Everyone loves to talk about Bond movie villains. Over the decades, they’ve given the world some of movie history’s greatest quotes, lairs, superweapons and bad guy schemes for global domination. But who is it doing the heavy lifting for these elaborate plans? It’s the colorful array of henchmen, propping up those villains and their schemes, that go consistently unsung. Well, no more. We’re here to pay homage to the best of the worst....
Jude Law is one of those actors who is instantly compelling whenever he appears on screen. The British actor rose to fame with his unforgettable supporting roles in high profile projects, became a leading man in Hollywood films, before settling into a much more interesting character actor career. Law is an endlessly charming actor who can drop that likable persona in a moment for much more nefarious roles. He feels right at home in a big blockbuster as well as small, intimate stories....
Nothing about the film making process is easy. From the pre-production, filming, and then post production, every step of the way is an arduous path where all can go wrong at any moment. It is truly a miracle any film gets made in the first place, and even more impressive when a masterpiece is churned out. Whether one is a director, actor, writer, producer, or some other role involved in bringing these stories to life, they all deserve respect for their hard work....
Indiana Jones is one of the most beloved action franchises in the world. Since Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indy and his many companions have traversed the globe, searching for the most priceless, and occasionally supernatural artifacts. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas drew much of their inspiration from childhood adventure serials when creating the world and aesthetics of Indiana Jones. Unfortunately, these serials pushed a lot of worldviews and tropes that have aged horribly, and many of those bled into Indiana Jones....
Studios love franchises – if the first film does well, any further films come with a ready-made fandom and a solid chance of success. Franchises based on books are even better – they proven, successful concepts and complete storylines ready and waiting to make money. Franchises also have so much more scope to them – characters can be developed and introduced over multiple films, plotlines can build slowly to a climax, and there is space to really explore different ideas....
After years of rumors, Warner Bros. appears to be moving forward on Space Jam 2, a sequel to the live-action/animation hybrid that was a touchstone for 1990s kids everywhere. This time around, Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James will be stepping into the Michael Jordan role of the basketball player who comes to the aid of Bugs Bunny and friends. This choice should work very well; not only are the Jordan/LeBron comparisons something sports fans debate daily, but James also demonstrated solid acting chops as “himself” in last year’s comedy Trainwreck....
Shonda Rhimes has given us so much ever since she created Grey’s Anatomy and the subsequent hit shows that still bring us to tears. Created prior to the era of binge-watching, these shows were way ahead of their time in that we can now binge-watch them ease today. But just because something is great doesn’t mean it’s perfect. That’s the human condition, right? Shows that have the ability to make us think differently can also upset us, even more, when something feels off because we become used to them breaking new ground all the time....
It’s easy to think that we know almost everything there is to know about A-list celebrities these days. We don’t have to get all of our information from the tabloids any more. Instead, we can get dating announcements on Instagram or a celebrity might confirm a rumor with a tweet. Everyone’s lives are so public now that its’s hard to imagine that a celebrity could keep something as important as a family member under wraps....
Above image courtesy of BossLogic. Marvel can’t be accused of going after big name talent to fill their universe. They are always on the lookout for actors and actresses whose careers are hot, and that’s exactly what happened last week, when it was revealed that recent Oscar winner, Brie Larson, was in early talks to fill the role of Captain Marvel in the character’s upcoming solo film. It’s a huge step for the studio, as this will be their first female hero to get her own film and franchise....
The free market is not always the best judge of quality. Nothing against capitalism, but sometimes the masses don’t flock to great movies; maybe a film gets clobbered in a competitive release date, or the marketing was lackluster, or it is simply ahead of its time, as they say. Some of these films were supposed to launch franchises with numerous sequels, and some were just one-off ideas which, while attaining varying degrees of critical acclaim, simply went above the heads of general audiences....
The war between Harry Potter and Twilight fans was carried out through most of the ‘00s. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone premiered in 2001 and the first Twilight came out in 2008, but despite the substantial head-start Potterheads had, the rivalry between the two franchises became a staple in popular culture around the world. It wasn’t particularly helpful, either, that the two-part Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows finale came out in 2010 and 2011, while parts one and two of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn premiered in 2011 and 2012 – giving even more leeway to critical and box office comparisons between these properties....
Akira Toriyama has taken a lot of abuse for forgetting various characters in his Dragon Ball manga series. He would often create characters, set them up to be important, and then never use them again. Toriyama’s forgetfulness can be attributed to the intense workload that comes with creating a weekly manga series, as the constant encroaching deadlines make it harder for the author to come up with long-term plans. Masashi Kishimoto is just as guilty of forgetting characters in Naruto as Toriyama was in Dragon Ball....
Any fan of superheroes knows that they all inevitably wind up fighting each other eventually. It’s gotten to the point that some fans look forward to another iconic clash between two good guys more than their usual rosters of villains. Sure, in the world of comics any character can beat another depending on who’s writing them, and there’s rarely a definitive answer to the fight. But it doesn’t take away from the endless debates about which hero would triumph over another....
The Fast and the Furious had initially been conceived as an unofficial remake of Point Break, but it’s spent the better part of twenty years evolving into a globe trotting billion dollar honest to God franchise. Nowadays if you go to one of these movies you’re going to get two things; unbelievable vehicular stunt work, and playful screen rapport between an ever increasing array of incredibly charismatic actors. Seriously, this cast is getting huge....
The Ace Ventura series launched one of the biggest movie stars in the history of the business. Prior to the release of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Jim Carrey was known as that guy from In Living Color. However, based on the strength of his comedic performance in the film, it was a huge hit and his career was instantly thrust into a whole new stratosphere. In fact, that movie was such a big success that it didn’t even take two years for its sequel, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, to be released to theaters....
When a spin-off is actually just as great as the original show, it’s definitely a huge deal. While the teen drama The Fosters was a special show about a unique family, Good Trouble deserves a lot of credit for taking Callie and Mariana’s storylines and running with them. The spin-off is funny, dramatic, and has cool vibes thanks to the main characters, minor characters, and the L.A. setting. Here are five things that Good Trouble does better than The Fosters, and five things that the original teen drama does better than its spin-off....
There are dozens upon dozens of unique and fascinating creatures in the world of Harry Potter. The main series showed us that, and then the Fantastic Beasts series has gone above and beyond in showing us even more of the creatures of legend. What’s interesting is seeing the lore behind these creatures. Some of them are actually based upon legend – lore that J.K. Rowling and molded into something of her making....
The UK adaptation of the All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness, A Discovery of Witches, makes its way to North American audiences thanks to two unlikely sources, Sundance Now and the AMC-owned horror streaming service, Shudder. The series’ placement with those outlets may well be what they both need to secure additional subscribers, as this picturesque supernatural romance dabbles in any number of genre trappings, seemingly at will, harkening back to everything from Twilight to True Blood to the time-travel romance of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander....
EXCLUSIVE: First look at new trailer for @WrinkleInTime from @ava, featuring @Oprah, @RWitherspoon and @mindykaling. Debuts at @AMAs! #AMAs pic.twitter.com/44wGOyjHGV— Good Morning America (@GMA) November 17, 2017 A new poster and trailer teaser for A Wrinkle In Time have arrived, offering a fresh look at Ava DuVernay’s next directorial effort, before the full second trailer launches this weekend. Disney may get most of its attention for its biggest IPs - the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Pixar, etc....
AAPL investors need to see inside the company’s “$70 billion black box,” say analysts – a reference to Apple lumping together all its Services revenue into one figure, despite the fact that it effectively covers ten different businesses with the company. The issue is vital to understanding the level of the threat posed to Apple by antitrust regulations in respect of the App Store, they say … Apple’s more secretive finances Apple used to be relatively open about its sources of income, including reporting individual sales figures for iPhone, iPad, and Mac....
