Premiere of “I, Tonya”! Via @patidubroff

This Tonya Harding’s photo Trending 5 on Instagram, Photo credit to Instagram

Description: It’s LA premiere day for “I, Tonya” and the critics have spoken, it’s a sensation!! Hits theaters this Friday, December 8 #ITonya #CraigGillespie #BryanUnkeless #TomAckerley #StevenRogers #MargotRobbie #SebastianStan #AllisonJanney #JulianneNicholson #PaulWalterHauser #CaitlinCarver #MckennaGrace #TonyaHarding #NancyKerrigan #JeffGillooly #TalentTuesday #BettyMaeCasting #Repost @itonyamovie ・・・ Believe the buzz. #ITonya is now #CertifiedFresh on @rottentomatoes. See it in NY & LA this Friday.

This Tonya Harding’s photo Trending 6 on Instagram, Photo credit to Instagram

Description: NEW Margot attended a premiere of “I Tonya” with Tonya Harding and the cast of the movie #margotrobbie #itonya #tonyaharding #sebastianstan

This Tonya Harding’s photo Trending 7 on Instagram, Photo credit to Instagram

Description: Breaking it down. @allisonbjanney kills it in @itonyamovie – film about #prejudice on so many levels. She deserves a nomination. Brilliantly directed by #CraigGillespie & written by #StevenRogers. Before social media, we absorbed what the MSM media gave us. And it was half-ass. Did any of us know that #TonyaHarding was a survivor of #abuse? Did any of us know what she suffered at the hands of the #patriarchy? This film lays it out – the truth of the story we *think* we all know. #TonyaHarding is a #survivor and a #heroine for standing up. I heard the news like everyone else – This truth is much more compelling because it is True. See this Film. Performances across the board are hilariously real. (Yes it has darkly funny moments) My mouth was agape watching. Truly. On so many levels, this is a film for our time. #DomesticAbuse #Prejudice #BadParenting #Bullying #Complacency #Apathy #Humor n

This Tonya Harding’s photo Trending 8 on Instagram, Photo credit to Instagram

Description: When Tonya met Tonya! Surreal #redcarpetmoment @margotrobbie Robbie bringing her @itonyamovie real life counterpart #TonyaHarding and Tonya teared up @entertainmenttonight #itonyamovie #margotrobbie

This Tonya Harding’s photo Trending 9 on Instagram, Photo credit to Instagram

Description: Film: I, Tonya Director: Craig Gillespie Cast: Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney Rating: .5 Genre: A dark comedy done really, really well Quote: “America needs someone to love but also someone to hate.” : Margot Robbie I thought this would be hard to watch considering how much I love Nancy.  However, Robbie did such an amazing job that I was truly able to see “the incident” from Tonya’s eyes. Whether her version was true, I can honestly say that I felt a soft spot for Harding. This is a dated scandal modernized by Craig Gillespie’s writing and direction. He breaks the fourth wall for narration purposes, and while this usual irriates me, I could not wait for him to break it each time. Allison Janney plays Tonya’s cold, abusive mother. She’s hardly recognizable as it’s a ruthless side we’ve never seen from her.  It breaks your heart to see how she treats her daughter, but you can’t help but laugh as Janney does bad so well. Sebastian Stan as Jeff Gillooly is genius and terrifying at the same time. A major takeaway is America’s use and abuse of its athletes, actors and really anyone who makes for a good story. Hollywood and reality tv are not just guilty of this as the media has been using news as entertainment for years. Bottom line: fact or fiction?  I don’t know what reality to believe. However, one fact is that Tonya could skate and wasn’t given the opportunity to rise because she didn’t fit the image. The film explores questions that weren’t asked. Tonya pleads, “Shouldn’t it be about the skating?” “Why isn’t it about the skating?” With the progressive focus on smaller films by the Academy, I predict a nomination for Robbie. Without the go-to standardized sexualization of her, we are able to see her as a serious performer, which is refreshing. . . . . . . . #itonya #itonyamovie #margotrobbie #sebastianstan #allisonjanney #tonyaharding #nancykerrigan #jeffgillooly #craiggillespie #olympics #iceskating

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