J.J. Abrams (for those of you living under a rock the director of Star Wars Episode VII) just gave us a sneak peak at the new X-Wing (as part of a UNICEF fundraiser promo spot). Gotta leave the continued move away from CGI and the beat up look of an actual X-Wing mock up (plus a few other perks in the spot):
S.M. Douglas
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Month: July 2014
For you fantasy fans you probably know the movie “Hercules” is being released next week (July 25th). Dwayne Johnson is playing the titular character, and I for one am quite pleased.
No offense to Kevin Sorbo (who stood a respectable six feet three inches but weighed a somewhat lean 235 pounds)….
….but Dwayne Johnson’s six foot five inch 260 pound frame is the most imposing to play Hercules in quite some time.
In spite of Johnson’s freakish size the great Lou Ferrigno (at an equally imposing six foot five inch height but a weight of anywhere between 275 and 325 pounds during his competitive bodybuilding career and a weight of around 275 plus pounds when he played Hercules in the 1983 film) is still the biggest baddest dude to ever play the Greek hero.
Now, as fit as Johnson is at this time compare him to Ferrigno (perhaps the biggest bodybuilder ever and quite likely a man who would have won multiple Mr. Olympia’s had not Hollywood beckoned in 1976).
You can also compare Johnson to Schwarzenegger….
….(who might have been the greatest bodybuilder ever and packed 240 pounds of pure muscle on his six foot two inch frame) when Arnold played Hercules in 1969.
For that matter 1950’s bodybuilder Steve Reeves was no slouch either (at 215 pounds on a six foot one inch frame) when he played Hercules….
….but as the smallest of the most famous Hercules stars we have to give the edge to Johnson here over Reeves.
In addition, we can’t forget Reg Park (at six foot one inch and 220 to 250 pounds) who would also give Johnson a run for his money….
So as you look over the accompanying images you decide: does Johnson meet the standard created by Reeves, Park, Schwarzenegger and Ferrigno?
Star Wars fans got some good news just prior to the July 4th holiday. Apparently J.J. Abrams invited Kevin Smith (director of Clerks, Chasing Amy, etc… and a notorious Star Wars fan) to the U.K. Pinewood Studios Star Wars set. There Smith was allowed to see what was going on, and since his June 30th visit to the set he has provided further evidence that J.J. Abrams is on the right track with the latest episode in the Star Wars universe.
For instance, Smith hasn’t held back and enthusiastically described walking the set as a “f–king magical” experience. Smith went on to single out not just our old favorite’s wandering around the set but, and just as importantly, the overwhelming lack of CGI usage evident on set:
“What I saw, I absolutely loved. It was tactile — it was real. It wasn’t a series of f–king green screens and blue screens in which later a bunch of digital characters would be added. IT was there, it was happening…. I saw uniforms, I saw artillery I haven’t seen since I was a kid. I saw them shooting an actual sequence in a set that was real. I walked across the set, there were explosions. And it looked like a shot right out of a ‘Star Wars’ movie.”
Sounds very good to me. Keep it up J.J. I have high hopes you will produce something light years better than the wreckage of Episodes I and II (which were dreadful and only marginally redeemed by a slightly better Episode III). In the meantime, here are some oldie but goodie candid shots tweeted out earlier this year from the one and only Peter Mayhew, whom I met at Comic Con a few years back. By the way, other than the first pic (including Carrie Fisher’s stunt double) you should know everyone in these pics (okay I will give you Stuart Freeborn in the Yoda pic) otherwise if you don’t then you should ask yourself; Star Wars fan are you?
For those of you mourning the end of the latest season of Game of Thrones we have a treat. You Tube user Mikolaj Birek posted 90’s style Game of Thrones intro’s with music courtesy of Steve Duzz and video from You Tube user’s the hunterlsanders. Please enjoy:
And for those of you jonesing for the 90’s even more. Here is Game of Thrones Seinfeld style:
Finally, and for you World War II fans, here is Hitler’s reaction to the news Ned Stark had been beheaded:
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