The New Line Cinema drama THE GOOD LIAR pairs Oscar winner Helen Mirren (“The Queen”) and two-time Oscar nominee Ian McKellen (“Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” “Gods and Monsters”) on the big screen for the first time.
Bill Condon, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of “Gods and Monsters” directed and produced from a screenplay by Jeffrey Hatcher (“Mr. Holmes”), based on the widely acclaimed book The Good Liar, by Nicholas Searle.
Career con artist Roy Courtnay (McKellen) can hardly believe his luck when he meets well-to-do widow Betty McLeish (Mirren) online. As Betty opens her home and life to him, Roy is surprised to find himself caring about her, turning what should be a cut-and-dry swindle into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life.
THE GOOD LIAR also stars Russell Tovey (TV’s “Quantico”) and Jim Carter (TV’s “Downton Abbey”). Greg Yolen also served as producer, alongside Condon. The executive producers were Jack Morrissey, Nick O’Hagan, Aaron L. Gilbert, and Jason Cloth.
The creative filmmaking team included director of photography Tobias A. Schliessler (“Beauty and the Beast,” “Mr. Holmes”), production designer John Stevenson (BAFTA nominee, “Burton and Taylor”), editor Virginia Katz (“Mr. Holmes,” ACE Award winner for “Dreamgirls”) and costume designer Keith Madden (miniseries “Patrick Melrose,” “Mr. Holmes”).
THE GOOD LIAR was filmed on location in London and Berlin. It opens in theatres on Friday, November 15, 2019.
A New Line Cinema presentation, in association with BRON Creative, the film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
This film has been rated R for some strong violence, and for language and brief nudity.
The 91st Academy Awards nominations in all 24 Oscar categories will be announced in a two-part live presentation on Tuesday, January 22, via global live stream on Oscar.com, Oscars.org, the Academy’s digital platforms – Twitter, YouTube, Facebook. The Oscars 2019 nominations will be announced by Kumail Nanjiani and Tracee Ellis Ross in a two-part live presentation.
5:20:00 a.m. PT:
(Not listed in order of presentation)
Actor in a Supporting Role
Actress in a Supporting Role
Costume Design
Film Editing
Original Score
Animated Short Film
Live Action Short Film
Sound Editing
Sound Mixing
5:30:30 a.m. PT:
(Not listed in order of presentation)
Actor in a Leading Role
Actress in a Leading Role
Animated Feature Film
Cinematography
Directing
Documentary Feature
Documentary Short Subject
Foreign Language Film
Makeup and Hairstyling
Best Picture
Visual Effects
Adapted Screenplay
Original Screenplay
Original Song
Production Design
Three hundred forty-seven feature films are eligible for the 2018 Academy Awards.
The 91st Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
Nicole Kidman stars as Erin Bell in Karyn Kusama’s DESTROYER, an Annapurna Pictures release. Photo credit: Sabrina Lantos / Annapurna. Courtesy of Annapurna Pictures
This is not how we are used to seeing Nicole Kidman. Kidman plays snarling, violent, even grizzled Los Angeles police detective bent on vengeance, in the gritty crime thriller DESTROYER.
Kidman also plays a younger, more innocent rookie cop version of the character, Erin Bell, in flashback. As the younger version, Kidman looks like herself, as we are used to seeing her, but as the older, hardened cop, she is nearly unrecognizable.
That Kidman’s character is damaged goods, and was once a far different person, as made clear by the reaction of her police co-workers when she appears unexpectedly at the crime scene that opens the film. A body with bullet holes is found in a little-visited area near the Los Angeles river, sparking a murder investigation, but a tattoo on the body hints at a connection to another long-ago crime in Detective Erin Bell’s past.
The script, written by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, film toggles back and forth between the investigation linked to that murder scene, and flashbacks to a younger version of that character (a prettier Kidman), who as a rookie participated in an undercover investigation that went horribly wrong. Those events basically created the snarling animal we meet in that first scene, and who haunts the film throughout, as she hunts down the criminal leader Silas (Toby Kebbell) involved in that life-changing earlier investigation.
Kidman is not the only actor whose appearance is unconventional, or whose character’s life was transformed by the events that twisted Erin Bell, in this noir-ish drama.
The film never makes clear who or what is the “destroyer” in the title, but it may be the main character played by Kidman. When the crime figure who masterminded the robbery that so impacted the detective’s life re-emerges, Bell sets out to finish old business, tracking down Silas’ old gang members and collaborators, stepping over the line as the quest for vengeance unhinges her.
Revenge is a theme but so being held accountable for one’s actions, as Erin is not free of guilt herself. Kidman’s work is supported by a good cast. Sebastian Stan plays Chris, Erin Bell’s partner in the earlier undercover operation, who we see frequently in the flashbacks. Tatiana Maslany plays Silas’ lover Petra, while Jade Pettyjohn plays Erin’s teen-aged daughter Shelby. Bradley Whitford plays the money launderer Dennis DiFranco
This crime thriller is very much a character-driven story. Director Karyn Kusama takes a neutral, non-judgmental approach to this often-unlikable, violent character. She is a puzzle whose pieces are gradually assembled for us throughout the drama.
This is a film that is likely to stay with you, to haunt you, after its end, particularly the unforgettable character at its center. But this is a film that requires patience. You have to stay with it to the end to fully appreciate what it is doing. There is a bit of misdirection in the film and audiences will think they know what kind of story they are watching only to discover it is something else. It takes us down several rabbit holes, but clears up the questions it raises in its powerful conclusion.
Audiences are more accustomed to seeing male actors in this kind of gritty, unlikable anti-hero role. Of course, It is not the first time a beautiful actress has gone through this kind of physical transformation – we have certainly seen Charlize Theron do this more than once – but this is the first time we have seen Kidman tackle this kind of risky role. Not only makeup transforms Kidman’s appearance, as the actress bravely embraces this challenging character. Kidman adopts a squinting look, a stooped posture and a rolling walk that suggests a cowboy, along with a gravelly voice in a menacing monotone.
The film is visually striking, and the fine cinematography by Julie Kirkwood is one of its strengths. The action often takes place at the margins of the city, where broken pavement or overlooked spaces under bridges allow the natural environment to unexpectedly poke through.
The reference to Westerns are not just in Kidman’s portrayal. In fact, although the film is set in contemporary LA., subtle visual references to classic Westerns abound. The out-of-the-way locations are seedy, but they are also wind-swept and sunlight with a harsh light that recalls the dry, high plains of the West. While the drama has the shadows of film noir, occasional stabs of bright light that pierce that darkness, reflecting the influence of Michael Mann and ’70s films like THE FRENCH CONNECTION. But those moments of bright light are often through pale grasses growing in the margins. The film was shot entirely in and around Los Angeles, which gives it a distinct realism. The faded, spiky grasses suggest Western prairies, as if the natural Western landscape that L. A, was built on is struggling to breakthrough and reclaim the space.
DESTROYER is worth seeing for Nicole Kidman’s remarkable performance alone. While it is not a flawless film, it is worth the effort and patience, and that patience is well rewarded by the film’s devastating conclusion. DESTROYER opens Friday, Jan. 18, at Landmark’s Tivoli Theater and Plaza Frontenac Cinema.
Once again a lauded international filmmaker is taking an unfiltered look at family life. You might think that I’m talking about the current awards “darling” ROMA from director Alfonso Cuaron, in theatres and streaming on Netflix (really). No, this new film may be giving it some competition in the Best Foreign Film category (it has snatched up the prize in a few festivals and year-end critics group awards). Oh, this film is set in modern times, is in color, and its setting is half the planet away. And the ROMA family is, at least, upper-middle-class. These folks, well, definitely lower, much lower. This Tokyo-based clan truly struggles to survive and provide. That’s the main reason (along with misfortunate and misery) this family becomes SHOPLIFTERS.
As we meet two of them, the aforementioned crime is well in progress. “Papa” Osamu (Lilly Franky) and nine-year-old Shota (Kairi Jo) are roaming a grocery store, stuffing food into their clothing as they act as “lookouts” for each other (and distracting the clerks and managers). As they head home they notice a familiar sight. A sweet-faced five-year-old girl named Yuri (Miyu Sasaki) is alone and neglected, sitting in the cold patio outside her apartment. Fearing for her safety, Osamu impulsively reaches in and takes her with them (thinking that a hot meal will help before bringing her back). This causes quite a ruckus in the squalid tiny apartment that the duo shares with “Grandma'” Hatsue (Kirin Kiki), “Mama” Nobuyo (Sakura Ando), who works at a dry cleaners, and nineteen-year-old Aki (Mayu Matsuoka) who spends her days as a “hostess” at a “gentleman’s private club”. Actually, Hatsue is the main provider as she receives a monthly pension check via her late husband and a regular “gift” from the offspring of the woman who was her late hubby’s second wife. Plus the apartment is in her name only, so they all have a “hiding plan” in case of a visit from the landlord. Life becomes direr as Osamu is injured on the job at a construction site (no insurance, of course) and Nobuyo is let go (after she’s rifled through the pockets of all the clients’ clothes). After discovering some suspicious scars, Yuri becomes a part of the “family”, and soon the local media reports of her “kidnapping”. She’s quickly given a new name and haircut, and to Shota’s chagrin, trained in retail thievery. When a heartbreaking tragedy occurs in the household, a hard decision is made that further puts everyone at risk. Will the authorities discover their actions and break-up the loving, but illegal household?
Writer/director Hirokazu Koreeda touches upon several themes of friendship and family he explored previously in AFTER THE STORM and the unexpected charmer OUR LITTLE SISTER (which was based on a popular manga-style graphic novel). The superb camerawork conveys the near-claustrophobic living conditions in just one or two rooms that seemed to be constantly caked with grime and grit. Still, there’s a sense of mystery and wonder in these muddy back alleys and ramshackle confines. Even in the daylight hours danger hangs heavy in the air as Shota and his different “aides” try and slip past the unaware shopkeepers. Despite the title, the family (especially Shota) has a “code of honor”, perhaps to justify their actions. They believe the things they take out of bins and shelves don’t belong to anyone until purchased (twisted logic, eh). Luckily the young lad’s eyes are finally opened when a line is crossed (a bit of B and E). Koreeda guides the great ensemble expertly, with Kiki terrific as a tough and cynical matriarch. Franky is a clown full of pathos, yearning to connect with his “kids”, while Ando, as his partner, seems more world-weary than her “Grandmama”, her eyes dulled by disappointment. The most tragic may be Matsuoka, who is pinning all her hope for the future on a handsome and wealthy young “patron”, thinking that he will be the “Prince Charming” to whisk her away from the filth and famine. Yes, the story is sympathetic to these criminals, but their activities are never played as noble (other than the rescue of Yuri) or fun. And the pacing drags a bit, making us wish for a fifteen or twenty trim to tighten the story’s flow. But this is an engaging look at the class system of a different culture and how families are formed and survive. Plus it helps that these SHOPLIFTERS are also scene stealers.
3.5 Out of 5
SHOPLIFTERS opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas
The premise of GLASS was a good idea, but considering M. Night Shyamalan’s track record, I’m not sure why anyone’s expectations were high. SPLIT was something of a critical comeback for the beleaguered filmmaker (and THE VISIT before that was a nifty little found footage shocker), but with GLASS, his sequel to two (mostly) unrelated earlier films, Shyamalan has not failed to disappoint.
GLASS opens 19 years after UNBREAKABLE with the indestructible David Dunn (Bruce Willis) running a home security shop and moonlighting as caped street vigilante The Sentry (now referred to as The Overseer), who patrols the streets of Philadelphia. He takes special interest in tracking down Kevin Crumb aka The Beast (James McAvoy), the cheerleader-abducting, multi-personalitied, cannibalistic serial killer from SPLIT (now referred to as The Horde). With the help of his tech-savvy son, Joseph (Spencer Treat-Clark), David discovers where Crumb is hiding, rescues a trio of cheerleaders and starts a massive street smackdown with the pumped-up villain. This battle is soon interrupted by Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson), who captures both combatants (with the help of a small army) and transports them to her mysterious psychiatric compound, where Elijah (Samuel L. Jackson), the brittle-boned baddie from UNBREAKABLE has been residing. This is where the next long, boring 90 minutes of GLASS takes place. Once there, she tells Beast/Horde “It may not seem fair, but you are stuck in this room”, which is how I felt watching the wretched middle stretch of this film which consists of endless, talky scenes of therapy and psychobabble. There must be a half hour of close-ups of Sarah Paulson’s face, yammering on about mental disorders and comic books and holding up x-rays of frontal lobes. Paulson has more dialog than Jackson and Willis combined (reminded me of how they put Viola Davis’ buttoned up bureaucrat front and center in SUICIDE SQUAD). She’s a fine actress I suppose, but nobody is coming to see GLASS for Sarah Paulsen! The only character with more lines than her is Beast/Horde. Shyamalan directs many long single-takes in which McAvoy manically cycles through several of his personalities including 9-year-old Hedwig, fey Barry, slow-witted Dennis, and Miss Jennifer. It’s a technically impressive performance from the bulked-up actor, but this stuff worked far better in SPLIT, which was much better-written and the scenes of him crawling walls and ceilings has since lost its punch. Though the film is named after him, Glass (first name Mister!) spends the first half of the movie catatonic, sedated and twitching until it’s revealed that his 19 years of silently drooling in his wheelchair was all a ruse (just like Jim Carrey at the beginning of DUMB AND DUMBER TO!) and that he’s really been working on his master plan to escape and wipe out thousands of visitors at the upcoming opening of Osaka Tower, Philly’s largest skyscraper! This hints at a third-act action climax that never materializes. All three do escape but instead of the promised slaughter of innocents, we get a half-hour of fistfights between these characters on a parking lot. While that’s not quite as thrilling as mass murder, we do get a long twisty explanation of why they escaped through the basement instead of the side door, so there’s that. Since this is an M. Night, there’s a twist or two, but the movie is so dull, they hardly register.
GLASS is terrible, but it falls short of the delirious, fun atrociousness of Shyamalan’s THE HAPPENING mostly because it rambles on at 135 minutes and is so poorly and hastily written. Anya Taylor Joy from SPLIT is back reprising her role as Casey, the girl whose friends were butchered by Beast/Horde. They actually bring her in to his therapy sessions and the two embrace, which makes no sense. I can’t think of a single thing to recommend about GLASSS but one of the worst things about it is all of the ridiculous existential dialog about Comic book doctrine and mythos. I suppose all of this is supposed to warm the hearts of comic book insiders, and it was part of UNBREAKABLE where it worked better when just Mister Glass was reciting it. Here it’s so awkwardly-written, especially in the exchanges between Glass and his mom, played by Charlayne Woodard, where he delivers howlers like “I’m not a special edition. I’m an origin story!”. The actress is 12 years younger than Samuel Jackson, which is fine in the flashbacks to when little Elijah is a child (she had the same role in UNBREAKABLE and a deleted scene from that earlier film is well-integrated here), but to make her look old enough to be the 60-ish Elijah’s mom, she’s wearing some of the most god-awful, unconvincing old-age makeup I’ve seen. It would have been a better idea to simply cast an older actress in the role. There are several scenes set in comic-book shops, which are a welcome distraction, but GLASS turns out to be one of Shyamalan’s worst films, which is saying a lot!
Director Karyn Kusama and actor Nicole Kidman on the set of DESTROYER, an Annapurna Pictures release.
The crime drama DESTROYER stars Nicole Kidman as a hardened L.A. policewoman bent on vengeance, in a gritty role unlike anything she has ever played. The film is directed by Karyn Kusama from a script by Phil Hay, who is also Kusama’s husband, and his writing partner Matt Manfredi. Kusama’s breakout film was 2000’s GIRLFIGHT.
Karyn Kusuma, who grew up in St. Louis, and husband Phil Hay were in town last November for the 2018 St. Louis International Film Festival, where DESTROYER made its local debut. The film-making couple spoke to a group of St. Louis-area film critics at a round-table interview.
Below is a portion of that interview. Questions from all film critic participants are combined, and the interview is edited for length and clarity. DESTROYER opens Friday, January 18.
Interview with DESTROYER director Karyn Kusama and co-writer Phil Hay
Question:
“I watched this film on Wednesday and I’m still thinking about it.”
Karyn Kusama:
“Oh, cool. That’s great. Happy to hear it.”
Q:
“Something particularly striking about the film was the way you shot L.A. It reminded me of Michael Mann and COLATERAL. Was he maybe some of the inspiration for your visual approach in shooting the movie? Because the way it looked really added to the whole quality of the film.”
KK: “Obviously, because Michael Mann has made some classic crime films in Los Angeles, it is hard not to acknowledged the influence of those films. But I think for me, I looked more at films from the ’70s, particularly I’d say TAXI DRIVER, THE FRENCH CONNECTION, [and] CHINATOWN to a degree. Movies like THE PARALAX VIEW, KLUTE, where there was a gritty, dark photographic style, that also could meet up against harsh sunlight, unrelenting brightness.
Q: “I’m curious – as a writing and directing team, what is your process for starting a new project? Do you come up with an idea? Do you automatically just say I’m going to direct what you write? Or do you both discuss the idea first? How does that work?”
Phil Hay: “We have to earn it (laughs). So Matt (Manfredi), my partner, and I, you know, we’ve been writing together for more than 20 years. Usually what happens is…it takes us a really long time to figure out if it is a movie for us or not. In the case of both this movie DESTROYER and THE INVITATION, our previous movie, [it was] like ten years [from when] we came up with the idea, basically, until we said, ‘OK, now we’re going to write this script.’ ”
“[W]hat we do, Matt and I, we have these little questions [about the script idea]. It could be a theme, could be a character, it could be a specific story item, but something that kind of interests us. We keep talking about it, talking about it, talking about it. And when it gets to that point – and it may take years – where we think there is something there, then we bring it tentatively to Karyn and say ‘What about this?’… and she might have some thoughts and might, you know, have a perspective on it.”
“In the case of DESTROYER, we went back and, really, specifically sort of outlined the story. Normally, Karyn says ‘you guys write it and give it to me’ and then we start the conversation. In this case, we said ‘let’s show you, we want to walk you though the story, so you can start thinking [about it].’ Now that we have this team, this family – we try to do things in a kind of simultaneous manner, so while we’re writing script, Karyn is already starting to think about the visual conception, already starting to put together her “look” book, [and to] think about collaborators we might want to work with. Our composer, who is one of our oldest friends, is already writing music based off the script, even before the movie is shooting. So there is a lot of simultaneity that goes on, which is really great for us.”
Q: “Did you always want to tell this story through a female perspective? Or did that change throughout the process?”
PH: “I think, from the writing side, we knew we had a story [but] it was kind of nebulous who the story was going to be about. We had some things that were almost around the center [but] there was this hole in the center, in a way. And it was when – and that was sort of Matt, and I and Karyn starting to talk about this story – we all had this realization that not only that this story needed to be about a woman, but [that it needed to be] about this specific woman and her specific problems. That was “the reason for being” of the whole thing. So I can’t imagine a version of this [without that]. For us, it wouldn’t be worth telling, because it wouldn’t be that character, if it was not this particular woman. And I think that did invigorate us from the beginning. That’s what made it special to us, that’s what made it feel right.”
KK: “Yeah. And it’s distinctive. For me, reading those early scripts, I knew, kind of, in my gut that we really hadn’t seen this woman [on screen before], and I don’t even think we’ve seen such as interesting version of this [character as a] man before. Personally I felt really … I just felt excited by the idea that she was so, kind of, difficult and cantankerous and problematic. You know, I have a very… I don’t want to say love-hate but a “tough love” relationship with that character, because she demands pretty tough love. I don’t know, I felt there was just something about her that felt incredibly distinctive.”
Q: “I was drawn to this character played by Nicole Kidman. You see a lot of movies where the plot drives it – what is going to happen, what is going on – but then it can have a certain emptiness about the actual character. That was not the case here. I saw the movie last night, and was thinking about it this morning. Like that scene with Shelby, her daughter. The character’s whole story could be sort of reverse engineered from that moment.”
KK: ‘When [Kidman’s character] has that final conversation with her daughter?’
Q: “Yeah. She’s talking to her, and she gives her a kiss at the end, and we know that [Kidman’s character] doesn’t really know what is going to happen but she’s very self-aware about her limitations as far as how she’s able to be a mom and how she’s able to love her daughter. But the thing is, it would be easy as an audience member to kind of judge that but what I was thinking was that we all have that, we all have certain limitations as far as what we are able to do.”
KK: “I think that was what we were striving for, to depict a character who as extremely limited… Nicole [Kidman] herself actually made a comment that I hadn’t really thought about in terms of playing the character. She said that, first and foremost, the character is so emotionally shut down. And I hadn’t really thought about it that way, that it is so hard for the character to even know when she is feeling something. You know, she acts more out of these base emotions, [feelings] about rage and about shame, and about deprivation. She’s sort of this person who’s always trying to protect her territory and her, kind of, very limited kingdom. So I think it was important to us that we see the character like that, because we’ve all been there, or I felt I have. We’ve all had our moments of feeling petty and small and grabby, and I think she’s just a bigger, slightly bolder version of those qualities. But I hope what we do is humanize that.”
PH: “I think it’s good you brought that up in the way you did because, always for us, that scene in the diner is the center, in a way, of the whole thing. It is the meaning of the thing, because of what the cost is [for the character]. The difficulty for her to be honest, finally, and to offer her daughter something extremely valuable in her life, and to change the context of their relationship, which I think is true of many parent-child relationships, the idea of who’s right and who’s wrong.”
Elijah Price: I almost gave up hope. There were so many times I questioned myself… David Dunn: You killed all those people… Elijah Price: But I found you. So many sacrifices, just to find you. David Dunn: Jesus Christ… Elijah Price: Now that we know who you are, I know who I am. I’m not a mistake! It all makes sense! In a comic, you know how you can tell who the arch-villain’s going to be? He’s the exact opposite of the hero. And most times they’re friends, like you and me! I should’ve known way back when… You know why, David? Because of the kids. They called me Mr Glass.
What happens when you really have a belief that you have super powers, and that you might be superhuman or a supervillain? Cultures have been sharing the stories of good and evil throughout the centuries, mostly through visual imagery, which led to the eventual birth of the comic book.
Action Comics #1 (cover dated June 1938) is the first issue of the original run of the comic book/magazine series Action Comics. It features the first appearance of several comic book heroes—most notably the Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster creation, Superman—and sold for 10 cents (equivalent to $2 in 2017). It is widely considered to be both the beginning of the superhero genre and the most valuable comic book in the world. (Wikipedia)
While the heroes have their flaws as well as powers, the arch-nemesis or “villains” have proven to be endearing and very human.
M. Night Shyamalan’s dive in to the world of heroes and villains began with UNBREAKABLE where a normal guy realizes he’s a superhero – an origin story, followed in 2016 with the second entry SPLIT setting up for the epic conclusion to the trilogy with GLASS.
From Unbreakable, Bruce Willis returns as David Dunn as does Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price, known also by his pseudonym Mr. Glass. Joining from Split are James McAvoy, reprising his role as Kevin Wendell Crumb and the multiple identities who reside within, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke, the only captive to survive an encounter with The Beast.
Following the conclusion of Split, Glass finds Dunn pursuing Crumb’s superhuman figure of The Beast in a series of escalating encounters, while the shadowy presence of Price emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets critical to both men.
Before the highly anticipated thriller opens in cinemas on January 18, WAMG looks at 26 Comic Book Supervillains.
Joker – Who better to start this list than the greatest comic book, nay one of the greatest villains in all of pop culture. Incredibly he was almost killed off in his initial appearance, fittingly in the first issue of Batman’s self-titled comic book in 1940. With his acid-squirting lapel flowers and high-voltage joy buzzers, the clown prince of crime (his only former identity was as a minor criminal, the Red Hood) was the perfect foe for the Dark Knight. Mainly a serial killer extortionist using a poison gas that left a permanent grin on his victims, he was too vile for the Comics Code censors in the 50’s until he returned as a semi-regular on the campy 1966-68 Batman TV show, complete with a distinctive laugh from actor Caesar Romero. He was soon in full murderous mode in the “back to basics” comics of the ’70s. In the following decades he’s been played in the Batman feature films by Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamil (voiced in the animated BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM), Heath Ledger (earning an Oscar), Jared Leto and soon Joaquin Phoenix
Cheetah – The origins of Wonder Woman’s fiercest female foe goes all the way back to the 1940s. In that incarnation, she was a twisted socialite whose super-heroine envy compels her to don a form-fitting cheetah skin complete with razor-sharp claws. After trying to frame Diana for a robbery, she begins working with Axis spies. Over the years, several other women will claim the Cheetah name, and eventually, a “metahuman” transforms into a human/feline hybrid with the cat’s powers and deadly fangs that can prove fatal to the Amazon princess. Kristen Wiig will play her in 2020’s WONDER WOMAN 1984.
Galactus – This towering God-like being from the stars proved a near-unstoppable threat to the Earth, one that was the greatest challenge to the Fantastic Four. Usually preceded by a super-powered “herald” who would find suitable planets (in that initial story it was the cosmos cruising Silver Surfer), Galactus would set up a device that helped him consume all life on a world, temporarily sating his unending hunger. Though thwarted, he would gain a reputation as the deadliest menace to the entire Marvel Universe. Galactus was heard, but only seen in shadows in the film FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER and just recently got a “shout out” in the political satire VICE.
Darkseid – Here’s one of the most ambitious villains of them all. Darkseid does not simply want to control the humanity, but all of existence. Created by Jack Kirby, he premiered in an issue of Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen in 1970 and has been a staple in the DC animated universe and was even voiced by ‘Weird Al” Yankovicin an episode of Teen Titans Go!
Bizarro – He’s from Bizzaro World (aka: Htrae – Earth spelled backward!), where their slogan is “Us do opposite of all Earthly things! Us hate beauty! Us love ugliness! Is big crime to make anything perfect on Bizarro World!” He doesn’t try to be a villain, but since he’s not too bright and he sees everything as the opposite of what it really is, his “heroic” actions usually end up doing more harm than good.
Doctor Octopus-Arriving in Spider-Man’s third issue, Otto Octavius quickly became one of the web-slinger’s most formidable adversaries. This respected scientist became the victim of a lab explosion which grafted four log, retractable steel arms (with razor-sharp pincers at the ends) onto the sides of his torso. The resulting radiation enabled him to control those “tentacles” with his mind, which aided him in his quest for wealth and power. Over the years, “Doc Ock” would drop an underground lair on Spidey and even try to wed his Aunt May. In the best of the Sam Raimi-directed trilogy, Alfred Molina portrayed him in SPIDER-MAN 2, while an alternate-Earth version can be seen in the animated SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE.
Cheshire – An expert on exotic poisons with her poisonous fingernails and a ruthless assassin, Cheshire has been part of the League of Assassins, Injustice League, Secret Six, and Suicide Squad. Okay, so a girl that’s not to be messed with. Cheshire runs with a rough crowd too. She recently battled Wonder Woman (2017 – Wonder Woman #29) along with a gang of bounty hunters that included the explosive Plastique, the goddess-incarnate (or so she claims) Cat Eye in an epic battle to bring down Diana of Themyscira.
DOCTOR DOOM – Who has the brains and powers to topple a quartet of galaxy-spawned super-beings? It’s Victor Von Doom, of course, who has challenged the FF since their fifth issue. With a green hood and cloak covering a full suit of high-tech battle armor (an exoskeleton with gauntlets that emit high-energy power beams), the brooding Doom (his hatred for Mr. Fantastic goes back to their college days) is a strange hybrid of science and magic (the dark arts, naturally). Plus he’s got a big advantage over many baddies: he’s the head of a country called Latveria (yup, diplomatic immunity). In the three recent FANTASTIC FOUR features, he’s been played by Julian McMahon (2005 and 2007) and, in the 2015 reboot, Toby Kebbell.
Lex Luthor – Lex Luthor is the perfect foil for Superman. While Superman defends humankind, his adopted people, with the morally-straight arrow ethics of his Midwestern upbringing, a perfect knight of doing right, Lex Luthor is determined to do the mirror opposite. Brilliant, egotistical and just plain bad, Lex Luthor seeks world domination, wealth and power through various destructive means, while railing against Superman, that creature from another planet who keeps messing up his evil plans. If anything, Superman’s inherent sense of justice and fairness is exactly what gets supervillain Lex Luthor’s goat. Part of the fun of watching this evil genius is seeing him lose it every time Superman does his nice-guy thing – while thwarting whatever nefarious plans Lex has laid.
Catwoman – Catwoman may not be looking for world domination like some supervillains but her one-woman crime wave has been a constant pain to crime-fighter Batman since her debut in 1940. It is easy to forget that superheroes started out as crime-fighters, and Catwoman is the kind of arch-criminal who always lands on her feet (sorry! – kinda). The first female supervillain to take on Batman, and still one of the best, Catwoman started out as a kind of slinky female version of the classic caper movie cat burglar, a charmingly roguish type embodied by Cary Grant mid-century. Cat burglar characters are supposed to have a roguish charm and an independent streak – and Catwoman has both in abundance. It’s why the character endures – she’s not just the sexy black catsuit, she’s the rule-breaking woman in the male-dominated field of cat burglars. A perennial fan favorite, Catwoman continues to evolve in her own rule-breaking way, while occasionally toying with Batman’s heart like a cat with a mouse. Sure, she’s not the same kind of world-domination villain as Dr. Ock or Lex Luthor and doesn’t have an ideological agenda like Poison Ivy or Harley Quinn, but she’s been an unforgettable character. While Lex Luthor is motivated in part by hatred for Superman, Catwoman is motivated partly by an urge to just mess with Batman, don’t you think? Comic book villains should be kind of fun like that.
Brainiac – Primarily a villain of Superman, Brainiac has had a few retcon verstions thoughout time. Primarily he is a sentient computer, with a general distaste for the living. He likes to concur and categorize all things as data, sometimes destroying the original.
RED SKULL – Captain America first encountered an incarnation of his ultimate adversary in his very first comic back in 1941. It was a corrupt American behind the mask named George Maxon. Six issues later the real Skull reared his ugly mug, one Johann Schmidt who was Hitler’s most feared hitman and founder of the HYDRA splinter sect. Another Skull appeared during the Atlas heroes revival in the 1950s, with a hammer and sickle replacing his swastika. The real one would emerge from suspended animation (an underground gas) soon after Steve Rogers thawed out. Later it was established that his face was not a mask, rather Schmidt was disfigured during a botched early test of the Super Soldier” formula (he seems to have gotten all the other advanced physical abilities). Hugo Weaving played him in CAPTAIN AMERICA: FIRST AVENGER, while Ross Marquand took over in the last Avengers flick.
Apocalypse – The Original mutant in most Marvel continuities, he has immense power in the form of a variety of superpowers. He wants to use mutants to cleanse the world of the less evolved, you know…humans.
Mister Sinister – As stories on the big screen and in comic books have taught us, sometimes a scientist doesn’t always have the best intentions. Mister Sinister is one of those because of his fascination with continuing mutation. Of course, with any great supervillain, this is at great cost to those around him or anyone who gets in his way. The scientist Nathaniel Essex was genetically mutated by the villain Apocalypse, who shared his philosophy of Social Darwinism. It’s this Darwin belief system that makes Mister Sinister an interesting foe that goes beyond your typical evil mastermind. Throughout the comic world, he has had many attempts at crafting the most powerful mutant, going so far as to cloning Jean Grey in order to have a new child with Scott Summers, Cyclops – a child believed to be strong enough to defeat Apocalypse. Like some of the best villains in comics, he sits in the shadows and acts as a puppetmaster.
Black Manta – Sign us up for Team Black Manta! The suit and helmet – need we say more? Both allows him to survive extreme pressures and temperatures underwater, and to breathe underwater. Every supervillain needs a jet pack and a telepathic scrambler, especially Manta which keeps Aquaman’s telepathy at bay during their undersea battles. Black Manta also has an arsenal of deadly weapons include a trident, a harpoon gun and powerful energy beams that shoot from his helmet. The fact that he has been on many super-villains teams such as the Legion of Doom, the Injustice League, N.E.M.O and the Secret Society of Super-Villains, consider him on our list.
Superboy-Prime – One of the most powerful beings in the DC universes, Superboy Prime, or “Prime” operates on a power level way beyond Superman and the Justice League. Driven mad when put in a pocket universe, denied the powers that he once had, when he gets them back, destruction is really his new bag.
Thanos -called The Dark Lord by his most loyal underlings and The Mad Titan by the galactic community, Thanos is a powerful, genocidal, and psychopathic titan who rules over a distant region of space and commands several armies. Thanos first appeared in an issue of Iron Man in 1973 and achieved big-screen immortality after cameos in the first two Avengers films and then the lead villain in last year’s Avengers Infinity Wars. Josh Brolin played Thanos in all three films.
Deathstroke – Possessing super speed, strength, and senses, Deathstroke’s greatest power comes from his incredibly high intelligence and the ability to use 90% of his brain, making him a master strategist and tactician. He is capable of standing toe-to-toe against some of the DC Universe’s most gifted heroes but is mostly known as a great foe for the Teen Titans, especially Dick Grayson (aka Robin). Deathstroke first appeared in The New Teen Titans in 1980 and was so popular; he had his own comic. Deathstroke popped up in the post-credits scene of Justice League so count on seeing him on the big screen again soon.
Ultra-Humanite – A lightweight in this group, the UH is a windbag and a egotist, but a bad guy (or bad being) all the way. Essentially he is Megamind, but with the additional ability to transfer his mind in to other vessels. He’s not much more than a really smart criminal, but his persistance and dedication to evil gets him on the list.
MAGNETO – When Professor Xavier Charles sent out his X-Men in that first issue, Magneto AKA Erik Lehnsherr was right there to challenge them as the leader of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (with Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch, and, um, Toad). While Xavier opted for peaceful co-existence with humanity, Erik wanted revenge over years of bigotry (going back to WWII) and desired domination over them. With his mutant ability to control any sort of metal, he was almost unstoppable. Plus he sported a nifty red and purple helmet that blocked Prof. X’s mutant mental powers as he levitated from one scheme to the next. Magneto’s been a huge part of Fox’s X-Men movie franchises, portrayed in different eras by Sir Ian McKellan and Michael Fassbender
The Mandarin -In his early crime-fighting years, the biggest thorn in Tony Stark’s side (not far from the pain in his shrapnel-infused heart) was the Chinese super-genius warlord known as the Mandarin. Endowed with ten alien power-rings, he would attempt to destroy or capture Stark tech (particularly the Iron Man armor) using his own advanced weaponry like the towering humanoid android named Ultimo. Marvel’s super-gadget super-villain riff on Fu Manchu would take on most of their heroes including the Hulk, the Avengers, and even the Inhumans. He was played (in name only) by Sir Ben Kingsley in IRON MAN 3.
Green Goblin – In a break from his menagerie of animal-themed villains, Spidey’s most re-occurring nemesis is the fairy-tale inspired demon. But don’t let that purple pixie-cap and tunic fool you, he’s got a deadly bag of tricks: pumpkin bombs full of smoke, gas, or explosives along with razor-sharp boomerang bats. And he tosses them with precision while riding his high-flying Goblin Glider. Plus Spidey knew his true identity, Norman Osborn, father of pal Harry, whose mind was twisted by his experimental “green gas”, which also gave him great strength. Things got even more complicated when Norman found out Peter Parker’s secret. In a memorable 70s story arc, his reign was ended after GG caused the death of Pete’s beloved Gwen Stacy. But soon Harry was suiting up for revenge. In the Raimi trilogy, Willem Dafoe and James Franco were father and son respectively. Dane DeHaan hoped on the glider for THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2, while the Ultimate version appears in the current SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE.
The Kingpin – Think you can outrun and outfight that old bald guy who looks to be a quarter-mile wide? Think again, pal. Dispite his bulk, Wilson Fisk is all muscle with a black belt and a tricked-out walking stick (it’s a laser gun and emits sleeping gas). This crime boss tried to squish Spider-Man way back in issue #50. With a look inspired by Sydney Greenstreet of THE MALTESE FALCON, his pudgy fingers are in every pie, with cops and politicos in his pocket. But it wasn’t until writer/artist Frank Miller pitted him against Daredevil when Fisk became one of Marvel’s most complex and tragic characters thanks to his devotion to wife Vanessa. Later the Punisher would put the big man in his sights. Fisk was played on screen by Michael Clark Duncan in 2003’s DAREDEVIL and is voiced by Liev Schreiber in the current SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE. But the definitive actor may be Vincent D’Onofrio in three seasons of the Netflix streaming show “Daredevil”.
Ra’s al Ghul – Compared to the criminal thugs and superpowered villains Batman faces, this leader of the League of Assasins is quite a different beast – his name is translated from Arabic as “The Demon’s Head.” The highly intelligent idealist has potentially lived for centuries, consistently healing himself in his rejuvenating Lazarus Pit and defying his ultimate fate. Yet, the reason why he continues to come back is his desire to destroy half of the world and trigger a renewal of life. Despite his troubling plan, he’s ultimately, a distinguished gentleman and master swordsman who respects his foe, even calling him “Detective.” Both men want to rid the world of crime, it’s just Batman believes in redemption and Ra’s al Ghul believes the only way to cleanse the world is through death. In recent years in the comics, the two are bound by blood, as Bruce Wayne and Talia’s son Damian is the grandson of Ra’s al Ghul.
Harley Quinn – Dr. Harleen Quinzel, the one and only Clown Princess of Crime is much more than meets the eye. Most don’t give the “sidekick” as much credit as they deserve, but Harley is much more than arm candy for the Joker. Her goofy demeanor and cutesy voice hide the fact that she’s just as evil and unpredictable as her main squeeze. As a former psychiatrist, she’s extremely cunning and manipulative. She may not have superpowers but she makes up for it with a giant mallet, two occasional attack hyenas, and a penchant for being a loose cannon. But who can blame her… love can make people do crazy things.
Poison Ivy – With her immunity to poisons and power over plant life, supervillain Poison Ivy has attempted, in her own misguided, deluded way, to protect plant life from people through various evil plots. Her intentions might be good but her methods are oh-so wrong. She started out as a promising botany student but fell victim to an evil professor who experimented on her, experiments that made her immune to poisons and drove her insane. Adopting the persona of Poison Ivy and a green, leafy outfit, she embarked on a life of crime with a pro-plant/eco-terrorism twist. Along the way, she evolves plant- and poison-related superpowers, and a thing for Batman, the one man she can’t seduce. Her kiss can kill – no, really, she has poison in her lips. More recently, Poison Ivy has been reformed a bit, straying into anti-hero territory. But while Poison Ivy may have good (environmental) intentions, she still uses the worse possible methods. And she does hang out with that mayhem-loving Harley Quinn.
Contributed by Jim Batts, Michael Haffner, Marc Butterfield, Michelle Hannett, Cate Marquis and Tom Stockman
“Rats. Rats. Rats! Thousands! Millions of them! All red blood! All these will I give you if you will obey me!”
Horror Film Historian David J. Skal will introduce a screening of DRACULA (1931) at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood) January 24th as part of the ‘Grave Tales’ Horror film series. Skal is an American cultural historian, critic, writer, and on-camera commentator known for his research and analysis of horror films and horror literature. After DRACULA, Skal will screen his documentary THE ROAD TO DRACULA. The program starts at 7:00. A Facebook invite for the event can be found HERE. Look for more coverage of the ‘Grave Tales’ Horror film series here at We Are Movie Geeks in the coming weeks.
First up is the original DRACULA starring Bela Lugosi. Ladies fainted in their seats when Bela Lugosi rose from his coffin as a vampire in the 1927 Broadway stage production of “Dracula” that preceded Tod Browning’s timeless 1931 film version that had an equally chilling effect on movie audiences. Playwright Hamilton Deane based his lean script on Bram Stoker’s famous 1897 novel, and introduced horror to talkies. Dwight Frye’s gonzo performance as Renfield, the hapless Brit accountant who first sets foot inside Dracula’s foreboding castle, set the film’s tone of ghoulish insanity. For the well-established lead, Bela Lugosi is positively blood-curdling as he stalks every scene. With his thick native Hungarian accent and dapper tuxedo and cape, Lugosi forever defined the title character. The way he looks, behaves and sounds is truly vampiric. Think of Lugosi saying, “The blood is the life.” Or, “I never drink … wine.” Or, “To die, to be really dead, that must be glorious.” And when he hears wolves howling, “Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make.” To see DRACULA for the first time, after seeing so many other versions, is to appreciate this first one. Lugosi and his eyes, as well as the sets, the story, and to an extent even the early special effects, make it memorable. DRACULA is a classic not to be missed and you’ll have the chance to see it on the big screen hosted by the man who wrote the definitive biography of the film’s director Tod Browning
Then it’s THE ROAD TO DRACULA. Horror film scholar David J. Skal, author of the celebrated text Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen, here directs an overview of the path the story of Dracula took, with emphasis placed on the 1931 film version of the story. Hosted by Carla Laemmle, whose uncle Carl is the founder of Universal Studios. Some of Skal’s other books on the horror film genre include: ‘Something in the Blood: The Untold Story of Bram Stoker, the Man Who Wrote Dracula’, ‘The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror; Revised Edition with a New Afterword’, and ‘Dark Carnival: The Secret World of Tod Browning’
Admission is:
$7 for the general public
$6 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools
$5 for Webster University staff and faculty
Free for Webster students with proper I.D.
Advance tickets are available from the cashier before each screening or contact the Film Series office (314-246-7525) for more options. The Film Series can only accept cash or check.
John Wick: People keep asking if I’m back and I haven’t really had an answer, but yeah, I’m thinking I’m back.
Prepare for war, explosives, and big guns in this first trailer for JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM.
In this third installment of the adrenaline-fueled action franchise, super-assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) returns with a $14 million price tag on his head and an army of bounty-hunting killers on his trail. After killing a member of the shadowy international assassin’s guild, the High Table, John Wick is excommunicado, but the world’s most ruthless hit men and women await his every turn.
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM opens in theaters May 17, 2019.
JOHN WICK 2 grossed $90.5 million worldwide in its first nine days of release, surpassing the entire theatrical gross of the first film in 2014 ($88.8 million). I’m totally grooving on the chemistry between Reeves and Berry and the awesome gun battle at the end of the trailer! One of my most anticipated movies of the summer, here’s hoping this franchise never dies!
Keanu Reeves stars as ‘John Wick’ in JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM.
The film stars Starring Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Mark Dacascos, Asia Kate Dillon, Lance Reddick, Saïd Taghmaoui, Jerome Flynn, Jason Mantzoukas, Tobias Segal, Boban Marjanovic, with Anjelica Huston, and Ian McShane.
Text ‘John Wick’ to 91099 to get special messages from the film.
John (Keanu Reeves) and Director (Anjelica Huston) in JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM. Photo credit: Niko TaverniseJohn (Keanu Reeves) and Sofia (Halle Berry) in JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM. Photo credit: Mark Rogers.Keanu Reeves stars as ‘John Wick’ in JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM. Photo Credit: Niko Tavernise.Halle Berry stars as ‘Sofia’ in JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM. Photo credit: Niko Tavernise.The Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne, left) and Winston (Ian McShane, right) behind the scenes in JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM. Photo credit: Niko Tavernise.
Check out the brand-new character posters for Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN MARVEL.
Set in the 1990s, Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel” is an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that follows the journey of Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes. While a galactic war between two alien races reaches Earth, Danvers finds herself and a small cadre of allies at the center of the maelstrom.
The film stars Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Rune Temte, Algenis Perez Soto, Mckenna Grace, with Annette Bening, with Clark Gregg, and Jude Law.
Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel” is produced by Kevin Feige and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Jonathan Schwartz, Patricia Whitcher and Stan Lee are the executive producers. The story is by Nicole Perlman & Meg LeFauve and Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck & Geneva Robertson-Dworet, and the screenplay is by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck & Geneva Robertson-Dworet.
Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN MARVEL opens in U.S. theaters on March 8, 2019.
Tickets to CAPTAIN MARVEL are on sale everywhere tickets are sold.
