Tag: Emma Stone

Geekscape Movie Reviews: The Favourite

by MCDave

If you aren’t familiar with filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, then you haven’t heard of or experienced one of the world’s most unique and bizarre voices. To attempt to explain his work is to do it a grave injustice. Lanthimos is an expert at tapping into the emotional gut of his audiences with a disturbing oddity that makes his work unequivocally singular. And in what is surely the filmmaker’s most tame and harnessed effort to date, The Favourite still manages to scratch at your core with its vile irreverence, a trademark effect of Lanthimos’ work, and helps propel this title to the top of his catalog.

In 18th century England a crazed and imbalanced Queen Anne (Oliva Colman) navigates her country through a war against the neighboring France with the aid of her stoic sidekick and close friend, Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz). Their symbiotic relationship has long been cemented as Lady Sarah acts as a puppeteer controlling the strings of Queen Anne. However, things become unexpectedly tense when a new servant named Abigail (Emma Stone) begins to compete with Lady Sarah for the Queen’s favor.

The Favourite prides itself as an unconventional period piece. While the film’s set and costume design are superb in their own right, The Favourite circumvents period piece norms by relying on a gripping tale that would work just as well in any setting. Yet, it’s Yorgos Lanthimos’ signature style with tight shots, distorted imagery and sharp editing that elevates his work beyond the genre’s staple films. It’s no wonder why industry stars have been flocking to his titles. And in The Favourite we’re gifted with brilliant turns from the movie’s trio of co-starring actresses, each of whom mesmerize in drastically different ways. Emma Stone with her darling charm and nefarious deceit which almost make it feel like two separate roles. Conversely, Rachel Weisz becomes the epitome of strength and confidence, never afraid to voice her opinion and see things through to the bitter end. But it’s Olivia Colman’s infantile psyche and expert precision that acts as the glue to the film’s three prominent women. It’s been declared that Colman plans to campaign in the Lead Actress category while Stone and Weisz plan to go Supporting Actress. Typically, competing against a fellow cast member can serve as a roadblock to a nomination, but recent history suggests it’s very possible to pull off a two for one. Just last year Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson both scored Oscar nods for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and Rockwell even went on to capture the statue. These performances are that good and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see all three actresses make it into the final five. Likewise, Yorgos Lanthimos is a legitimate Best Director contender and The Favourite, as a whole, possesses all the makings of a bona fide Best Picture candidate as it’s one of the year’s most notable standout features.

GRADE: 4/5

For more reviews, trailers and movie lists visit MCDAVE’s host site

Geekscape Movie Reviews: Battle of the Sexes

by MCDave

Following an unusual career path to filmmaking that included nearly two decades of making MTV music videos for accomplished artists like REM, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer and countless others, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris began their Hollywood career with a bang. The husband and wife’s debut feature Little Miss Sunshine went on to win a pair of Oscars (Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Screenplay) and earn heaps of critical praise. And despite an egregiously overlooked second feature, the superbly told fantasy love story Ruby Sparks, the couple’s latest work has them back in the spotlight.

Battle of the Sexes tells the timely true tale of female tennis great, Billie Jean King (Emma Stone), as she emerged as a beacon of the women’s liberation movement during the early 1970s. While embroiled in a bitter fight concerning equal cash prize payouts for the men’s and women’s tournament winners, King also discovers her inner desires and begins a secret and risque affair with a pretty young hair dresser named Marilyn (Andrea Riseborough). Meanwhile, 55 year old former men’s champion and gambling aficionado , Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell), comes up with a crazy sideshow idea to play King in an exhibition match, and puts on a chauvinistic display to help make it happen.

Caught in the midst of a heated social climate, Dayton and Faris’ Battle of the Sexes proudly parades its pro-feminism and pro-LGBTQ rights agenda. You’ll be hard pressed to find a single scene where King’s character is on screen and neither of those issues are involved. Consequently, the film will assuredly polarize audiences, so it’s important to take all passionate opinions regarding the movie with a grain of salt. And even though Academy Award Winning screenwriter Simon Beaufoy’s (Slumdog Millionaire) script comes off as a bit preachy, recent Oscar Winner Emma Stone and co-star Steve Carell both deliver outstanding performances. If anything, Battle of the Sexes could have used a larger dose of Steve Carell, as Bobby Riggs’ energetic character merely lurks around in the film’s first two acts, giving way to a tepid romance story between Billie and Marilyn. Both Austin Stowell, as Billie’s husband Larry King, and Andrea Riseborough fail to offer convincing and meaningful characters, which certainly creates a void in the film. Battle of the Sexes tells an interesting true story in a rather uninteresting way, making it a decent but unfulfilling watch.

GRADE: 3.5/5

For other reviews, trailers and movie lists visit MCDAVE’s host site

‘La La Land’ And The Impact Of “What If”

by Josh Jackson

*WARNING: SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE FILM AHEAD*

Now that La La Land is available for DVD, Blu Ray and 4K platforms, it seemed like an opportune time to wrap up my review on the film. But between the praise its received since release, the almost unattainable amount of hype it built up before Oscar season, and the many other sites that will surely do a fantastic job explaining how great the film and all of the special features are, (the making of the show stopping Another Day of Sun freeway number being a personal favorite), I doubt there’s anything I can say regarding the quality of the film that you haven’t heard a thousand times by now. I still can’t decide which movie I liked better among the Best Picture nominees between this and Hidden Figures, but Damien Chazelle’s ode to the musicals of decades past has stuck with me since I walked out of the theater months ago. When I’m asked about why I enjoyed this love letter to the dreamers of the world as much as I did, it always comes down to that ending.

Seb’s passion for Jazz becomes shared.

Detractors of the film have stated that everything ends up a little bit too perfect for Sebastian (Ryan Gossling) and Mia (Emma Stone), aspiring entertainers who are lost among the stars of Los Angeles. Trying to find a path to success, their love sets them on their respective paths to achieve their dreams. While they don’t end up together, Seb opens the Jazz club that he always dreamed of while Mia becomes a famous actress, giving each other one last nod of approval after what might be the last of their many chance encounters throughout the film. And to be honest, I can’t argue with that assessment! From a pure conflict resolution standpoint, the majority of the film focused primarily on their need to achieve their respective goals, and while they had to sacrifice their romance to do so, they both got where they wanted to be with relatively minor resistance.

But what makes the ending great is that it’s not the only right answer.

The viewer’s perspective shapes how they interpret the final ten minutes of what was a relatively straightforward story up until that point. After a brief time skip, we’re re-introduced to the characters in quick fashion, with Mia being a successful actress with a husband and daughter. It’s not until they wander into a club that turns out to be Sebastian’s dream bar that the film sets us up for that big turning point. During that vibrant “what if” scenario that the pair envision, we see what things could have been like if a few of their choices were different. An argument can be made that even this scenario still isn’t perfect, since it’s implied that Seb never gets his club. And yet, he seems perfectly happy being at Mia’s side, helping her achieve her big dreams.

What could have been

Which brings me to City of Stars, the popular duet that I’m sure you’ve heard a thousand times by now. More specifically, one particular set of lyrics speak volumes. At this point in the film, Mia is hard at work writing a one woman show that Seb convinced her to put together as a way to avoid the humiliating auditioning process, since he fully believed that her enthusiasm would draw people to her rather than her having to essentially beg for work. On the other side, Seb has just joined a more pop oriented Jazz band that pays enough to help him support himself and Mia, but plays a style that he’s personally unhappy with. Far from ideal, especially on his side. Yet in the song, the pair sing,

I felt it from the first embrace I shared with you.

That now our dreams, they’ve finally come true.

Despite them being very far from where they want to be career wise, in this moment in time, they feel like their dreams have already been achieved by being with each other. Unfortunately for them, the pressure of being unhappy in the band and Mia’s show tanking leads to the pair splitting, but not before Seb gives Mia one last boost of encouragement by taking her to an audition that came about in response to her show. Once we see that Seb decided to name his club “Seb’s”, using the same name and design Mia suggested, instead of “Chicken on a Stick”, a name that he was 100% adamant about earlier in the film, it’s clear to see how Mia’s memory had become a driving force that ultimately pushed him to open his club.

A final goodbye

Now onto the ending itself. I personally feel that the movie is tragically cold with the abrupt way that it ends after showing us what could have been. Yes, they achieved their dreams, but there’s a cruel irony about being completely estranged from the person who enabled those dreams in the first place. Not only that, but over the course of the film, their dreams changed to simply wanting to be together. Having to sacrifice one dream that we watched grow and blossom as viewers for the sake of dreams that are achieved off screen really drives home how unfair it is. But the most lasting part of the ending is that it’s one that we can all relate to. Would our lives be better or worse if we handled those past circumstances differently? I have my dream career, but was it worth losing touch with the people who grew alongside me to achieve it? How can a person who was my biggest supporter become a stranger within the blink of an eye? And why can’t the people who enabled, encouraged and empowered us to be the best version of ourselves be by our side when the fruits of their labor finally comes to fruition? It’s not fair. Life rarely is. But like Seb and Mia, sometimes we have to nod, smile, and resume our lives with the circumstances we’re presently in.

So yes, I can’t argue that from one perspective, the film is pretty straightforward, with the characters getting everything they fought for from the beginning and more. I can’t even argue with someone who says the ending was happy since sometimes, we have to make sacrifices to win at this crazy game. Which is what makes the ending so beautiful. Depending on your own perspective, you can draw so many different conclusions from it. Yet for me, even with whatever success may come, I’m still wondering if it was worth it.

La La Land is now available on DVD, Blu Ray and 4K formats.

Celebrate ‘La La Land’ Day With Festivities Across The City Of Stars!

by Josh Jackson

To commemorate the record breaking Golden Globe winning and almost Best Picture Oscar recipient La La Land‘s release on home media, April 25 will become La La Land Day across the city of stars.

Beginning with an official declaration by Mayor Eric Garcetti, screenwriter/director Damien Chazelle will be honored for his “extraordinary portrait of the city and its iconic locations”. Which makes sense when you consider that tourism has skyrocketed since the film’s release. Also on hand will be composer Justin Hurwitz, production designers David and Sandy Wasco, choreographer Mandy Moore and jewelry designer Kyle Chan. The festivities will be topped off with a live arial performance by the dance troop BANDALOOP.

Outside of the official declaration, special events will be held throughout the City of Stars. From dance lessons, set recreations, screenings and full recreations of Seb’s club from the film, both at the original location in Hermosa Beach to other Jazz clubs throughout the city, check out the full list of events below!

 

  • Grand Central Market will hold a La La Land dance lesson at 10am at 317 S. Broadway in downtown, and Sarita’s, the site of Mia and Sebastian’s first date will be featuring a La La Land photo op with the stools they sat on.
  • 3rd Street Dance will offer La La Land themed Dance Class at 7pm at their 8558 West 3rd St. location.
  • Kyle Chan Design will display the jewelry that Academy Award® Best Actress winner Emma Stone wears in the film at 6801 Hollywood Blvd. Ste 114. The first three people to come in and buy La La Land jewelry will take home a Blu-ray of the film.
  • Brits in LA will host a “Brits in La La Land” Breakfast at Cecconis on “La La Land Day” and give away free breakfast to the first 20 people who share an image that best represents #LaLaLand to them and why.
  • The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising will have their final day of display of the La La Land costumes in their museum, along with the unveiling of the La La Land inspired costume design contest winner.
  • Inglewood Library will have a La La Land themed activities hour at 4pm for youth who want to express their creative side with La La Land activity sheets and coloring pages.

 

Jazz bars across the country will be transformed into “Seb’s” on April 25, for one night only, including Long Beach’s “The Blind Donkey” (149 Linden Ave), the original location for “Seb’s” in the film, featuring live music, themed drinks and a full size Seb’s neon sign.

 

Additional area taverns will also celebrate with La La Land themed nights featuring ‘enter to win’ boxes with Blu-rays offered as prizes.  Bars include:

  • Light House Café – 30 Pier Ave, Hermosa Beach, CA
  • No Vacancy – 1727 N. Hudson Ave. Los Angeles, CA
  • Bar One – 12518 Burbank Blvd. North Hollywood, CA

Far from a waste of a lovely night for sure. How will you be celebrating La La Land Day?

The film will be released for home media on April 25.

Geekscape Movie Reviews: La La Land

by MCDave

This year’s 25th annual Philadelphia Film Festival opened in style with La La Land, one of these year’s finest achievements. Damien Chazelle follows up his highly regarded Best Picture Nominee, Whiplash, with this dazzling sophomore effort. Nostalgic and full of passion, the film pays its respects to old Hollywood all while providing a fresh vibe that will be difficult for any competitor to topple during the upcoming awards season. So if you’re in search of an early Best Picture frontrunner, look no further than La La Land.

Mia’s (Emma Stone) lifelong dream is to be a respected actress in Hollywood. But as the Nevada native experiences the ego-crushing defeat of Los Angeles’ cutthroat audition process, she falls for a Jazz pianist named Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) who hopes of one-day running a club of his own. And while this pair of starry-eyed romantics fall madly in love with each other, the weight of their relationship makes it difficult staying committed to their dreams.

LLL d 12 _2353.NEF

From the opening number all the way to its monumental finale, La La Land consumes its viewers with an extraordinary combination of a wonderfully composed score, intricate choreography, towering performances and tastefully advanced direction. Damien Chazelle is beyond deserving for a Best Director nod as his immaculate vision comes to life on the big screen. Six years in the making, Chazelle and his composer, Justin Hurwitz, used this abundance of time and patience to hone their story and fine-tune the music. This precise attention to detail spills through each and every scene as La La Land serves as a testament to originality and a shining example of its own greatest storyline, devoted passion to achieving ones dreams.

lala2

Not only are the film’s direction and melodic score an absolute marvel, La La Land‘s lead co-stars are enchanting in their own right. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling offer a unique chemistry that breathes authenticity into their onscreen romance. The film can’t capture all of its engaging essence without a sharply convincing love story, and boy do they deliver! This magical romance is reminiscent of legendary cinematic duos such as Bogart and Bacall or Tracy and Hepburn, while they naturally fall in line as a contemporary equivalence. And although Emma Stone’s character is written with more depth and layers by comparison – which may be enough to tip the scales in her favor in this year’s Best Actress race – it wouldn’t be a surprise to hear Gosling’s name called as an Oscar finalist as well.

Hollywood adores movies about the industry and La La Land uses this cachet to mold together the aura of classic cinema with a vibrant and updated appeal. It’s challenging to identify a single glaring weakness within the film, making it destined for a justifiably successful awards season run. It’s important to note that musicals aren’t for everyone, but La La Land‘s transcends this generic label thanks to an infectious passion for the arts that makes you wish you could create something as everlasting as the film itself. Consequently, La La Land stands as one of 2016’s finest offerings and an clear-cut must-see effort from one of Hollywood’s fastest-rising filmmakers.

GRADE: 4.5/5

Check out other reviews, movie lists and trailers at MCDave’s host site

Geekscape Movie Reviews: Birdman

by MCDave

The 23rd annual Philadelphia Film Festival kicked off last night in a less than grand fashion. After an unexpected last-minute issue with the projector, a venue change was quickly arranged and delayed the evening by nearly an hour and a half. Set to jump-start the festival was Alejandro G. Inarritu’s latest cinematic achievement, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). Inarritu has taken the industry by storm with prior successes such as 21 Grams, Babel and the foreign hit Biutiful, so needless to say the buzz was swirling for his upcoming release. Unfortunately, for me, the expectations soared high above the finished product.

Michael Keaton stars as Riggan Thomson, a has-been actor who once ruled the entertainment world as the lead man behind the iconic superhero franchise, Birdman. Since his time atop the proverbial mountain, Riggan has faded from the limelight but is making one final attempt to reclaim past glory with the premier of his Broadway play. However, Riggan struggles to balance his overwhelming ego with a volatile new castmate (played by Edward Norton) and a crumbling family life.

birdman 1

Films like Birdman make for easy critiques. Guaranteed to be a polarizing watch, one that my gut believes the general public will find disappointing on many levels, Alejandro G. Inarritu’s new title leaves the door open for massive amounts of discussion. On one hand, the technical accomplishments surrounding Birdman are nothing short of immaculate. Intended to feel like an uncut and unedited film, which is by no means an easy task, Inarritu’s effort requires fully committed performances from all of its actors. And believe me, there is no shortage of brilliant tour de force performances here. It all begins with the feature’s leading star, Michael Keaton, who shines brightest. Keaton feels like an all-around perfect fit for the role, only to be complemented by other towering performances from co-stars Edward Norton, Emma Stone and Zach Galifianakis. Thankfully, each and every character is delivered with a soulful turn that ultimately keeps an otherwise damaged film afloat.

Birdman 2

For all of Birdman‘s technical conquests and wonderfully acted efforts, Inarritu’s film is a falsely advertised and tiresome tale. Being pitched as a dark comedy, the laughs are far too sparse to justify such a label. And for anyone expecting an action-fueled superhero-eque type of movie, you couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead, Birdman straddles the line of surrealism in order to tell the unoriginal story of a man’s obsession with reclaiming the spotlight and, more importantly, leaving behind a legacy. After nearly two hours of the same old song and dance, the film blows past a golden opportunity to gift wrap its message and regrettably overextends its finale in an irritating fashion.

Birdman is well deserving of its praises as a spectacular piece of filmmaking, further elevated by grand performances from a long list of gifted actors. However, Inarritu’s common history of poor pacing and prolonged endings leaves a bitter mark on the film. While I entered the Philadelphia Film Festival with the belief that Birdman was a viable contender for Best Picture, I certainly have my doubts now.

GRADE: 3/5

Check out more info on MCDAVE’s Philadelphia Film Festival Preview

Michael Keaton Starring ‘Birdman’ Looks Absurd, Amazing

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: This is totally weird, and absolutely amazing.

Fox Searchlight has just released the trailer for Birdman, a film that stars Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, and Naomi Watts. The movie “tells the story of an actor (Michael Keaton) — famous for portraying an iconic superhero — as he struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career, and himself.”

So it’s Michael Keaton… portraying a washed-up actor that once played an iconic superhero. Yep.

The trailer is strange and wonderful, all at the same time, and I really can’t wait to see more. You can take a look at the trailer below, and be sure to let us know what you think!

Geekscape Movie Reviews: Gangster Squad

by MCDave

We will always remember the tragic events that took place in Aurora, Colorado this past Summer. At a midnight showing of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, a gunman (who I refuse to sadistically glorify and identify by name) fired shots into a packed movie theatre killing 12 and injuring 58 others. For as horrific as the act was, the shooting also had its impact on Hollywood. Ruben Fleischer’s first trailer for Gangster Squad included an unforgettable clip with tommy guns firing throughout a movie theatre and, out of respect for the victims and their families, Warner Bros. forced the director to re-shoot parts of his feature. Originally slated to hit theatres in September of 2012, Gangster Squad finally arrives in theatres four months later than scheduled. Despite the prolonged build up of anticipation, Fleischer’s third directorial effort never reaches expectations.

In post World War II Los Angeles, east coast mobster Mickey Cohen (played by Sean Penn) has transformed the city into a morally corrupt and dishonest haven for criminals. With most of local law enforcement in Cohen’s pocket, Chief Parker (played by Nick Nolte) turns to none other than Sgt. John O’Mara (played by Josh Brolin) to restore justice in Los Angeles. Through a carefully structured screening process, O’Mara gathers a group of specially skilled officers who put down their badges and go to war against Mickey Cohen’s crime syndicate.

Fleischer’s Gangster Squad plays out like a thoughtless and made-for-profit crime drama. Clearly picking and choosing from classic mob films of the past, Gangster Squad never truly develops its own identity. Predictable to a fault and overly formulaic, Fleischer swings and misses with this unimaginative and unoriginal effort. The characters lack depth, the script is virtually hollow and his star-studded cast is never given the appropriate platform to shine. For as reputable of an ensemble as he’s given, Fleischer fails to generate the performances you would hope for out of rising stars like Ryan Gosling, Michael Pena and Emma Stone. It almost feels like a waste of immense talent. When you start to piece together each of these shortcomings, you begin to recognize Gangster Squad for what it really is … a cash cow. Now, no one will ever know how much of the film needed to be altered after the tragic events in Aurora, Colorado, but clearly the new final product leaves much to be desired. Never breaking any ground in the often-loved mob genre, Gangster Squad is the second straight mediocre release (let’s not forget 30 Minutes or Less) from director Ruben Fleischer.

Although the feature clearly has its faults, Gangster Squad is by no means a disaster. To its benefit, the film is well paced and fluent enough to begin and end without a hiccup. The screenplay’s scarcity of substance and character development make for a fast-moving release. In addition to its smooth feel, Gangster Squad scrounges up just enough violence and action to satisfy any fan of mob movies. However, the rare memorable scene and “over before you know it” approach fails to make up for the film’s overabundance of cliche dialogue and regurgitated ideas.

Unable to create a unique identity, Ruben Fleischer’s Gangster Squad is sadly a letdown. With the blame falling mostly on the shoulders of its director and its screenwriter, Will Beall, even a talented crop of actors and actresses can’t resurrect this bland screenplay. If you’re looking for a superficial and action-filled movie experience, then Gangster Squad may be enough to satisfy your needs. Yet, if you’re looking for a never-before-seen addition to the mob genre, you won’t find it here. Mediocrity reigns supreme and becomes the perfect identifier for the squandered crime drama Gangster Squad. Be warned.

Grade: 2.5/5

Check out other work from MCDave at his website Movie Reviews By Dave

Marc Webb Reveals Some Details About The New Suit In ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Sequel

by Shawn Madden

When talking about the upcoming sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man a short bit back, director Marc Webb revealed that we would be seeing Peter Parker donning a new suit in the film. Talking about the sequel via his official Twitter, the director was asked about what kind of changes we would see to the suit in the sequel. .

I’m definitely curious if the suit is going to resemble that of the suit we’re going to see in Superior Spider-Man, which closely resembles the movie suit a bit. While some people weren’t fans of the suit in the last film I actually liked it much better than the one in the previous films and it looked great in action on the big screen. The most interesting part of his statement however is “Gnarly web shooters”. Definitely curious to see what the director means by that one. 

Cameron Crowe’s Next Film To Star Emma Stone

by Scott Alminiana

THR is reporting that director Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky, Say Anything) will begin shooting his next film this fall. The yet-to-be titled film, written by Crowe, will be a romantic drama and will star Emma Stone. They are currently looking for their leading man.

The film is set up at Sony Pictures and will be produced by Scott Rudin (Moonrise Kingdom, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Social Network). Crowe’s last film was 2011’s We Bought a Zoo, which starred Matt Damon.

I’ve been  a fan of Cameron Crowe for years, Almost Famous is my favourite movie, so I’ll be keeping my eyes out for news on this newest film. Plus, the fact that Emma Stone is in it only makes me more interested in it and I’m sure the movie will have a great soundtrack!

Random facts: Cameron Crowe wrote the screenplay, which was based on his book, for Fast Times at Ridgemont High. 

Will Marc Webb Return For The Sequel To ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’?

by Shawn Madden

Sony wants Marc Webb to return for the sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man, and even more importantly even though he sounded uncertain months ago, Webb wants to return too. But there is something that is keeping Webb from signing on for the sequel at the moment. Back when Webb directed 500 Days Of Summer for Fox Searchlight, he was locked in for one more movie with them. Apparently it seems the execs over at Fox gave him a reprieve to go work on The Amazing Spider-Man for Sony.

And according to the LA Times it seems Fox will let him sign on to direct the sequel. But there’s a catch. There is always a catch.

Fox is considering giving its blessing to Webb on “Spidey” but in exchange would extract a two-picture commitment from Webb. It would be a steep price to pay for the filmmaker — most in-demand directors don’t like locking themselves up that long — but it would free him to return to one of Hollywood’s biggest franchises.

If no agreement can be reached, Sony is going to have to begin a search for a replacement director pretty quickly, as the movie is lined up to hit theaters in 21 months. Alex Kurzman, Roberto Orci, and James Vanderbilt are currently working on a script for it. I hope Webb returns myself because of the great job he did with the first chapter but can completely understand if he walks away due to the commitment that Fox is looking for.

Marc Webb Discusses Sequels And Inspiration For ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’

by Shawn Madden

‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ has swung into theaters and is doing great so far. The film has already pulled in an impressive estimated $341.2 million in it’s six day run. Collider recently spoke with Marc Webb about the film and the sequels that are confirmed to be happening.

On him returning to direct a sequel:

“I haven’t made a decision,” he replied. “I’m just like…this has been such a long process, it’s so much fun, it’s really exciting and I’ve invested a lot. But I just want to finish this movie, take a breath and then I’ll make that call, we’ll see.”

Due to how well this film is doing in theaters I don’t think there is quite a good chance we could see Webb return to direct the sequel.

On where he drew inspiration from in the comics:

“In terms of finding things from the comics, obviously there’s some references to his parents and different versions of that, and I studied that a little bit. And then I liked some of the attitude in The Ultimates.” Further into the conversation, he stated “I like the attitude and the physical components of Spider-Man from some of the Ultimates. So it’s an amalgam of different characters that felt interesting to me.”

Also, when asked if there were any villains he would like to see in the future, he definitely didn’t give much away but it seems like he has a pretty good idea what is in store.

“Well, hmm, I don’t want to give anything away.”

Source: Collider

Early Concept Art For Spider-Man’s Suit From ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’

by Shawn Madden

As we all know they re-designed Spidey’s suit for ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’. Concept artist Eddie Yang has posted images of some of the earlier designs on his personal website. I do prefer the suit that they did eventually go with. It actually looks amazing on the big screen. No pun intended. However I will say that second design is pretty damn cool…minus the weird alien eyes.

 

Source: Eddie Yang Studio

Marc Webb Explains Why He Wanted To Re-Tell The Origin And Themes In ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’

by Shawn Madden

The Geekscape staff is quite split on their opinions of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’. Some of us loved it (I really loved it). Some of us down right didn’t like it. Some of you still haven’t seen it yet and I really hope you don’t let our opinions and preferences sway you from your interest or even lack of interest in the movie.

The Hollywood Reporter recently did an interview with Marc Webb discussing the themes of the movie and why he wanted to re-tell the origin that I found really interesting and a good read.

THR: When you embarked on reimagining the Spider-Man franchise, what story did you want to tell, what did you want to keep, and what did you know you could move past immediately?

Marc Webb: What always interested me was the orphan story – this kid gets left behind by his parents when he’s six or seven years old – because that to me is a more definitive moment for the character than even the spider bite. I think his problems with authority and his surly attitude, which I loved in the comics, emerged from that moment he was left behind – because authority betrayed him. So he’s going to be inherently distrustful of it, and that is reflected in his relationship with Uncle Ben and Aunt May at times, and also with Captain Stacy. And also with the humor and the sarcastic wit, which is something that is totally indigenous to the Spider-Man comics that we haven’t seen or explored much cinematically before. So even the familiar elements of the story, I wanted to hang on a different throughline that had to do with his parents’ disappearance.

THR: Was there ever a discussion about starting the film after he’d already become Spider-Man?

Webb: No, I think you have to do groundwork. I think even if we’ve seen the origin of Spider-Man, we haven’t seen the origin of Peter Parker, and I wanted to establish a context for him. I needed to build a foundation for a universe that would last not just through this movie, but subsequent films, so there was groundwork involved in that.

THR: Peter Parker has bad luck with mentors and father figures. How much did you write Dr. Connors and every other male role model to advance that theme?

Webb: That’s a motif in Spider-Man, and not only in Spider-Man and not just superhero movies, but that’s a big mythological theme, the search for the father and the father disappointing the son in a variety of ways. It’s a story about a kid who goes looking for his father and ends up finding himself – he becomes the father that he never had. And that’s what his realization is. I think the other theme, with Curt Connors, I don’t know if I wrote to it but it was naturally something I was aware of, and one of the big reasons I chose that villain, but again it’s about this kid whose parents are missing – he has a missing piece – and Curt Connors also has a missing piece. A literal missing piece – he’s a literal embodiment of the theme. And how we choose to fill that void is how we define ourselves. And that is something that resonated with me and something that I hoped to inject into the subtext of the film.

THR: Some of the footage you screened at Comic-Con last year did not make it into the final film. How tough was it to sculpt this material into its final form and communicate the content and tone you were aiming for?

You’ve just got to feel it, and it’s about pace, it’s about tone and playing it a few times in front of an audience and refining those points. I was pretty cautious of trying to keep the pace as quick as possible and I wanted to do something more grounded emotionally; I wanted the actors to behave in a way that was more natural and that felt realistic and not stylized. And it’s tricky to use the word “grounded” when you have a nine-foot lizard running around the streets of New York, but we had a real person there interacting with Andrew to create some gravity and reality. So there was a philosophy that went beyond just the acting and the emotions, and that was keeping a level of physical reality and emotional reality.

THR: What ended up being the biggest challenge for you in terms of combining the skills you used on (500) Days of Summer with something we haven’t seen you execute on the big screen?

Webb: There’s a learning curve with the action, I guess, but I tried to think of action as a sequence of scenes where the character was a little bit different at the beginning of the scene than at the end of the scene, and it’s a way to create some emotional epiphanies. Like for example, the bridge scene is really a moment when Peter’s motivation changes. At the beginning of the scene, he is motivated by vengeance and he’s trying to satisfy some darker part of his soul – he’s trying to find the killer of his uncle. And at the end of the scene, he realizes that he’s got bigger shoes to fill, and he’s got a more profound destiny. And again, before that, his crime-fighting was just incidental – he was just hunting for the killer – but after that, he becomes responsible for the city, and he realizes that he’s got powers that can be used to better effect. Those, I think, are the best kind of action scenes.

THR: How carefully did you have to shape Andrew and Emma’s performances to make sure that she played a character equal to his?

Webb: I wanted to honor the emotions of the scene and not just the dialogue. I love Judd Apatow movies, where you feel these people are so real, and I wanted to capture that tone. But the chemistry is interesting, because Andrew comes from a more intense, theatrically-trained background; he’s done some trickster roles like in The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, but he’s got this great emotional dimension and muscle, and Emma comes from improvisational comedy and lightness and has such great humor, but both have an ability to remain spontaneous and open and aware – and those different paths sort of converge in a really beautiful, magical way. And when we did the screen test, you knew it was going to work – it was really that simple.

THR: How much material didn’t make the final cut that you would like to see released, be it for the DVD or just for the purposes of supplementing the story told in the theatrical cut?

Webb: I’m putting out the movie that I wanted to put out. I’m not going to do a director’s cut. But there are scenes that I miss – there’s a scene that’s a more explicit statement of the themes between Connors and Peter that I liked; there’s a few lines, like one Alvin Sargent wrote that isn’t in the movie that’s one of my favorite lines I’ve ever read in my life that I wish I could have put in the movie. It was Connors talking to Peter, and he said, “Be creative. We have to be greater than what we suffer.” It was so beautiful, and it kills me that I couldn’t put it in the movie, but it was at the end of a long scene where we needed to keep the pace up. But it’s things like that and a few other scenes here and there that will be on the DVD, but you’ve got to think of the thing holistically – and that stuff happens all of the time. That’s just the nature of creating a big movie, I suppose.

THR: Was there a moment on set or at some point in the production where you just kind of kicked yourself and said, “Wow – I’m making a Spider-Man movie?”

Webb: We built these huge rigs, these traveling rigs underneath Riverside highway in Harlem up by Columbia University, and we slung a human being on these wires and he traversed through the traffic. It was something that hadn’t been done before; not only did he swing, he changed webs mid-swing in a single take, and he changed direction. And that was something that was an incredible feat of engineering, and Andy Armstrong, our stunt coordinator, spent a lot of time conjuring. It was a blast to do, and it was like I just didn’t want to yell “cut” – it was so amazing to watch. But also, we got to see the body language of what it would be like for a human to swing through the streets and how his body would move, and it helped us to define the animation and the CG enhancements later in the film. But that was a moment where I sort of pinched myself – it was unbelievable.

THR: How indicative are the two films you’ve made of the career path that you want to continue on?

Webb: I don’t know. I love doing big movies – it’s really fun. But I loved doing my small movie, so it doesn’t really matter to me. It’s about the story and about the characters and whatever inspires me in the moment is what I’ll do, I imagine. I love making movies – I’m addicted to it; that’s probably the better term. But we’ll see what happens. It’s hard to say.

Rhys Ifans Reveals Who ISN’T In The ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Mid-credit Scene

by Shawn Madden

Well, if you’ve seen ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ and have been trying to figure out just who that is in the mid-credit scene I am here to tell you who it IS but also who it is NOT.

Who IS as far as the actor in that scene is Michael Massee (‘The Crow’, ‘Fringe’, ’24’)

Who it is NOT is who many had speculated it being. Including myself. AintItCool recently spoke to Rhys Ifans, who played Curt Connors, about the scene:

AIC: Okay, what do you think about that ending?

Ifans: Well, Connors is basically locked up in a very high-security mental institution.

AIC: We were debating whether it was a prison or a mental institute.

Ifans: It’s not a zoo. [laughs] I kept seeing it as maybe a mixture of both. Then a representative from OsCorp appears miraculously in the room. How he gets in there and how he leaves, we don’t know. Maybe we will find out. But it’s not Norman Osborn.

AIC: It’s not? You can say that?

Ifans: Yeah. But it is someone who is in the employ of Norman Osborn without question.

AIC: Someone we’re familiar with, who we don’t know is employed by Osborn?

Ifans: Yeah. Who knows? Maybe he will be the next bad guy; we’ll see.

Well let the speculation begin! Could it be one of Spideys big villains? Chameleon? Mysterio? Someone else that we totally can’t think of right now?! Guess we will have to wait and see.

The Geekscape Podcast – “The Amazing Spider-Man” Review and Breakdown!

by Jonathan

William Bibbiani of Crave Online joins me to talk about Marc Webb’s “The Amazing Spider-Man”. We go into full spoiler-ific detail so if you haven’t seen the film, you are listening at your own risk!

Subscribe to the show on iTunes!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:24 — 38.8MB)

The Amazing Spider-Man: What Peter Parker Means To Me

by Shawn Madden

Originally I had planned on writing a review for the movie but before we went to see it last night I told Scott “I want you to do the review. I want to do something else.” Seeing this movie was important to me. Originally Scott, Jonathan and I were to attend an early showing but due to circumstances we were unable to get in. I swallowed down by disappointment and hid it but on the inside I was let down so bad because of how much I was dying to see this movie. The reason being that Spider-Man/Peter Parker has been an important part of my life ever since I was a young child.

I think there’s many Spider-Man fans that can relate to what I am about to write and it’s why I am sharing it. When I was younger I wasn’t popular. I actually was picked on quite a bit throughout elementary school through junior high. Many people look at me when I tell them and they don’t believe me but it definitely happened. And during my youth I fell in love with something…comic books. In my youth though I stuck to two things…the X-Men and Peter Parker ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’. I could never relate to some of the main Marvel characters or DC characters but when it came to Peter Parker I totally got it. As a kid Spider-Mans story hit me hard because like him I was kind of a loner and I never knew my dad myself. I had my mom in my life and my grandfather kind of played the father role to me. He was my own personal Uncle Ben. My love of comic books spawned from my introduction to Spider-Man. I had prior knowledge to Batman and Superman before but never developed an interest like I did when I fell into Peter Parker’s world. I would save lunch money just to run to the comic shop and pick up the new Spidey book that hit the shelves every month. Due to having a lack of friends I would sit in my room for hours reading comics over and over again and thinking out ideas for storys in my head.

There was even an incident in which some punk kid stole a copy of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man #365″ out of my backpack. At nine years old that was devastating because he denied it and the teachers did nothing. Let’s just say I got detention for my fist making contact with a certain classmates face due to a certain issue being stolen.

Over the years my love continued on but like most comic collectors during our teenage years alot of us having a time where we “lose love” for comics. This happened for me around eighth grade and lasted well past high school. I still went out and caught comic book movies and even caught ‘Spider-Man’ in 2002 which I liked at the time.

Around 2005 I was going through a hard time myself and it wasn’t a good time in my life in general. The best way to describe my feeling about life was that I felt “lost” like I did as a kid again. I didn’t feel I fit in anywhere and I wasn’t really sure what to do. One day my friends mother called me because he had moved and no one had been able to get in contact with him and was wondering if I wanted to pick up a box of comics he had left behind because otherwise she was going to toss them. I agreed and picked up the box and upon getting home opened it up. On the very top of the stack was ‘Peter Parker Spider-Man’ issues 44-47. I decided to open up the issues and ended up reading the entire story arc “A Death In The Family” aka “Return Of The Goblin” straight through. I was instantly returned to the world I had once loved and didn’t realize I missed so dearly.

Reading these issues brought me back to collecting comics and really changed my life in general to be honest. And that is why 2007’s ‘Spider-Man 3’ hurt me so much. I remember being so excited to see that movie and leaving theaters not even trying to defend it. I think I was dead silent for about five minutes after until I said “What the fuck was that?!” and just swore off the Spider-movies after. I’ll be straight forward with you…I didn’t like the Raimi movies. As I told Scott recently they are goofy, Tobey Maguire and Kristen Dunst were horrible leads and as much as I liked Sam Raimi’s movies…they weren’t Spider-Man movies. I had a sour taste in my mouth due to my favorite comic character just being such a let down on the big screen. I know some people are going to disagree with me but I think those are the same people who haven’t actually watched the original Spider-Man movies in about five to six years and realize that they don’t hold up and are just…silly.

When they announced the re-boot and that Marc Webb would be directing I was instantly excited. As more and more details emerged my excitement levels grew for it. Every trailer and every clip I watched made me feel like a kid again. I loved everything I learned about the movie and once I sat down last night I held in my excitement.

So what did I think of the movie? It was perfect. I have no shame in admitting that I teared up during parts of this movie. The cast are amazing…pun intended. Andrew Garfield was the best choice for Peter Parker that they could have possibly made and when I read Spidey books now I imagine I am going to be hearing his voice in my head. You truly relate to the character versus with Maguire where you felt like he was just a guy filling a role. The visuals in this movie are beautiful and you get lost in Peter Parker’s world and fall in love with everyone in it especially Gwen Stacy. Emma Stone if you wanted to go out…I would take you to a nice dinner and call you again. The introduction of  _____ _____ (I won’t tell you who it is) during the mid-credits is great to me. Can I wait for a second film? No. But I guess that just means I have to watch this one again and again. Thank you to Stan Lee for creating this character that helped me so much and to Marc Webb for making the best Spider-Man film to date and making a long time Spider-Man fan finally see what he loved truly come to life for the first time.

If you’re a Spider-Man fan…go see ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’. You will definitely leave with a smile on your face.

Geekscape Movie Reviews: “The Amazing Spider-Man”

by Scott Alminiana

The Amazing Spider-Man swings it’s way into theaters today and it’s a ride you’ve got to take. Before I begin let me just say something though, we at Geekscape are big on doing our best to keep our reviews as spoiler free as possible. And that sometimes includes being vague on the plot of the movie because let’s face it, movies are just plain more enjoyable when you don’t know the (entire) story going into it.

Now, if you’ve seen the trailers for The Amazing Spider-Man then you obviously know the basic plot and big action beats of the movie… Or do you? Don’t take that last sentence as something negative because it’s not. The exact same thing could actually be said about The Avengers trailer and movie. What made Avengers so enjoyable (other than the awesome action scenes) was the characters. The difference between that movie and this one is that Spider-man is so great and enjoyable due to not just its characters, but the character relationships. We care what happens in this movie because we care about the characters. That is a major, major credit to director Marc Webb, whom also directed the indie-darling (500) Days of Summer. As he showed with (500) Days, director Marc Webb knows how to get that extra bit of magic out of his lead actors and he knows how to get us invested in the characters. He has proven himself to be fully capable of being the man for the job. Well done, sir. James Vanderbilt wrote the screenplay for this and it is yet another fine piece of writing from him. He previously wrote Zodiac and has also written the screenplay for the upcoming Robocop reboot. Here he has written characters that are fun and relatable and feel like real people. You won’t find his take on Peter Parker moping around and sobbing all emo-like for half the movie, sure he does cry but at least we actually get why he’s crying. The story may not be anything new or ground-breaking but I don’t think that’s something anyone was looking for going into this reboot. What we get is an updated take on the Spider-Man origin story that takes its inspiration from Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man and some amazingly shot action scenes.

Making Webb’s job that much easier is a terrific cast. Every actor in this movie shines in their roles. Andrew Garfield is perfectly cast as Peter Parker. Unlike the Raimi trilogy, in which I was never able to connect to Toby Maguire’s Peter Parker, I had no problem relating to this Peter Parker. There’s a reason Spider-Man is Marvel’s most popular and widely-known character, it’s because he is relatable to so many people on so many levels. Andrew Garfield feels like any other high school kid, albeit a genius level high school kid. He is awkward and shy around cute girls. That’s something we geeks (or at least this geek) can relate to for sure. And this spidey is funny, something that was sorely missing in the previous movies. He’s a wise-cracking smartass from Queens! Garfield just knocks it out of the park. Then there’s Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, oh Emma Stone how I love you so. There I said it. It’s tough not to find yourself falling for her as Gwen Stacy. She is sweet and smart, who ever said a blonde couldn’t be smart? Take that stereotypes! She and Garfield have terrific chemistry in this and really sell the audience on the relationship between Peter and Gwen. Rhys Ifans as Curt Conners/The Lizard and while he isn’t given too much to do character-wise he does work wonders with what he’s given. It’s hard to imagine that this is the guy who once played Hugh Grant’s wacky room-mate in the rom-com Notting Hill. He is creepy as all get out in some parts of this and gives a good take on the old Jekyll and Hyde concept. Dennis Leary plays Captain Stacy, Gwen’s father, and while his sceen-time is limited he gets some of the movies funnier lines. Rounding out the cast is Martin Sheen and Sally Field as Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Mighty fine actors for some mighty important roles. They are both perfect but sadly underused in the movie. That is really one of my only gripes with this movie, I would have liked to see more of Uncle Ben and Aunt May, but that’s just goes to credit how great Martin Sheen and Sally Field are in this. Every one of these actors in this cast just give a great performance be their part big or small. My only other gripe is that we never get to hear Uncle Ben utter Spider-Man’s famous motto “with great power comes great responsibility,” guess we’ll have to wait for the sequel to hear that one.

The special effects and action scenes in this will be something that people will be ranting and raving about. The Lizard special effects aside (and those weren’t even very bad), the rest of the special effects were amazing. You will see and believe that a man can crawl up the side of buildings and swing through the streets of New York City. I hate 3D and saw this in 2D, but The Amazing Spider-Man makes me want to go back and see this again in 3D. Yeah, it looked that good. This is a movie that looks great and works due to it’s ability to make us connect with the characters on screen. It is clear when watching this that it is just the tip of the iceberg and only the beginning of a much larger story that is being set up for the sequels. After you see this movie you will forget all about the Sam Raimi movies. The Amazing Spider-Man is here and it’s a very welcome return of old web-head. This is a damn fine movie and a treat for all, but don’t take my word for it. You’ve got to see it for yourself. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. Oh and be sure to stay during the credits, there’s a mid-credit scene.

Score: 4.5/5

“The Amazing Spider-Man” Opens Bigger Than “The Avengers” Overseas?!

by Scott Alminiana

The Amazing Spider-Man doesn’t open for another two days, but it has already opened in 13 international markets such as Asia, Korea, Japan and India, collecting a combined total of $50.2 million. Believe it or not, the film actually opened to better numbers in some places than the juggernaut that is The Avengers did.

In Korea, Spider-Man grossed $13.4 million, which is 10% more than Avengers and is the third biggest opening for a Hollywood film in Korea. In India it grossed $6 million, making it the biggest opening ever for a Hollywood film. Oh and did I mentioned that it earned 74% more than Avengers?! In Japan it made $11.4 million and taking in 84% of the entire box office for the weekend.

These are awesome totals and great news for Sony’s relaunch of Marvel’s most popular character. In a few short days we will see how the wall-crawler will fare state-side.

Source: Deadline

Emma Stone’s Thoughts On The Death Of Gwen Stacy

by Shawn Madden

If you’ve never read it or know much about it…’The Night Gwen Stacy Died’ is one of the most important stories in Spider-man history. The death of Gwen Stacy shocked the American comic book community. Previously, it had been unthinkable to kill off such an important character – the girlfriend of the main character and a character with a large fanbase. This story arc is considered one of the markers of the end of the Silver Age of Comic Books, and the beginning of the darker, grittier Bronze Age. There has been numerous debates over the years on what really killed Gwen. Many thinking it was the shock of the fall due to The Green Goblin stating “Romantic idiot! She was dead before your webbing reached her! A fall from that height would kill anyone — before they struck the ground!”

But Marvel comics editor Roy Thomas has confirmed it was not that and actually being grabbed by Spider-mans webs. “It saddens us to have to say that the whiplash effect she underwent when Spidey’s webbing stopped her so suddenly was, in fact, what killed her. In short, it was impossible for Peter to save her. He couldn’t have swung down in time; the action he did take resulted in her death; if he had done nothing, she still would certainly have perished. There was no way out.”

Marc Webb has already expressed interest in doing this story and “doing it right”.

IGN recently sat down with Emma Stone and asked how she would feel about Gwen being allowed to live in this planned series of films.

“I hope not. I think that’s a hugely important part of her story and of this incarnation of Spider-Man. I think that was very important to everybody. I think there’s a certain expectation and then there’s a certain awareness of mortality that Gwen has already, so I think that it was important to…just because her father was in the face of death everyday and so is Peter, so I think death always surrounds her. I think it’s a really important element to her character. I mean, she, as fans know, is kind of most famous for how she departs. So that’s a weird thing to play, knowing about such an iconic part of her existence.”

I really think if done right this could be a really great comic book movie. I have faith in Webb and the reviews that are coming in for ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ so far have been thumbs up almost across the board. Seeing this story brought to the big screen would be awesome.

Share your thoughts in the box below.

‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ swings into theaters July 3rd.

So, Want To See The Carjacker Scene From ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’?

by Shawn Madden

I knew I should not have watched this. Because it has led to me watching it again and again…and again. Be warned that I warned you! If you do not want to see more of this movie click back now. This is not just a small clip but a scene from the movie. And its an awesome one.

‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ swings into theaters July 3rd.

Geekscape Roundtable: Fictional Characters We’d Bang… PART TWO!

by GeekscapeStaff

It’s part 2 of the most important discussion known to mankind!

Everyone has a fictional character they’d bang, whether it’s someone from a movie, a comic, or a car insurance company. So the Geekscape staff put together their top 5 lists, High Fidelity style. 

Joe Starr

Black Widow: Specifically the Iron Man 2/Avengers Black Widow. “Is that dirty enough for you?” COME ON. I actually wasn’t on the ScarJo train until Iron Man 2, and by the time the Avengers credits were rolling I was riding the train like a DJ from the Quad Cities.  Note to self: Do more things like a Quad City DJ. She’s hot, she’s tough. Plus, she’s written by Joss Whedon so you know we will have clever banter. OH the banter we will have.

Arcee from Transformers Prime: This one isn’t about sex. I mean, that happens, but I’m pretty sure that this is the first female character that I’ve found myself admiring and investing in in years. I mean, she’s amazingly strong and independent, a tough but warm woman you can’t help but respect. She’s a breath of fresh air from fake stupid pixie dream girls like The New Girl in the same way that Thor and Captain America were a nice break from ‘guys that want to focus on their photography’ for ladies. It’s not my fault she’s a robot that turns into a motorcycle that I’d have sex with.

Margaery Tyrell: Tyrell is unnervingly beautiful. She’s a subtle player in the Game of Thrones making smart moves. After all, remember what Training Day Denzel said: This is chess, it ain’t checkaz! Tyrell is a chess player. And sometimes she shows her boobs sometimes.

Emma Stone: Ok, look. Emma Stone isn’t real. She can’t be. She’s got all of the hotness Lohan had going for herself circa Mean Girls and none of the coke and coke and coke and coke. Also, she seems pretty rad. Way too rad to be real. It’s like life’s writers felt bad about Lohan and gave the world a do over. I want them to fight. It would be fucking epic. I’m pretty sure Lindsay would work as an alt dimension evil Emma, because she’s starting to get a bit of a goatee.

Kaylee Frye: Look, if we’re gonna go Pixie Dream Girl let’s at least go with one that can fix a starship with a roll of duct tape and sheer will. This chick would roll her eyes at Zooey Deschanel and then hit her with a wrench. And then have sex with me fingers crossed?

Allison McKnight

David Xanatos from Gargoyles:  Look, I’m just going to lay it all out there.  He’s hot.  Look at that stylish ponytail, that jawline and those shoulders.  And not only is he infinitely bangable, he’s a mastermind, manipulating the world to suit his visions.  He moved an entire castle!  How many men can say that?

Caesar from Xena:  Molly may have her heart-on for Ares, but we all know where it’s actually at: Caesar, as played by Karl Urban.  Oof.  Can I get that a second time.  Oof.  That is one sexy hunk of sociopathic manflesh, right there.  He can chain me up, torture me, and take over the civilized world any day.

Gregory House: It’s House, for christsake.  This is the man who walks around, scowling, picking people’s brains apart like he was ripping open a wad of cotton candy.  Gooey, emotion-filled cotton candy.  Even with only one good leg, he’s probably a better lay than… well, I’m not going to name names.

Richard B. Riddick: Sure, he’s a bit of a deviation from my usual lust for Magnificent Bastards, but have you seen those pecs?  In all seriousness, that man is a sex ninja.  That’s right: a sex ninja.  I’m talking about going through positions that normally aren’t physically possibleand he’s all bestial-hind-brain driven– you can tell by his opening narrative that he’s not just a growler, he’s a biter.

Mitsuomi Takayanagi from Tenjho Tenge:  This is a bit of an obscure character for most and, man, is his hair odd.  But when you’re an intelligent piece of beefcake that is casually manipulating people into potential deadly scenarios so you can finally bang your angry ex-girlfriend into submission… mrowr.

Russell Sherman

Jessica Rabbit: Now this is the only female character that could make me choose to be straight.  She’s sexy, loves the nerdy type and is committed to her man, sure she likes to pay patty cake but who doesn’t?  This chick is all right in my books.

Dr. Emmett Brown: Inventor of the stylish time machine, the Tardis may have a pool but it’s not a DeLorean.  Who would want to spend their lifetime traveling through time with their lover?  Doc is the whole package, he’s a creator, smart, artistic (although not always to scale) and the man can dance.

Sam and Dean Winchester: Those two have earned sex from everyone on the planet, they prevented the Apocalypse, fought the devil (and won), and are actively trying to make the world a better place even though it keeps taking everyone they care about away.  We owe them this, gay straight doesn’t matter they have earned a spit roast with you in the middle.

Merlin: He’s frikin’ magic for crying out loud, this is a man that could make all of your dreams come true.  If you want to frak on a magic carpet ride he could make it happen.  You want to ride a unicorn down the wedding isle again he could make this happen.

Wallace Wells: The gossip man who owns all the cool things in Scott’s apartment.  He’s sarcastic, Canadian and gay so this makes him the one character on this list that I’d actually have a chance with not to mention if things work out we could actually get hitched and it’d be legal.  That man is good looking in both the comics and the movie and is not afraid to speak his mind.

Matt Blackwood

Aela the Huntress from Skyrim: Face tattoos, mismatched armor, lots of skin showing- she’s like a medieval Suicide Girl. Plus, she’ll kill a storm atronach with a rusty dagger if you ask her. Of course, there is that “wet dog” issue; is there a Valtrex for lycanthropy?

Blink from Exiles: She’s brave, clever, kind. And pink. All over. Also, you never have to worry about being late again; with her portal power, you can go wherever you want INSTANTANEOUSLY! You want to step out for Chinese in Beijing? Bring a Somalian family to the never-ending pasta bowl? Get a Facebook profile pic on the Moon? Blink can make it happen. And did I mention she’s pink?

Terry Griffith from Just One of the Guys: Terry is the best kind of girl- one with balls. As a budding investigative journalist, Terry fights against the rampant sexual discrimination she faces by going undercover in drag to write an expose. She’s tough and funny and smart and willing to fight for the disenfranchised. And if you’re one of the guys who saw the flashing scene in his formative years, I don’t have to tell you what a model of physical perfection she is.

Margrethe from Job: A Comedy of Justice: While God and the Devil play their sick games with our hero (randomly dropping him in alternate realities Sliders-style in this classic Heinlein twist), Margrethe is the only constant good. The Danish stewardess is kind, understanding, and sexy. And anyone who makes sandwiches that can LITERALLY be considered heaven is worth holding on to.

The Mother from How I Met Your Mother: Like JJ Abrams, I’m obsessed with a mystery box. In 7 seasons, we’ve never actually met the mother. It’s the most misleading title since BJ and the Bear. Will we ever actually see her or is she like the alien from Contact? Is the mother just a concept, an ineffable ideal? Well, if the pedigree of Ted’s past girlfriends (including Cobie Smulders, Jennifer Morrison, and Mandy Moore) is any indication, the unseen mother is going to be totally effable.

Brian Gilmore

(Editor’s note: NSFW…It’s Gilmore)

Ariel from The Little Mermaid: Now, you can only really either go kind of masogynist or extremely masogynist on this one. Because you either have a girl that has no other choice but to go with mouth sexies all day all the time or one that’s super hot and can’t talk. She’s really willing to go a long way for you, too with the whole abandoning her people and voice thing. And she’s always pretty much topless, which is awesome. Also she wouldn’t get fat from having kids with you since they’d probably just grow in egg sacs.

This just got weird. Moving on.

Daphne from Scooby Doo: Any girl that wears a vagina-length skirt to a swamp and yet bothers to wear a scarf is fine by me. She’s also an idiot, which is awesome for a 1-night stand… I mean, they’re all idiots on that show unless every crook in the Scoobyverse is good enough at make-up design to be a contestant on Face Off. Also she’ll think you’re awesome in bed, since all she’s used to banging is one of the most infamously closeted gay characters in classic cartoon history. I always kind of assumed he was so obviously fabulous that he dressed her. One day: “gurrrl, how you wearin that fabulous purple dress with no flair?! Here, borrow one of my scarves!” Not only are her insanely hot fashion choices the thing that made me realize that legs rule, but she has red hair, and as we already established, this matters.

Tinkerbell: NO. SHUT UP. HEAR ME OUT. So, I’m not going to try to make the age-old argument of “hell yeah, I’d make her look like a lobster dinner” that you’ve heard pretty much since before we walked upright as a species and consistently every night as a child. This isn’t why we’re here. We’re all better than that. It’s because it wouldn’t entail any actual kind of P-in-V, so it’d be a one of a kind experience. Let me explain. And I’m so sorry for this. She’d be buzzing about at maximum speed all over you and everything would just kind of feel like as if Fleshlights worked themselves hands-free while you sat comfortably in a vibrating chair. She’d be the Brookstone of fictional lovers. Also, awesome fashion choice once again. Strapless dress that goes up to the fallopes even when 90% of the time she’s flying? Awesome fashion choice.

Wait. We can pick people played by actual humans?

Inara from Firefly: The only downside to this is that she might be a little disappointed because it’d be like asking a surgeon to do surgery at home (I swear to God there’s a better analogy for that). But she’s trained to do this. It seriously has to rule. Also you’d be doing it in space, which is awesome. Although technically I guess you’re always in space. But after letting her show you why only rich white dudes can afford her, assuming she’d be hosting (and yes, these are all now Craiglist casual encounters in my head), you could go down to the cockpit and play dinosaurs with Wash, as long as this was a time in which we hadn’t watched how he soared yet.

The Nun That Kate Upton Plays in the New Three Stooges Movie: I just really want to have unprotected Catholic sex with Kate Upton.

Stephen Prescott

Joan Halloway from Mad Men: Va-va-va-voom!

Winifred Burkle from Angel: She is the definition of adorkable and she’s a genius to boot. Zooey Deschanel wishes she had an ounce of the awesome that Fred has.

River Song from Doctor Who: Super smart, omnisexual and psychopathic. Everything I look for in a woman.

Irene Adler from Sherlock: Sherlock’s equal in almost every way. Also any woman who considers getting naked “putting on her battle armor” is a woman I’d like to meet.

Rose Tyler from Doctor Who: I don’t think there will ever be a time where I don’t have a total crush on Rose. I could blather on forever about how clever she is and how gorgeous she is and how much fun it would be to travel through space and time with her. I feel as though I completely understand why the Doctor loved her so much.

Jonathan London

The Cuckoos: Choices 1-3 MADE in a Greg Land drawn mind sexing! And one of them is in profile because Greg Land couldn’t find anymore three quarter model shots to trace in the Sears catalogue!

Gambit: He’s just a shithead. A bangable shithead that smells like cigarettes and strip clubs.

A bunch of pugs dressed up as Elf Quest characters: Editor’s note: JK this exists at London’s house and is not fictional.

Justin Lamb

Zuul The Gatekeeper: Dana Barrett is a triple threat. She’s a culturally affluent Manhattanite who plays the cello. She enjoys aerobics but knows when to spoil herself with a bag of Stay-Puft marshmallows. And she’s the corporeal medium for a demigod worshiped by the Sumerians and Hittites in 6000 BC. Long story short, things could get frigthful, but I ain’t afraid of no ghosts. Our safety word could be proton pack. Are you the keymaster? Yes. Yes, I am.

Pris from Blade Runner: Basic. Pleasure. Model.

Mrs. Brisby from The Secret of NIMH: I feel for Mrs. B. She is a sweet widower who wears that Pixie cut really well. She sort of reminds me of Mrs. Dawes, the 40-something woman who used to live next to my parents. Mrs. Dawes would work in her garden in a swimsuit top and khaki Mom shorts but she would still look surprisingly hot. Who knows, one night after stealing some corn from Farmer Fitzgibbons, maybe I would be cutting through her yard and oops I sprain my ankle. Mrs. B takes me inside to help me ice it down but instead things heat up. And then we put that red hood over those old photos of Jonathan Brisby.

Erin the Esurance Girl: Fearless, smart and sexy – whether she was stopping giant death-ray wielding automatons or saving me up to 25% on my auto insurance, this secret agent always sent me Thunderballing. Esurance stopped using her after she did poorly in a survey of popular corporate mascots. Despite being decommissioned though, she still fires up my Burn Unit.

An adult version of Princess Ruto from Ocarina of Time: I spent so many hours on that fucking Water Temple…I earned this.

Flash Thompson vs Peter Parker In This Great New Clip From ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’

by Shawn Madden

If the rest of the movie is like this…I think we will all be praising Marc Webb in a few weeks. Sorry emo Tobey but this is the Peter Parker we’ve been wanting.

 

Source: MovieClipsComingSoon

‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ swings into theatres July 3, 2012.

New ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Featurette Focuses On Gwen Stacy

by Shawn Madden

One of the major flaws in the original Raimi ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy was the fact that they brought in Mary-Jane Watson before Gwen Stacy. And when we finally did get Gwen Stacy she was forgettable and played no important role whatsoever to Parker. In this new featurette for ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ we get a little more inside info on what role Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) will play in the movie and her relationship with Peter.

‘The Lizard’ Speaks In This New ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Preview!

by Shawn Madden

Courtesy of Facebook we have this preview for ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ focusing on Curt Connors/The Lizard and even gives you the first preview of the The Lizard talking in the movie.

Two Viral Campaign Videos For ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’

by Shawn Madden

Oscorp Industries has released these two new videos of Rhys Ifans as Doctor Curtis Connors. These videos are obviously after he has tested the serum on himself. They give a small glimpse at what to expect as Dr. Curtis Connors transforms into The Lizard.

http://youtu.be/kSC4k4O_UPQ

http://youtu.be/MLMb2hYlVzU

‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ swings into theaters July 3, 2012.

“The Amazing Spider-Man” Australian Trailer Offers Up New Footage

by Shawn Madden

Now, while it’s not much new footage this trailer does add a little more Gwen & Peter time.

Is the “I’m going to throw you out the window now” a set-up for something in the sequels?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32nyLBiAU1w

The Amazing Spider-Man swings into theatres July 3, 2012.

Low-res Six Minute Preview For ”The Amazing Spider-Man”!

by Shawn Madden

This weekend a six minute preview for The Amazing Spider-Man was attached to Men In Black 3 IMAX screenings. Can’t make it to the movies? Can’t wait that long? Need something to get you even more excited than you already should be for this movie? Well, you’re kind of in luck. A low-res video of that preview has leaked online…check it out!

“The Amazing Spider-Man” swings into theatres on July 3rd, 2012.

Ryan Gosling And Sean Penn Movie ‘Gangster Squad’ Releases First Trailer

by Scott Alminiana

The trailer for Gangster Squad has hit the web and it packs quite the punch. Looks like guys won’t mind if their girlfriends drag them to this Ryan Gosling flick. In fact, it may be the guys who will be dragging their girlfriends to this one. Here’s the synopsis for the film:

Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and–if he has his way–every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of  not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It’s enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop…except, perhaps, for the small, secret …

Gangster Squad is directed by Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer and stars Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, Nick Nolte, Emma Stone and Sean Penn. No release date has been announced so stay tuned.

Geekscape’s Amazing Spider-Man Sneak Preview!

by Jonathan

On February 6th, 2012, Columbia Pictures organized a special multi-city sneak peak of brand new footage and a cast and director Q and A to promote this summer’s Amazing Spider-Man! Of course, Jonathan and William Bibbiani were there! In this special mini-Geekscape, Jonathan and William give you their thoughts on the new footage, the difference between this Spider-Man and Sam Raimi’s and what they think this means for this superhero summer of movies! SPOILERS (OF COURSE)!

Find it on iTunes

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:50 — 15.2MB)