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Interview: ‘The Avengers’ Cast Talks Pressure, Power and Expectations

Krystal Clark — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:00:24 +0000

After four years, five films, and countless castings, The Avengers have finally assembled. In less than 24 hours, anxious fans will see Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye fight side-by-side on the big screen. The Avengers Hollywood premiere took place last month, and immediately after, the cast participated in a press conference where they dished on their characters and each other.

Check out some highlights below…

It all began in 2007, when Robert Downey, Jr. was cast as genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist Tony Stark in Iron Man. The film planted a seed that would grow and spread into the next Marvel films, leading to this cinematic event.

Robert Downey Jr.: Going back to 2007 when I was cast in Iron Man and Kevin Feige over there said, you know, this is all going to lead to where we’re going to have all of these franchises come together. And, we’re gonna do something unprecedented in entertainment. We’re gonna make this Avengers movie. And I just remember, I would get nervous about it and excited about it and doubtful of it.

Initially, director Joss Whedon shared Downey’s nervousness. He knew The Avengers would be a huge undertaking, and wanted audiences to be satisfied with the finished product.

Joss Whedon: I think the exciting thing kind of speaks for itself. That bunch of characters,that bunch of actors playing them,that much money. It was kind of a no brainer. The hardest part is and always will be structure. How do you put that together? How do you make everybody shine? How do you let the audience’s identification drift from person to person without making them feel like they’re not involved. It’s a very complex structure. It’s not necessarily particularly ornate or original, but it had to be right. It had to be earned from moment-to-moment, and that’s exhausting. That was still going on in the editing room after we’d shot.

No one knows about trying to identify more than Mark Ruffalo. The actor had the tough task of replacing Edward Norton, who played Bruce Banner in 2008′s The Incredible Hulk. After being cast, Ruffalo quickly learned how harsh and critical the fanboy community can be.

Mark Ruffalo: It was terrifying. I knew what my responsibility was — or I felt it just by making the mistake of going online and reading some of the fanboy responses to the announcement that I was playing the next version of Bruce Banner. That was a mistake. I will never do that again. I’ve never had a role be more scrutinized and criticized even before I shot a single frame. Coming onto the set with all of these guys was pretty daunting. I knew that I had big shoes to fill, so to speak.

Ruffalo wasn’t alone in feeling out of his element. Chris Evans, who plays Captain America, also had to switch it up. The majority of the film’s jokes are handed off to his counterparts, while he delivers earnest dialogue. As someone who’s spent the majority of his career playing smartasses (like Johnny Storm in Fantastic Four), Cap was a welcomed change.

Chris Evans: That’s his role. It’s necessary, and that’s kind of why I like it ’cause I am used to kind of leaning on cracking jokes and being a wise ass. It’s nice to kind of play it straight a little bit. You know, that’s — I think even in this film more than the first Captain America, he, Steve Rogers has some issues, some conflict, some trouble given the fact that he is, a man out of his time. But given who he is as a man, his nature, he puts that second. He puts the mission first, and he’s just selfless.

Chris Hemsworth‘s Thor couldn’t be more different from Captain America. In his first film, he was forced to eat a huge slice of humble pie because of his arrogance. And even though he’s learned the error of his ways, Hemsworth believes Thor’s stubbornness is one of his best qualities.

Chris Hemsworth: I like the sort of visceral, gut instinct that Thor has. I always thought the childlike quality in the sense that if he believes something or, he wants to do something, he does it and says it. You know how kids own their environment and there’s no opinions that they really care about. I think Thor is — it’s there. It’s surrounded by bravado and strength and all that, but end of the day he’s pretty true to who he is and what he wants to do.

Thor will have plenty of time to show off his strength and bravado when he (once again) goes head-to-head with his brother Loki. As the film’s villain, Tom Hiddleston has the honor of battling not one but six of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. It’s a fact the actor has a hard time wrapping his head around.

Tom Hiddleston: It’s such a great character. It’s like playing an iconic Shakespearean character or something. It’s just a privilege to be asked to do it. With a character like Loki, he’s got such a level of complexity and so many layers to him. When I read it, I couldn’t believe my luck. The film was called The Avengers and yet Loki was almost on every page. I just was so excited about it, so I was, there was no trace of fear, just a huge amount of fun.

Two-time Oscar-nominee Jeremy Renner had an interesting way of preparing for his role as Hawkeye. As the team’s master archer, he does things with a bow and arrow Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games) and Legolos (Lord of the Rings) could only dream of.

Jeremy Renner: I stretched a lot, and I prepared by stretching. I did take some archery, but I realized very quickly that I couldn’t really use it in the film. It ended up being superhero type archery. It is nice to know the technique behind it but then, you know, shooting behind my back and over my shoulder and using fake arrows and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I gave it a go and shot a few bales of hay and missed a few. And yeah, you get injured, banged around every day when it’s hand-to-hand stuff.

Cobie Smulders, who’s best known for starring on CBS’ How I Met Your Mother, opened up about making the transition from TV to film.

Cobie Smulders: I made it a point to do a lot of training to prepare myself for this role with weapons and to get myself mainly comfortable using them. That was the thing that I tried to do the most. In terms of schedule, it’s very different. I’m very blessed at my job at How I Met Your Mother. We have a very nice schedule,and this too was,very good. But we had a lot of stunts to do and a lot of fun things to explode, so it’s very different.

As the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and foreman of The Avengers, Samuel L. Jackson revealed what he really loves about his character. And why Fury is dead-set on making this team work.

Samuel L. Jackson: I just like the fact that Nick Fury believes that these unique individuals deserve the love and admiration of the world. We pretty much owe everything to [The Avengers] because there are things out there greater than us.

The Avengers opens nationwide May 4.

The Avengers: Movie Review

Damon Houx — Wed, 02 May 2012 21:00:13 +0000

The Avengers is here, and it’s the film Marvel has been planting the seeds for since Iron Man hits screens in 2008. In that time we’ve had films featuring Hulk, Thor, and Captain America to help get audiences in the mood and in the know about these characters. And knowing the characters is important for Joss Whedon’s film, because character development and – for the most part – motivation is kept to a minimum. You’ve got an all–star cast facing evil, and it all builds to a blockbuster conclusion. But too bad it’s such a rocky ride to get there.

The Players:

Written and Directed By: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Tom Hiddleston, Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlet Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Colbie Smulders, Clark Gregg
Music By: Alan Silvestri
Cinematography by Seamus McGarvey

The Plot:

Loki (Hiddleston) is sent back to earth to find the Tesseract (which will open a portal for invasion), and has the power to turn humans into slaves. He invades SHIELD headquarters, and that sends Nick Fury (Jackson) Agent Coulson (Gregg) and Black Widow (Johansson) to gather Captain America (Evans) Iron Man (Downey Jr.) and the Hulk (Ruffalo) to help stop Loki. Eventually – along with Hawkeye (Renner) – they become a team to fight the alien invasion (the Chitauri).

The Good:

That Third Act: New York is in the crosshairs, as The Avengers must stop an oncoming horde of aliens from taking over the planet. This is what you paid to see and it delivers some great moments of the Avengers fighting bad guys and doing cool stuff. The Hulk is a stand out here.
The Cast: It’s hard to be as excited about some of the returning actors who are doing their well-defined characters, but this is a muderer’s row of talent, and it’s the people who get something new to do who shine. Johansson gives as good as she gets, and has some of the best moments in the film, while Mark Ruffalo as Banner and as Hulk steals the movie.
Quips: It’s Joss Whedon, and they’re mostly funny.

The Bad:

Marvel: This is the big film they’ve been building to for years, and they decided with this one that they were going to shoot it flat (1.85:1) – instead of scope (2.35:1) as they have every film they’ve been behind previous. Not only does that break continuity, but it robs the film of an epic feel. It makes the movie that much smaller. On top of which it’s just a very small feeling film. Not intimate, but none of the early set pieces feel epic. Everything comes across as if it was done on a budget until New York – and even then that’s kept contained.
Nothing to Do: Loki shows up and then gets arrested in a sequence that lays out what little is going on under the surface of this movie (good versus evil, maybe a little anti-fascism) and spends the middle section of the movie waiting for things to happen. Captain America is here because he’s a soldier, and does nothing in the film all that memorable, while Tony Stark also seems to be here because they asked him (and because he’s a little curious about SHIELD himself), same with Bruce Banner. Black Widow and Hawkeye are company men, and Thor joins the group just because – and this was Nick Fury’s big plan? To have people like Thor just show up? No one is acting like they’re trying to stop the end of the world, and the moments where these iconic figures of comic book world finally meet for the first time and then decide to work together seems as powerful and iconic as a coffee date. There was a lot of wrangling that went in to getting this film made, but it seems the film doesn’t find its iconic footing until the last section, when it realizes you want to see the team together. When Banner shows up in New York to fight along side his compatriots, there’s a sense that he’s showing up more because the plot demands it than him feeling like it’s the right thing to do.
It’s a Godzilla Movie: This has been a complaint of mine for a long time with super hero movies, and – to be fair – this is more Destroy All Monsters than Godzilla Vs. The Smog Monster, but it never really functions as a team movie because at no point during the course of anything that happens during the first two thirds of the film do they work together as a team. Seriously. And when they do, they rarely work as a group so much as co-ordinate their assaults. But it’s not about using skill sets so much as random butt-kicking. The set pieces don’t build in the early sections of the film, so much as get things into place for the final act. Which delivers, but still. When they do work together – like Hawkeye and Iron Man – it’s where the movie really soars.

Overall:

If you are just happy to see these characters together, you will love this film, and the idea of this film feels unimaginable. Unfortunately, the imagination that went in to bringing the characters together and what they do once they are together is severely limited by budget and creativity. Once again, it’s an origin story with familiar characters where it feels like it’s all building to an awesome conclusion. But since there’s no real main character or thematic heft or even interesting motivation to latch on to, it’s empty spectacle.

Rating: 6.5/10

The Avengers opens May 4.

Photos:

Trailer:

Latest ‘Avengers’ Clip Has Robert Downey Jr. Talking Up the Team

Damon Houx — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:32:22 +0000

With its May 4 release date fast approaching, it seems like we’re going to get a new clip or ad from The Avengers every day until the film comes out. The latest has Robert Downey Jr. squaring up against Tom Hiddleston’s Loki as he summarizes what his team of players can do to protect or possibly avenge the Earth.

What’s interesting about this clip is that it takes a scene that has been used for a number of the film’s ads and gives it context. This is not the super flippant Tony Stark (he’s only moderately flippant), but in context it seems that it’s a completely different conversation. Stark is trying to buy some time, and looks to be slightly outgunned. It also sets up what looks to be the crux of the narrative:

What’s new-ish here is that The Avengers is a team that is going to get together to face Loki and lose poorly – at least to start with. Which means this clip also reveals some of the structure of the movie, how it’s going to build to its third act. It also suggests that much of the advertising – with the team fighting in the middle of downtown New York – is from the big third act climax as Loki mentions that he’s waiting for his army to show up.

The trailers have also shown a big forest brawl, perhaps that’s part of the first (losing) encounter, but it could also suggests that at least one of the film’s big action set pieces hasn’t been put into the trailer footage. The film’s first press screening is tonight, and it’s likely if word is good, reviews (either full-length or from Twitter) will be hitting shortly.

Are you excited or over-hyped for The Avengers?

The Avengers’ Character Posters Have Been Released

Damon Houx — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:45:48 +0000

Now that Summer Movie season is almost here (scary, right?), it’s fair to say that Joss Whedon‘s The Avengers came out of the gate swinging, and hasn’t stopped. Every week or so there’s been a new image or promotional item, and now that we’re less than two months away, it’s really kicking into gear. Yesterday AMC theaters announced a six film marathon of Avengers movies concluding with the new film, and now there’s heavily photo-shopped character posters (via Empire). Check them out:

There’s your team, though Mark Ruffalo is only represented in full Hulk mode. Most everyone looks horribly photoshopped, with Scarlet Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson looking like cut-out Frankensteins, and Robert Downey Jr.‘s head looking pretty pasted on. Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth look a little better, and Jeremy Renner gets to kick it in the background twice – which is better than Cobie Smulders, who just gets one. Surprisingly, Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson didn’t make the grade, nor have we yet to get a villain poster for Tom Hiddleston‘s Loki. Part of me wonders if you could cut the images together to form an effective diorama. My guess is no.

AMC will be running six Marvel movies starting Thursday May 3, leading up to a midnight showing of The Avengers. The films being shown are:

Iron Man
The Incredible Hulk
Iron Man 2
Thor 3D
Captain America 3D
The Avengers 3D

Honestly, that sounds pretty brutal. I rather like two of those movies, but that’s a whole lot of origins for one day. Still, it will surely sell out quickly. Tickets go on sale Sunday night, and AMC has the list of theaters and ticket info.

Joss Whedon has been out promoting Cabin in the Woods, and Collider got him for an interview where he said The Avengers is locked, it’s running at two hours fifteen minutes, and that the theatrical version is his director’s cut. At this point we’re just waiting for the film to screen, but word has already been mostly positive. So hopefully Summer 2012 kick off right.

Would you go to the six movie marathon?

War Horse Trailer

Damon Houx — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:21:14 +0000

Steven Spielberg‘s latest film War Horse is already considered an Oscar contender even though no one (outside of its makers) have seen it. Once you see the trailer, you’ll know why. Set in World War I, it tells the story of a boy (Jeremy Irvine) and his horse, with the horse shipped off to war, only for the boy to chase after it. Some have called it Saving Mr. Ed, but with Spielberg’s touch it looks to be a powerhouse. Check out the trailer…

What’s interesting here is that Tom Hiddleston shows up, and post-Thor it’s hard to know if he’s playing the good guy he appears to be on screen. Playing an arch villain can do that. The trailer also highlights that Spielberg has one of the greatest eyes in cinema history, so what could be cloying about the film may be kept at bay.

The film is set to be released December 25, so it’s definitely going to be in the Oscar race. We’re still at least a month out for long-lead reviews that could cement the film’s place as the front-runner. That said, let’s just hope for a good movie. But considering Spielberg’s track record, the worst thing that could happen is that it’s another Amistad. That though seems doubtful.

What’s your favorite (and least favorite) Steven Spielberg film?

The Poster for Steven Spielberg’s War Horse

Damon Houx — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:26:18 +0000

The nice thing about being Steven Spielberg is that if you’ve got a film scheduled for release in December, you’re already considered one of – if not the – front runner for the Oscars. Such is his War Horse, which stars relative newcomer Jeremy Irvine along with Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Emily Watson and David Thewlis. This buzz is also based on the trailer, and now there’s a poster. Check it out…

This appears to be Spielberg in John Ford territory – sweeping vistas, war torn countries, a painter’s eye. It’s the story of Jeremy Irvine’s Albert, whose horse ends up in World War I. Too young to fight, Albert decides to go off to save his horse. This “boy and his horse” angle seems a bit cute for Spielberg of recent – this might have been a bit saccharine had he directed it in the late 80′s, but post-Munich, it’s hard to say that this won’t have some bite.

War Horse is set to be released December 28, where it will be going up against Tintin, which is also directed by Steven Spielberg. Though not specified, likely there will be a New York/ Los Angeles roll-out, and then a nation-wide release (possibly a week or two later). As for its Oscar chances it’s hard to say at this early date, but I wouldn’t bet against Spielberg.

Who do you think is the front runner currently for the Best Picture Oscar?

D23: Avengers Footage Description – Robert Downey Jr. points out that “We Have a Hulk!”

Damon Houx — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 22:34:11 +0000

Saving the best for last, D23‘s movie panel concluded with footage from The Avengers, which is still shooting and has two weeks left to go. Though some of the cast was unavailable, Disney brought out Robert Downey Jr., Scarlet Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston and Colbie Smulders to wave at the crowd before they showed the footage twice. Here’s the breakdown…

The footage

Loki (Hiddleston) is locked in a glass cage, while Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) taunts him about how the container will drop him 30,000 feet into steel if he so much as scratches the glass “Ant. Boot.”
Loki then notes why they have the cage in the first place (to hold The Hulk) as it cuts to Black Widow (Johansson), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Hemsworth) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) watching (and possibly Tony Stark, though he’s kept off screen).
Loki taunts Fury that they’re so close, but don’t have what they’re looking for.
Banner notes that Loki “grows on you.”

There’s a montage of action (Thor’s hammer hits Cap’s shield, there’s a chase after Loki, Iron Man flies)
Tony Stark is at a bar at his house, having a conversation with Loki, where Stark talks about having assassins (then it highlights Black Widow and Renner’s Hawkeye), a demi-God (Thor), and ” a living legend, who kind of lives up to the legend” (Cap).
Loki interrupts with “I have an army!” And Stark replies “We have a Hulk.” And then the footage cuts to the Hulk. Boom, title card, end.

The best part of the footage was getting to see Ruffalo’s Banner in action, who’s the newest actor to play the Hulk character, and the one who it’s most exciting to see play in that world. This very much feels like a Joss Whedon script as everyone says snarky, kind of funny things. I was surprised that the footage was not scope (2.35:1), but it’s hard to know if the film is being shot flat (1.85:1), or if that’s just what was available for the footage. Still, it sent everyone out on a high.

How stoked are you for The Avengers?

Midnight in Paris: Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Thu, 19 May 2011 22:07:50 +0000

Woody Allen‘s highly mysterious (and rightfully so) film Midnight in Paris has made its way back from Cannes and will be appearing in theaters in America this weekend. For me, this is one of my favorite Woody Allen films in a long time. It’s not necessarily what you would expect from Allen, though it does follow certain patterns we’ve come to know from him and one can definitely see references to his earlier work. There’s something both nostalgic and yet fresh about the film that makes it fun to watch. It’s finely made, finely acted and overall a fine picture to find yourself at this weekend…

The Players:

Director/Writer: Woody Allen
Actors: Owen Wilson, Tom Hiddleston, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen, Marion Cotillard, Adrien Brody, Alison Pill, Kathy Bates, Corey Stoll
Cinematography by: Darius Khondji

The Plot:

Mightnight in Paris is romantic comedy with a twist (that will not be given away in this review). The film starts with a couple traveling to the French capital for business and their different reactions to the world around them. The party includes a young engaged couple forced to confront the illusion that a life different from their own is better.

The Good:

The Acting: For me Corey Stoll who plays Ernest (no need for a last name here) steals the show. He does a fantastic job of bringing his character to life in a fun and lively way. Wilson is one of Allen’s best leads in a while, mainly because he’s so NOT Woody Allen like. His laid back persona allows you to watch a Woody Allen film without watching Woody Allen. Michael Sheen, brilliant as an American playing an anglophile. Alison Pill, Kathy Bates, Tom Hiddleston (I’m just listing the cast now) and all the rest all gave wonderful and surprising performances.
The Concept: Without giving anything away, it’s a bit far-fetched and not something entirely new, but the way that Allen handles the idea with such a nonchalance is really quite fun.
The Scenery: Allen and his cinematographer Darius Khondji really do an amazing job of capturing the feel, almost the smell of Paris in the spring time. They take their time establishing the location, light the scenes in a way that makes everyone and everything glow, and use some classic music to help you take it all in. Really well done.

The So-So:

Not Broad: This is not a film for everyone, and without giving too much away, you need to have a certain amount of knowledge of art history and literature and desire to know more about it in order to really find the film amusing. If you’re a nerd like me, it’s a blast and really fun to see so many well known faces, as well known names on the big screen.
Allen Cliches: It’s hard not to see patterns repeating themselves, it’s up to you whether you see that as good or bad. I for one didn’t mind them, in fact I rather enjoyed them, others may easily have a different opinion and one I can understand, just not relate to.

Overall:

This was a really interesting film and if you have any knowledge of literature or art your will definitely appreciate the references and find it humorous. It’s one of Allen’s better films of late, it’s extremely well made and the acting is superb. It was really a pleasant, fun experience to sit down to, and one well worth watching,

Rating: 7.3/10

Midnight in Paris will be in theaters starting May 20th!

Photo Gallery:

Thor: Review

Damon Houx — Fri, 06 May 2011 00:01:01 +0000

Thor may be the trickiest of the big Marvel characters to adapt. Both a Norse God, and an extra-terrestrial being, Thor doesn’t have the “normal person thrust into superpowers” hook – which is both good and bad. And to that end Thor is not really an origin tale, so much as a learning experience for the main character. There’s a lot to do here, on top of director Kenneth Branagh putting a big budget fantasy movie on the shoulders of Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, both actors who – at best – had some notable supporting performances previous to this. Did they succeed?

The Players

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Writers: Don Payne, Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz (Screenplay), Mark Protosevich and J. Michael Straczynski (Story)

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Idris Elba, Rene Russo, Kat Dennings, Stellan Skarsgard

The Plot

After nearly being crowned King of the other world Asgard, Thor (Hemsworth) is banished to Earth by his father Odin (Hopkins) until he learns some humility. There he meets Jane Foster (Portman), and falls in love. His hammer is also on Earth, but it can only be retrieved by someone who can use it correctly. Meanwhile Thor’s brother Loki (Hiddleston) is now in line to be king, but he learns some dark secrets that change who he is, and leads his father into a sleep that puts him in charge. But Loki is a bad leader, and the only thing that can save Asgard (and possibly Earth as well) is Thor.

The Good

Tom Hiddleston: Hiddleston compares his character to Iago, and what makes the film work at its best is when Hiddleston is on screen. It’s hard to get a bead on his character, in the best possible way – you keep watching him in hopes of getting a better understanding of machinations. But at the center of the character is a real person, who is lashing out in a way that is perfect for a younger, and possibly underestimated brother.
It’s Not an Origin Film: Though it is a lesson film, which in some ways is similar to the origin tale, the film spends little time showing Thor becoming Thor. He’s Thor.
The Cast: Though this leads into some of the problems, everyone is cast perfectly. Hopkins may be the only conceivable choice for Odin, Chris Hemsworth is pretty much perfect as Thor, and the supporting cast are note perfect. but…

The Bad

Talented Cast, Too Bad They Have Nothing to Do: Rene Russo is the wife of Odin, and she probably has about three lines in the film. The Warriors Three and Sif (Jamie Alexander) are in the film, and are defined by their look, or that one likes to eat a lot. Portman’s Jane Foster is sexually attracted to Thor, but other than being at the right place to meet Thor, she doesn’t have much else to do. This is the Thor and Loki show, and everyone else serve the plot to move the story forward. Only Idris Elba seems able to have a little bit of fun. The film is 114 minutes, and it’s possible that the film plays better with an additional half hour or hour of footage.
Empire Building: S.H.I.E.L.D. shows up in the film to build a tent around Thor’s Hammer, but nothing they do in the film is of any consequence, other than to give Thor someone to battle on Earth. Too much of the film is dedicated to things that are more important to the Marvel canon than the film itself. Like the last point – as Marvel has spoiled – Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye shows up in the film, but all he does is point an arrow at Thor and then disappear from the film. It’s cool if you know who Hawkeye is, but Renner has nothing to do but show up. This was fun when Sam Jackson showed up at the end of Iron Man, because it didn’t get in the way of the story, but here it’s the cinematic equivalent of standing behind a newscaster and waving.
Narratives That Are Self-Evident: The film is about how Thor got back his hammer, and the idea of a leader learning humility is a good plot, but how Thor learns humanity almost happens off screen, and the change – though apparent in the character – is not made cinematic. Something happens and Thor changes immediately. On top of that, Thor is kept from his hammer for the majority of the running time, but it’s not even a spoiler to say that he gets his hammer back. Because of that, the majority of the film is a slog when Hiddleston isn’t on screen because there’s little to latch on to, and the thing that would have made this more palatable are characters to care about. It also comes across as a cost-cutting measure, as the middle then is mostly spectacle-free.

The Mixed

Kenneth Branagh: As a director, Branagh lost his way quickly after the great success of Henry V, and his work with the cast is excellent, but his sense of making this exciting is using canted angles, and he doesn’t use the massive amounts of CGI in interesting ways. I think that the film had to exist in some way that sets up the characters, and the film does introduce Thor to cinema in a way that suggests he’d be a good character to follow, and has a number of great friends and foes, but it feels more like a pilot than complete narrative. Sadly, that’s how so many of these comic franchises have been going.

Overall

Not so much terrible as all set up, Marvel seems more interested in getting to The Avengers than they are in telling great stories. Thor may have been toughest to crack cinematically, but that can’t defend a very uninteresting story that offers few grace notes outside of Hiddleston’s performance.

Score: 3.5/10

Thor opens May 6.

1-1 Interview: 2011′s Star of the Year and Thor Villain Tom Hiddleston

Damon Houx — Thu, 05 May 2011 17:59:18 +0000

Previous to Thor, Tom Hiddleston was mostly known for his TV work, but post-Thor, he’s been working like crazy and has three more picture due out this year – all with great directors. And then there’s The Avengers, which is also on his plate. And though Chris Hemsworth may be a star in training, it’s Hiddleston who walks away with the most interesting performance in Thor – no mean feat when your surrounded with Oscar winners like Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman. We got a chance to sit with Hiddleston and talk about this film and his impressive year. Check it out… We started by talking about the Diet Dr. Pepper I was drinking, which has Jamie Alexander’s Sif on it.

Is there one with your face on it?

Tom Hiddleston: I’ve got Cherry Dr. Pepper.

Did you have any say in that matter?

TH: No. (laughs)

Character Work

With this film what’s great about your character is that you ride a line. You’ve said that villains don’t think of themselves as villains, and there are a lot of levels to your character, whether or not some actions are intentionally evil, or just serve a purpose that becomes more terrible. Did you always have a bead on that?

TH: Absolutely. One of the things we talked about was Iago – who was a real touchstone. In the beginning of Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago is just annoyed that he’s been passed over for promotion in favor of somebody else, by the end of the play six people are dead because of him, and it’s not that he meant to destroy the lives of six people, it’s that he’s incredibly deft at improvising with situations and turning them to his advantage. I absolutely think that a massive strength of Loki’s. He’s like a chess master; he’s thinking six, ten moves ahead of everybody else. And I genuinely think at the beginning of the film he doesn’t mean to destroy Thor or Yodenheim, it’s only through what he learns in the course of the film – no matter how misguided his intentions – it’s fuel to his fire. The scene in the vault with Odin is a big deal, and the things that he finds out are the big dark secrets at the center of his soul, and that’s what sends him over the edge in a way.

Were there any sort of cinematic references? Was there anything you were trying to avoid?

TH: I remember skyping with Kenneth (Brannagh) when he was already in LA working on the film and I was still in London, and he said he wanted me to have a look at two performances. One was Peter O’Toole in the Lion in Winter, he plays Henry II with a degree of emotional volatility that is unpredictable. He’s capable of being incredibly charming and very dangerous in a second, and the second thing he said to take a look at that might seem left field is Charlize Theron’s performance in Monster. He said “I know these two are going to sound weird, and I don’t want you to copy them in any way, but I just want you to try to come to work with a layer of skin peeled away. Every time I point the camera at your face, I want to see your brain working like a ticker-tape machine, it’s just churning stuff out.” So that was an interesting handle on that.

Would you say Kenneth Branagh’s direction was like that normally, a lot of left field stuff?

TH: I think it’s his way of helping you get your arms around the part. Chris was given Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, and Natalie Portman was given a book about a scientist who did a lot of research and was passed over for the Nobel prize when somebody stole her idea. And Ken says “It’s not going to give you the performance that I need, but it in some way informs the way you say one line or one look then I know it’s worked.” It’s his way of helping actors ground their performances into something relateable to them, instead of a bunch of in front of a green screen pretending to be gods.

Hiddleston’s 2011

You’re having what has to be one of the most amazing years in cinema. You’ve got a film with Steven Spielberg, you’re got a film with Terrence Davies, you’ve got a film with Woody Allen, was this the first?

TH: This was number one, yeah.

Did the others come from that? I’m guessing Woody Allen didn’t watch this film, but you never know.

TH: I don’t know if Woody is a big Marvel comic fan, I didn’t ask him actually. It was very strange, I went immediately from the end of Thor into the Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris, and then I was already doing my horse riding training for The War Horse before going to Paris for Woody and they’re all strangely interconnected. I haven’t said this on record, and I’m going to say it now. You get an exclusive. Every actor needs a break, and Kenneth Branagh has given that to me. Kenneth Branagh worked with Woody Allen on Celebrity, and I think when he found out I had been working with Ken that may have been some rubber stamp of approval that I was legit in some way. And when I met Steven, we talked about Kenneth a lot, and Steven expressed his admiration for Ken. And Ken really gave that to me, I think I’ll be eternally grateful to him. Thor wasn’t my first opportunity, but as Chris said, a year and a half ago he was knocking on door to get a chance to come and play, and people would say “you’re talented but not this time.” And Ken was the first man who said “Chris, Tom, up you come, come play with the big boys.” So I’m eternally grateful to him. They’ve all been so different, that’s the amazing thing. I’m playing the bad guy in Thor, and then in War Horse – to some extent – I play one of the heroes, I play a really decent upstanding Cavalry officer, and in The Deep Blue Sea I play an ex-RAF pilot in love with a woman, and it was about exploring the chemistry between man and woman, which I hadn’t done, and the Woody Allen I have to keep under my hat, because it’s a big surprise. It’s a really interesting surprise. But thank you for saying that about my year, because it has been amazing.

Well, it’s impressive, and Terrence Davies…

TH: Have you seen Distant Voices, Still Lives? A masterpiece.

How would compare working with an actor director like Branagh versus Spielberg? Can you tell the difference?

TH: Absolutely. When he’s asking me to go to some sort of emotional extreme, I know that he knows the challenges of doing that in a way, and the great enemy you have is self-consciousness. It’s almost like he’s going through it with you. Spielberg is so humble when he talks about acting, he says “I tried to be an actor, but I can’t do it. I defer to you. If there is ever a moment where what I’m asking you to do is not true, this is a European war, it’s a British, French and German story, and you’re playing the guy, and I trust you so let me know if I’m pointing you in the wrong direction. Which immediate makes me think: “Steven Spielberg is telling me that I can tell him to back off.” That doesn’t equate in my mind. But every director is different, and that’s the thrill of doing what we do. Woody writes his script and fine tunes it, and whittles it down, and then he expects you to shoot exactly what he’s written. The handle that Steven Spielberg has on storytelling, he’s steering a ship, and his mastery of keeping the audience in the exactly right place is extraordinary. The speed of creative execution is mind blowing. And Ken goes through it all with you. He is a director who has acted, so he pushes you that extra mile.

Spoiler Territory

Did you talk to people who were adopted?

TH: I didn’t, I read an amazing book called “They Fuck You Up.” I don’t know if you know Phillip Larkin, a British Poet wrote it, and it goes:

“They fuck you up, your mum and dad
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had,
And add some extra just for you.”

And the book takes its title from that poem, and it’s about the formation of the personality from the kind of parenting you get in the first ten years of your life, and he leans very heavily on nurture over nature in the big debate. “Are we who we are because of our nature, because of our genetic inheritance or are we who we are because of nurture?” And if all this sounds very pretentious, it’s just me trying to give a villain layers and I thought with Loki, he has questionable parenting. Who knows what happened in his infancy? Someone was talking this morning about rescue dogs, and sometimes you don’t strike it lucky and you’ve got a violent, angry dog on your hands because of what happened to them when they were puppies. I think when Loki was a puppy he went through some very serious damage, so that’s one of my touchstones for the character.

Thor hits theaters May 6, but you’ll be seeing a lot of Hiddleston shortly.

Interview: Thor’s Actors

Damon Houx — Tue, 03 May 2011 22:15:39 +0000

For the Thor press conference we were joined by Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Kat Dennings, Jamie Alexander, and Anthony Hopkins. It was a fun chat, and the group talked about the hardships of maing a big franchise production, and the fun of being in comic book movies. For more with Hopkins, there’s another great interview. But check out the press conference…

Casting/Costumes

We heard from the last panel that Tom thought you were the hero of the movie; and two that you wanted to be Thor. Could you talk a little about that?

Tom Hiddleston: I think there are no villains in this world – there are just misunderstood heroes. And – Loki definitely – I think Loki thinks he is the hero. There’s an aspect of Loki that if you boil this film down to its barest elements, it’s about a father and two sons. And both those sons are competing for the love and affection and pride of their father, Odin. And I think there’s a deeply misguided intention within Loki. And he has a kind of a damage within him. He just goes about getting that pride in the wrong way. I didn’t actually want to be Thor, but I’m 6’2”. So like every other English speaking actor over 6 foot who’s got blonde hair, I went up for the part of Thor. But I’m not built like a house. And there’s no way in Odin’s Asgard I could have delivered what Chris has done.

Chris, could you talk about the most miserable things you did to actually get that kind of physique?

Chris Hemsworth: The most uncomfortable thing was the eating. I didn’t mind so much the working out; I’d never really lifted weights to that capacity beforehand, and – and it was certainly a whole new sort of education, for a good six months. I just don’t naturally sit at that weight, so I had to force feed myself 20 chicken breasts and rice and steak – and all very boring to the plain things. And that was the most exhausting part out of the whole film was the eating. It wasn’t the fun stuff, either. It wasn’t hamburgers and pizza and what have you.

With the physical demands of the role aside, how did you as an actor approach the mighty role of Thor? Did you look into the six hundred-plus issues of the comics, or did you pay more attention to the mythology, like the actual Norse mythology, or did you find a way to combine both? What was important to you, when taking on this role?

CH: Yeah, I started with the comic books, but I didn’t read all – however many of them – there are thousands of them, 40 or 50 years’ worth. But I certainly read enough to get a sense of who he was and the world he was from. And then I read some things on Norse mythology and this sort of fatalistic view they have that everything’s preordained and that leads the Vikings into this fearless sort of attitude in battle and with their lives. And they certainly back their opinions. And they’re not swayed easy. And that spoke volumes to me about the character. But then it was filling your head with whatever information and research you have. But on set, it was just about making it truthful and finding a simpler way that I could relate to it. Instead of thinking, “How do I play a powerful god?” it became about, as Tom said, scenes between fathers and sons and brothers. And you personalize that, and that helps ground the story, I think, for an audience. And then we can relate to it and hopefully an audience can, too.

Kat, your character held the largest comedic role throughout the film. How was that, how did you enjoy it in such a serious superhero film?

Kat Dennings: That’s the thing. I saw the film a week ago, and I hadn’t seen any of the Asgard stuff. I know when you got to our parts in Santa Fe, you felt like you were on a different film. So it didn’t feel like, “Oh, I feel like I don’t belong anywhere.” It felt like he didn’t belong, which is why it’s hilarious. Natalie and I have been friends for years so it was pretty easy. We just hung out and goofed off and were girls; and poor Stellan had to listen to us talk about boys and nail polish.

For the actors who played as Guardians – was it more challenging or more fun to wrap your mouth and your mind around the film’s mock heroic middle English? And as a follow-up for Mr. Elba, how much of a pleasure was it to not have to do a fake American accent?

Jamie Alexander: I had a good time. It was fun learning the accent and training for the film and goofing off with these buttheads. We all trained together, prior to shooting. And it made for a good time.

Idris Elba: One of the challenges for the script and the story and now the audience is that you have these two huge worlds, but they’re equally as well thought out, well written. And Kenneth wanted us to all have a sort of uniform sound. Even though you do say mock English, it was set in that world, but exactly “not English,” which is what I was told. And yeah, fake American accents? Try some Asgard, you know what I mean?

Sir Tony had mentioned facetiously that the costume really does the work for you. But I’m just wondering for the other actors that were in elaborate costumes and the eye gear and things, how does that inform your character, in terms of creating and becoming that person? Or is it just, you’re pretending?

TH: The costumes are incredibly heavy, and if you got up in the morning and you wear a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and some flip-flops, it’s a signal that you might be going to the beach. And if you get up in the morning and you wear a breast plate and a back plate and a cape, and a pair of golden Satanic horns on your head, it’s quite clear that you’re doing something else. We were so helped by not just the costumes, but by the beautiful sets built by Bo Welch, the production designer. You’ve got no furniture to lean on and no props to busy your performance. So there has to be a kind of simplicity, too. The costumes make you stand straighter. And when you’re in big set – it’s like being in a neo-classical museum, and if you go up to the Getty, you have a sense of the size of the place, and that just does stuff to the way you stand.

CH: With Kenneth, one of my biggest notes for me was “just let the costume do it,” because I had this huge helmet on my head and couldn’t hardly see. And Kenneth would just say, “Don’t worry. Just live in it, and just stay as still as you can and just let the costume and the opulence of where I was – my bridge, which is beautiful – do the work.” And the script, of course.

Future Projects/ The Avengers

Loki’s such a great villain because he is so relatable and dimensional, and you don’t really know if he’s right or if he’s wrong, or what he’s feeling or thinking. So when you guys were crafting this, was it with a trajectory towards The Avengers, and are we gonna continue to see Loki as that kind of a character in The Avengers, or is it gonna be a little more diametrical?

TH: I took the character that I saw in the comics. Loki is a master of magic. And he is – in the Marvel universe- the agent of chaos. And his superpower is his intelligence, if you like. He’s a shape shifter; and it’s his ability to stay ten steps ahead of everybody else. So Ken and Chris and Tony and I all talked about having those layers in a way that he’s someone with a fierce intelligence, but also a very damaged heart. I think a red dot will form on my forehead if I give any more information about Loki and The Avengers. All I can tell you is that Loki will be in The Avengers. And it’ll take more than the man to my right to stop me this time.

Regarding the Avengers, you guys play very larger-than-life roles in this film. You’re going into a movie with four or five other larger-than-life characters. So what’s the biggest challenge that you guys see, in combining all these archetypal heroes and villains into this one film?

TH: I think the thing that looks like a challenge is actually the reason it’ll work, as in how can one movie contain so many different flavors and colors and characters. Joss Whedon has made that his strength. And the conflict between each of them will be something that will be expanded on, I think. Would you say?

CH: Yeah, sure. Also, we don’t balance all the other characters. That’s just the writer and Joss Whedon, who’s the writer–director, his job is to navigate that. We come in and do our bit. And that’s all you can concern yourself with. But I definitely think it’ll be an interesting combination. And as Tom said, why it will work is that conflict in those larger than life characters and egos clashing, I think it’ll – there’ll be some great tension there.

Since we now know that Tom secretly wants to be Thor, is there another character in the Marvel canon that anybody would like to take on?

JA: Oh, I have one – X-23. Yeah.

CH: Loki.

TH: Keep the – yeah, the horn in the family. The horns are all yours, Man. Yeah.

IE: I think I’d like a stab at Luke Cage at some point.

KD: I’m just thrilled that I’m still in Thor. I can’t believe I didn’t get cut.

Brothers/Joking Around

Could you talk about the dynamic between yourselves as actors, vying for the attention of Sir Anthony Hopkins, as well as the brotherly dynamic that went from brotherhood to rivalry, and so much as to the bloody nose one of you received on set from said rivalry.

CH: I nearly caught Tom talking about having breakfast with Tony at one point. And I said, “What? He’s having breakfast and I’m not?” But Tony said it, that it’s much easier to like someone on screen if you actually like them off screen. It’s just a more enjoyable ride. And we got along and came into this at the same point in our careers, with the same sort of enthusiasm and love for these types of films. And just had a great time doing it. Yeah, and you either have chemistry with someone, or you don’t. And thankfully, I think it was there, and so to play brothers was, it was easy and fun.

TH: It’s quite literally a bromance. Right, it’s the bro – the bro aspect of the word is for real. But Chris is absolutely right. I can’t imagine having to go to sort of the emotional extremity that we both have to go to if we actually didn’t like each other. It’d be just horrendous to go to work. And I think the fact that we get along makes it easier to just egg each other on, and between takes, we’d raise each other’s game. We had a really, really good time. Also, there are so many things that went wrong, accidents that make you laugh. And it’s such a huge journey. We both spent two years of our lives working on this film, and it’s nice that there’s somebody else who’s alongside. Like Chris had a few drinks at the wrap party, and was hanging out the window on the way back to the hotel, saying -

CH: That’s not true. You’re ruining my career right there.

TH: Sorry. He said to me before we went up to our rooms, he was like, “You’re the only one who understands me.”

CH: I have no idea what I was talking about. Yeah.

TH: But in terms of vying for the attention of Tony, Tony was amazing. And I haven’t actually said this on record, but whenever we had our days working with Tony, he would just regale us with stories of when he was a young actor and starting out in “The Lion in Winter” with Peter O’Toole and Katherine Hepburn. I’ll never forget that story you told about Katherine Hepburn saying, “Stop acting, Tony. You’ve got a good face; you’ve got a good voice. You’ve got a good body. Stop acting.”

Anthony Hopkins: She said, “May I talk to your mama?” And I said, “Yeah.” She says, “Don’t act; you don’t need to act. Watch Spencer Tracy.” I said, “Oh, okay.” It was good advice. But she was a – she was good. Yeah.

TH: And actually, then, then we did the scene in the vault, where Loki finds the sort of, the big, dark secret of his personal history. I think after the first couple of takes, Tony leaned across and said, “Have you got a good agent?” And I said, I said, “Yes, I – I think – I think so.” And he said, “You’re going to need it.”

AH: Obviously, I love to have a laugh. I like to tease people. Ken is part of that as well. I said, “Is he gonna play it like that?” He said, “Yeah.” He said to all the young actors. “Is that the way you’re gonna play it? It’s your career.”

CH: I remember that, being on set with Tom, our first day with, with Tony. And, and going through the rehearsal, and Tony giving us that reaction. “Is that how you’re gonna do it?” And going… “He’s kidding, right?”

TH: But then there was something he said, when we were walking down towards the casket and I said – and he said, “Can I tell you something, Tom?” And I went, “Absolutely. Say it up straight. Tell me, tell me anything.” And he said, “You’re doing this very strange thing with your wrists.”

TH: “Oh, my god, what am I doing?” And he said, “You – you’re just – it looks a little bit camp. Maybe you can butch it up a bit.”

Thor opens May 6. Check it out.

More Thor! (Posters, that is)

Damon Houx — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 22:16:38 +0000

WonderCon may be the less successful but still respectable sibling of ComicCon, but that doesn’t mean it can’t offer some exclusives. And today Marvel has put out two new posters for Thor, which opens May 6. These posters feature Chris Hemsworth as Thor looking at Tom Hiddleston as Loki. Having not seen the film, advertising suggests that Idris Elba‘s Heimdall is the main baddie in this picture, but rumors are that Loki has a much bigger role in an upcoming Marvel spin-off. Take a look…

Thanks to Marvel for the link. These posters are keeping with the marketing of the film, but also give us another look at Tom Hiddleston – who is going to be a player in the Marvel universe. It’s possible that he’s more than bad guy than Elba, and that Idris has been given greater prominence to give the film a more racially diverse look to the Nordic sensibilities of these characters.Or maybe he’s been given his own poster out of respect for Stringer Bell, his character on “The Wire.”

After yesterday’s release of the first clip from the film, it’s fair to say that marketing’s kicking up, and that the film hopefully delivers more and better than what we’ve seen so far. The film has got the best release date for a launch, and it has no real competition that weekend, so the film should be able to open. After that, we’re still in “wait and see” mode with this project.

Will you line up for Thor?

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