Tag: Benedict Cumberbatch

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Benedict Cumberbatch Defends ‘The Power of the Dog’ After Sam Elliott’s Weird Criticism

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In case you somehow missed it, Sam Elliott went on Marc Maron’s ‘WTF‘ podcast last week, and took the “WTF’ title to heart with his very own “WTF” moment.

Near the end of the episode, Maron asked Elliott what he thought of The Power of the Dog, and apparently that was the wrong question to ask because the 77-year-old actor had some real beef with the movie. He didn’t like how the film portrayed cowboys in the wild west. He compared the cowboys in the film to Chippendale dancers.

That’s what all these f**king cowboys in that movie looked like. They’re running around in chaps and no shirts. There’s all these allusions of homosexuality throughout the movie.

He also wondered what the director, Jane Campion, knew about American westerns because she’s from New Zealand. Oh, and he also didn’t like the fact that it was filmed in New Zealand, and not Montana where it was supposed to be set, which, uh, wait until he finds out about The Martian.

In any event, Benedict Cumberbatch (the star of the movie) responded to Elliott’s weird criticism during a recent BAFTA Film Sessions interview.

I’m trying very hard not to say anything about a very odd reaction that happened the other day on a radio podcast over here. Someone really took offense to — I haven’t heard it so it’s unfair for me to comment in detail on it — to the West being portrayed in this way. These people still exist in our world. Whether it’s on our doorstep or whether it’s down the road or whether it’s someone we meet in a bar or pub or on the sports field, there is aggression and anger and frustration and an inability to control or know who you are in that moment that causes damage to that person and, as we know, damage to those around them…[There is] no harm in looking at a character to get to the root causes of that.

And that’s the thing. Even Maron tried to explain this to Elliott. The Power of the Dog wasn’t made to say, “All cowboys were secretly gay” it was simply a story about one cowboy. Does Elliott really think there were no gay cowboys back then?

Not liking the movie is fine. I didn’t like it. I thought it was dull and predictable, but not liking it simply because the cowboys weren’t “masculine” enough is super strange.

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Watch The First Trailer For Sexually-Charged Western ‘The Power of the Dog’ Starring Benedict Cumberbatch

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Have you heard of the little novel titled ‘The Power of the Dog‘ from author Thomas Savage? It reached cult status and was considered ahead of its time in depicting repressed sexuality.

The story is set in 1925 and follows two wealthy ranchers in Montana who meet a widowed “proprietress at a restaurant and her impressionable son.”

Cumberbatch’s character is especially cruel toward the woman, and that whistling isn’t just a tick, as it’s his form of taunting her, whistling a tune she can no longer play. But when Cumberbatch’s character begins to take her boy under his wing, it begs the question whether his behavior is a sign of him softening or a plot twisting further into menace.

In addition to Benedict Cumberbatch, this movie stars Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst, Thomasin McKenzie and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

As mentioned above, the film is set in Montana, but it was actually shot in New Zealand. It’s set to open at the Venice Film Festival and the New York Film Festival.

It’ll hit theaters on November 17 and then be released on Netflix on December 1.

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Colin Trevorrow Set To Direct Benedict Cumberbatch In WWII Drama ‘War Magician’

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Filmmaker Colin Trevorrow is going from Jurassic Park and dinosaurs to WWII and Benedict Cumberbatches.

It was just announced that Trevorrow will direct the upcoming WWII drama ‘War Magician‘ for Studiocanal.

Benedict Cumberbatch will star in the flick, which is working on a script from E. Nicholas Mariani. It’s based on the 1983 novel of the same name from David Fisher.

Pic is based on the wild story of Jasper Maskelyne, a British illusionist who used magic to defeat Erwin Rommel in World War II. Trevorrow’s take features an international ‘magic gang’ from Africa, Europe and the Middle East who conspired with Maskelyne and a female military intelligence officer to defeat the Nazis.

It’s an interesting move for Trevorrow. Not many directors can direct something like Jurassic Park, and then bring it down for a war drama just a couple months later.

No word on when the film will be released, or who else is starring alongside Cumberbatch, but we will keep you posted as more details become available.

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The First Trailer For ‘The Grinch’ Starring Benedict Cumberbatch Has Arrived, Check It Out Inside!

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‘The Grinch‘ has been made several times before. You had the live-action Grinch film starring Jim Carrey in 2000, and several other animated versions of the story as well.

This latest version, created by Illumination and Universal Pictures, is animated and actor Benedict Cumberbatch will be the voice of the Grinch.

In the official trailer you see below, the Grinch is woken up by an alarm clock that continuously plays the song ‘Happy‘ by Pharrell Williams. Obviously, this song does not work for someone like the Grinch, “Today we will do mean things and we will do them in style.”

This film was co-directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney. It’s set to hit theaters November 9, 2018, and it’s probably going to be a holiday hit.

Check out the trailer below…

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How Much Will ‘Doctor Strange’ Make During Its Opening Weekend? Find Out What The Experts Are Saying

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Obviously comic book fans were super excited when Marvel announced they were developing a Doctor Strange movie. But that’s where the excitement ended for the most part. The general audience didn’t know what it was all about and had no reason to get excited for it.

But over time, more people have jumped on the Doctor Strange train, thanks in large part to Benedict Cumberbatch landing the leading role. The great reviews from critics certainly don’t hurt either. It’s currently sitting at a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.

So what does this mean for its opening weekend? Well, industry professionals believe the film will bring in between $65-70 million this weekend, which would not be bad at all.

It’s already made over $87 million worldwide. It was released in the U.K. and South Korea last week. So even though it won’t match the numbers from Guardians of the Galaxy, it still should be a solid hit for Marvel.

Pretty impressive stuff considering how little the audience knew about this movie when the news was first announced. The promo team has done a wonderful job. If the projections are correct, Doctor Strange will have a better opening than Ant-Man’s $57.2 million.

The film hits theaters this weekend. Watch the trailer below. Are you excited?

 

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The Legend Continues, Benedict Cumberbatch To Voice The Grinch In New How The Grinch Stole Christmas

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We love Benedict Cumberbatch. You love Benedict Cumberbatch. Your grandmother loves Benedict Cumberbatch. Heck, the one creepy neighbor down the street who eats ice cream sandwiches in his underwear on his front porch probably loves Mr. Cumberbatch.

And we’re all going to fall more in love with the 39-year-old actor now that he’ll be voicing The Grinch for Illumination’s  2017 animated version of How The Grinch Stole Christmas.

Producer Chris Meledandri says Benedict’s voice contains “comedic wickedness while embodying vulnerability.” The film will be directed by Pete Candeland and Yarrow Cheney and is scheduled to be released November 10, 2017, which is one week earlier than the initial release date of Nov. 17.

Previous versions of the Grinch’s story haven’t performed well with the critics, but they do make a lot of money at the box office. Ron Howard’s live-action adaption of the Dr. Seuss classic scored mostly negative reviews from critics, but it took home $345 million worldwide and even won an Oscar for Best Makeup. And at the time, it was the second highest-grossing holiday film of all time.

Illumination is hoping their version can find that same success. We’ll see how it all plays out, but landing a name like Benedict Cumberbatch is certainly a great start.

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Someone Is Trying To Kill Justin Bieber In First Trailer For ‘Zoolander 2’

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A teaser trailer was released for Zoolander 2 back in August, and while it certainly got us excited for the movie, it didn’t give us a look at any of the action.

That has all changed now. The first official trailer for the film has been released, and it’s filled with hilarious moments and some of the biggest names in Hollywood like Justin Bieber and Benedict Cumberbatch. Of course, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell are featured in the trailer as well.

Unfortunately for all you Beliebers out there, it doesn’t look like the Biebs will have too much time on screen. We learn in the trailer that the world’s most beautiful people are being hunted and killed by a criminal organization.

As you can see in the screenshot below, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and Usher have all been slaughtered. If Zoolander doesn’t put an end to this madness, the world might be left with ugly people. And I think we can all agree no one wants to live in a world filled with ugly people. I don’t even like living with myself.

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Check out the trailer below. Zoolander 2 hits theaters Feb 12, 2016. Looks like the perfect movie for the romantic weekend.

 

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Movie Review: Black Mass (2015) – Depp Returns To His Element of Playing Complex Characters.

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If you’re as sick of watching Johnny Depp play eccentric, weirdly dressed characters, or dudes in guyliner as I am, then Black Mass will be a welcome respite for you. This movie sees Depp go back to his roots, as one of the best method actors around.

The premise is based on the real life drama that saw one of the biggest criminals in history, Whitey Bulger, become an FBI informant. It focuses on FBI Special Agent (Joel Edgerton), a man who actually knew and admired Bulger when he was growing up in South Boston. Of course, Connelly went the other way with his career and eventually tried to turn Bulger (Johnny Depp) into a FBI informant. Of course, this informant deal is a bit well…unethical. In this case, Bulger won’t inform on any of his Irish mob buddies. Instead, he’ll be ratting on the Patriarca crime family. It isn’t long before Bulger uses the opportunity to get the FBI to take out the competition for him, with bloody and catastrophic results.

The acting in this was extremely well done. Depp is barely recognizable as the balding, paunchy Bulger and Edgerton stand out as an agent whose own moral compass becomes increasingly skewed. Ironically, Edgerton actually reminded me a bit of when Depp played Donnie Brasco.

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I liked that they stuck to accuracy in the Whitey Bulger story. Much of what was presented is widely believed to actually have happened, though there are a few disputes from some of the key players, for obvious reasons. They had to mess with the timeline a bit to make it work, but in reality, I liked that they tried to go with the story and not embellish a story that was pretty good on its face.

On the flip, I think they tried a bit too hard to make Bulger likeable. In one scene, that I highly doubt ever happen, Bulger stops to help some old lady with her groceries, because deep down, he’s just a gentlemanly south Boston boy. Oh, please…I think enough court records and information exists to make it pretty darn believable that if Bulger did ever help a woman with her groceries, it was for the purpose of stealing them. Why does every gangster movie need to focus on the goal of turning said gangster into Robin Hood?

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The sad fact is, sometimes, people are just sociopathic monsters. Bulger falls far more on that side than he does of a saintly robin hood. I can accept the fact that he wasn’t a saint. I don’t need to sympathize with him to understand him. In fact, I don’t want to. I have no desire to join any kind of criminal fraternity. If I need moral ambiguity, I’ll get it from Connolly, the truly sympathetic character in this film.

But that slim complaint aside, I will say this is an enjoyable, well written piece that returned Depp to his element of playing complex characters. I had my doubts about him playing Whitey, but he pulled it off. That alone makes this movie worth the watch.

WE GIVE IT: 4.5 STARS!

four and a half stars

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Movie Review: The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies – An excellent end to the Series

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As a massive nerd, I’ve been waiting for this movie to come out for years. I literally have been in line, dressed as a hobbit, since 2011. Ok, well that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but I wanted to see if the final installment of the Hobbit trilogy was as good as the first.

In this final installment, we meet up with Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield and the Company of Dwarves shortly after they reclaimed their land from the Dragon Smaug. Of course, as it’s never a good idea to peeve off a fire breathing dragon, this has had some totally foreseen consequences. Smaug is taking his anger out on the innocent villagers of Laketown. On top of that, Thorin is going just a bit nutty and obsessed with his treasure, which drives a wedge between Bilbo and him. Toss in some Gandalf, a whole bunch of Orcs and Elves, and you get to end with a bang.

The movie was extremely well done and an excellent end to the series. They lost none of the power of the original. In fact, I think this might be the best installment yet. CGI, good makeup and fantastic settings created a mystical, beautiful world with heart pounding action and breathtaking scenery.

Martin Freeman plays Bilbo Baggins with the same humor and honor, creating a multifaceted conflicted character that we want to see win. His Everyman character is one that most people can relate to, even though they know hobbits don’t exist.

The battle scenes are impressive and well choreographed, and director Peter Jackson clearly found his forte in filming battles. The scenes are convincing without being overtly gory and the strategies involved are a bit more realistic than in the first two films.

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What this movie could have used was a bit of comic relief. Compare the Hobbit to The Lord of the Rings, and you’ll always find the Hobbit lacking. That’s probably because in this installment, we don’t really get to know the characters as well. The scenes are a bit more battle heavy and there is less humor or emotional connection to the characters.

Not to say that it’s bad. In fact, it might be one of the best fantasies I’ve seen, aside from Lord of the Rings. I think that’s the problem with this franchise entirely. The Hobbit would have been groundbreaking if they hadn’t already raised the bar with The Lord of the Rings. It kind of makes me wonder what would have happened if they’d started with the Hobbit and done Lord of the Rings afterwards. Would the franchise have gotten the same momentum?

Of course, as with the Lord of the Rings, I did have some problems with the under-representation of female characters. Yes, I know Tolkien didn’t write it like that, but he also didn’t write much about the Battle of Five Armies in the books either, and they’ve turned that into the focal point of this entire movie. Would it have hurt to throw in a decent Liv Tyler elf or something like that?

Again, I have to say, this is worth the watch. Heck, I might even watch it twice. I’ve barely gotten any wear out of my hobbit costume.

WE GIVE IT: 4.5 STARS!  Official Movie Trailer and Movie Poster Below.

four and a half stars

 

 

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Marvel Makes Several Huge Announcements, None Of Them Including Benedict Cumberbatch

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Marvel Studios promised a huge event yesterday at the El Capitan Theater in Los Angeles, and they certainly delivered. They made several huge announcements during yesterday’s press event; however, none of the announcements involved Benedict Cumberbatch.

Marvel President Kevin Feige announced the names of nine films the studio will release over the next five years.

The two biggest films announced? Captain Marvel and Black Panther. Marvel fans are most excited about these two films. Black Panther, which will be released in November of 2017, will feature Marvel’s first black leading actor. Actor Chadwick Boseman, best known for his work in 42, will star as T’Challa, the African prince who becomes a superhero.

And Captain Marvel will be Marvel’s first movie featuring a female lead. It’s not expected to hit theaters until 2018, so we don’t know too much about the film. There hasn’t been any casting, but Feige did say this about the movie…

“This film has been in the works almost as long as Doctor Strange or Guardians Of The Galaxy, and one of the key things was figuring out what we wanted to do with it. Her adventures are very earthbound, but her powers are based in the cosmic realm.”

In addition to the two films listed above, Marvel also released the titles and release dates for seven other films. You can view the full list down below.

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