INTERVIEW: Elizabeth Olsen Talks OLDBOY and Prepping For Scarlet Witch in AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

Spike Lee's re-imaging of Oldboy, the 2003 cult favorite dark revenge thriller is now in theaters. Starring Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen and Sharlto Copley, this intense update follows the journey of Joe Doucett, man suddenly who inexplicably finds himself imprisoned in a hotel room for twenty years, and what lengths he goes to in order to solve the mystery of "why" when he's suddenly released.

I had the opportunity to participate the in press junket for the film earlier this month in New York City, and was among the online reporters invited to this roundtable interview with Olsen, who stars as Marie, a nurse in a free clinic sympathetic to Doucett's plight. She talks about working with Spike Lee, her thoughts on this version of the film versus the original, and I managed to sneak in at the end what she is doing to prepare for her role as Scarlet Witch in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Here are some the highlights from the 12-minute Q&A session.

Had you seen the original film going into this? Or was this something you wouldn’t watch once you got the call to be a part of this one?

OLSEN: I read the script first actually. And then I saw the movie within the same day, I believe.

You read the script for Mark [Protosevich]'s version and then you saw the original?

OLSEN: Yeah, my first experience with the story was the script and that was enough to get me excited. Then I saw the movie and I was like "Wow! It's almost a perfect film," but to me it's just like retelling of like, you know, the relationships, the familial relationships in like Greek tragedies or something. You know, it's relationships and stories that continue for hundreds of years. I think it's not so much about like doing a remake but it's a great story that I have a feeling that people are going to try and retell again in another ten years, because if people haven't seen it, you think like, well it's a shocker and it will surprise you. And it's crazy. I think it will always have that kind of impact.

Why do you think this kind of film, resonates so much with people?

OLSEN: I think it's, I mean parts for me, when you become invested in characters and you think you know what's about to happen, you think you know that someone's going to get what they want at the end, and it all kind of just turns on itself, that's a shock as an audience member and it's fun. It's fun to be surprised in the movies. I mean even in movies when you know the endings like in, what's it called with Michael B. Jordan, Fruitvale [Station], like you know the ending at the beginning of the film and the history. But for some reason you're watching that movie and you're thinking "Nope, nope, that's not going to happen. They're going to change it." So even those situations it's fun to, you know you’re still, maybe you'll be surprised. But this movie, you were surprised. You're shocked. You're like ‘What!?’ And that's how I felt, at least. I think that's how people tend to feel.

What it's like sharing so much on-screen time and having, you know, a romantic relationship on-screen with Josh Brolin. Though he's a dapper man and a great actor, he's much older than you.

OLSEN: Well Josh, we just get along great. It was probably weirder for him than for me because he has a daughter my age. So I am sure that was weird for both of them. He's like a big brother to me. We, and by the time like we had to do all that awkward stuff, that was way down the line of shooting and we were already like a family of the crew and psyched and um I don’t know. You felt safe in an environment, especially you know it wasn't something that was beat around the bush. Like Spike, first meeting: "What are we doing about that?" And I guess it's alright to talk about this now. It makes it easier and you know why you're doing it and you know how it helps the story and you know why it's important. So that's how I think of it. You know it would be different if it was just like for titillation or gratuity, but it has more of an impact at the end if people witness this kind of voyeurism, in a way.

So when he says to you how are you going to do that, was he really expecting you to choreograph the scene?

OLSEN: He just literally wanted to know details like what I'm cool with, what I'm not cool with. (Laughs) That’s all he wanted. You know he and I are both very direct people and the same with Josh. Like don't beat around the bush. Say it how it is. Tell me what you need. If this is what you're not getting, just say it. You're not going to offend me. And I think it's kind of we’re all kind of athletic in a way. We’ll respond to things that way. So that's how he directs and I appreciate that.  He's just the most collaborative man or person I've ever worked with.

Sorry, this is a stupid question but you know I'm a non-actor. But as an actress, you know when there’s a film that you know where we’re trying to dodge around director friendship with a twist, you know, that you having read the script you're aware of it. 

OLSEN: Yeah.

And your tasked with playing this entire film with Josh and playing it a certain way when you in the back of your mind are aware of other things that that viewers watching and your character are not supposed to be aware of.

OLSEN: Right.

How do you block that out? I mean, what's your process sort of like for that?

OLSEN: It's not so much like blocking it out. People you know, there's a reason why Marie when she first meets Joe, she sees someone that she can help that’s not going to ask for it but also I think she sees someone that she maybe inherently has some sort of a connection to... I think things like that you shouldn't ignore. I mean obviously it's easier to talk about it in this situation than it is in any other kind of interview. But I think you kind of embrace it in a way, and then, you just, you do. You just kind of like think about your linear story that you're telling. We usually don't know each other as strangers... But I think that kind of connection you have to someone has to be part of it because there is a connection.

Do you see this as one day being sort of referred to in the same breath as the “Bruce Willis is dead the whole time” in The Sixth Sense and The Crying Game twister? Do you see this on that level because I certainly do?

OLSEN: That'd be cool.

I have not seen the original.

OLSEN: That'd be cool. That'd be really cool. I mean that's the goal. That's the whole goal. Not a lot of people have seen the original, and it's a crazy story so let's tell it! If people haven't seen it, it's a twist. It's a great twist, and I love a twist, you know. Who doesn't?

Well, when you heard Spike Lee was directing this film, how did you feel? Because you know Spike has his own reputation?

OLSEN: Apparently he does and I was intimidated because he has some sort of reputation that has nothing to do with who he is. It's very confusing to me because the man is like only heart and loves. He has so much collaboration and is so open to everyone's opinion. I mean I don't really know what people think of him that much. But like this man is the key. He asked me. He asked me if I even liked my name in this script. We all together rewrote it with Mark, like it was we were all a team. It was the most collaborative thing in the world. And then you're totally taken care of. And the guy, the coolest thing about Spike directing this is you have this Korean very stylized film and if you are going to do an American remake, you need it to be stylized in a different way. And there aren't many other directors who can just turn on the TV, switch a channel, and you'd be like "Oh, that's a Spike Lee film. I can tell by its camera angle and by the color of the movie." Like that’s, Spike can do that, and there are very few people I think that and he does, so he's perfect for it.

Did he challenge you in any way?

OLSEN: Yeah, absolutely, I mean he's very specific. He’s like obsessively detail oriented. So he opens it up to you. In a way, he challenges you by like giving you the opportunity to make choices ‘cause sometimes he will make them for you. But he makes it a dialogue. And then there's just nit-picky things that he wants from you and you're like "You're serious?" It's like Pinterest or something. He makes fun of like "I’m gonna make you do it you know sixty-seven times," but like he still makes you do this one weird thing a lot. And you're saying "Okay well like you know what you're doing. I'm not looking. You're looking at the camera. I’m not," so you're just trust him.

So what other sort of changes did you make that you felt were important?

OLSEN: It was just things that we wanted to develop on. There weren't so many like changes as it was. You know, there's no hypnotizing in our film so my character, if you're going to do like play for play, in the Korean film, it all happens because everyone's hypnotized. You know, and not in our version, it's not. You have to have some sort of psychological baggage or background to make sense for these two people to come together. And so it was just always a constant development of that, you know. It's kind of like playing like Freudian games. Like what would make that happen in this person's life to add up that this other person coming into the space is someone she needs and that she'll learn from. So it’s just that kind of detail and then trying to do it without doing it in an obvious way and without like having like let's have an expositional moment. Those things are hard when you are like trying to keep things ahead of themself.

Have you seen the movie?

OLSEN: Not in its final form, no. I saw it in one of its earlier versions before like ADR and sound and color correction and things like that. But I think I more or less saw it, but not as pretty maybe.

So you think you’ll be like this with like your hands over your eyes?

OLSEN: I'm not going to lie to you tonight. It’s my first time I am going to a premiere and not sitting through a movie. I learned in Toronto that I really don't enjoy watching myself do those things in front of an audience and I'm tired. I finished a seven-week run of a play yesterday, and I just really just want to go home after doing my business at the premiere, and I'm moving and I'm tired.

Did you have to gain weight for the movie?

OLSEN: No.

Because you're so thin in person.

OLSEN: It's the same body. [laughs] It's the same body, I'm telling you. It's so funny you said that because I have actually like a rule of thumb with that. When people know that they're about to like do a movie or a scene where they are nude or partially nude, they go on some crazy diet or do some crazy whatever. I think it's a little weird, you know. I mean, sure it makes sense you want to look good. I mean people want to look good for their wedding, you know. You want to look good if you know you're about to be photographed, but like the job is to always be on camera and you don't want to worry about that all the time. You know? It’s kind of exhausting.

So would you work with Spike again because you know that Brooklyn is his origin?

OLSEN: Well, he told me he wanted us to work together again and so I am going to hold him to that 'cause I’d love to do like a Michael Imperioli or Samuel Jackson and come back again. Yeah, I'd love that.

Sam Jackson had mentioned online a couple of weeks ago that he might be working with you again on a…

OLSEN: I don't know about worked together, but we'll be doing Avengers together. I don’t know if we’ll be doing anything together, though.

Are you looking forward to the Scarlet Witch?

OLSEN: Yes I have been becoming such a nerd about it. I am having so much fun right now. It's really, really fun to read those comics and get. It's just really exciting. The majority of the stuff isn’t relevant to what we’re going to be doing, but I'm loving it and it's a lot of fun. 

Have you seen your costume yet?

No. I just know about it but it's not probably what people would expect.

You would make a real cool action figure.

OLSEN: Oh God, my brother would be happy about this.

Welcome to Brooklyn.

OLSEN: Thank you.

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INTERVIEW: Spike Lee Talks Re-Imagining OLDBOY

Spike Lee's re-imaging of Oldboy, the 2003 cult favorite dark revenge thriller is now in theaters. Starring Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen and Sharlto Copley, this update follows the journey of a man suddenly who suddenly finds himself imprisoned in a hotel room for twenty years, and what lengths he will go to in order to solve the mystery of "why" when he's released.

I had the opportunity to participate the in press junket for the film earlier this month, and was among the online reporters invited to this roundtable interview with director Spike Lee. Here are the highlights from the 20-minute Q&A session.

So is this the opportunity to direct some action for you? Is that something that really attracted you to Oldboy. I know that the choreography is it seems like it has your hands in it. And I don't know if you did most of the fight choreography yourself.

LEE: No, I'm not a fight choreographer. But it was the story. It didn't have nothing to do with the action. It was a part of it though. It was the story. That was the reason why I was interested in it, in doing a re-interpretation of this film.

What was it about the story that pulled you in?

LEE: Revenge. Revenge. And the fact that you had this individual who's locked up. Why don't you, yeah close it (door closing and locking). Individual who's locked up for twenty years not knowing who did it or why that was done to him.

Do you expect that most people have seen the original when they see yours?

LEE: Most people have not seen the original.

Was it easier to adapt a foreign film?

LEE: I don't think so. Mark Protosevich wrote the script, did a good job. But we, Josh Brolin and I, never ever sat down and said for any specific thing like that's Korean it's not going to work in America. We never thought like that.

When you decided to do it, did you have the cast in mind already?

LEE: No, I just knew that Josh and I had been talking about for years working together. So it was Josh and I went in together and with the help of my casting director, Kim Coleman we had to fill out the roster.

Can you talk about how you came to meet Josh and why you always wanted to work with him?

LEE: Well for a period of four or five years we always meet at a premiere or film he's doing here in New York. American Gangster, No Country For Old Men, Wall Street. And we always see each other during the movie. We always end up together, having a drink at the after party (laughter). “Let's work together.” “Okay.” Then we see each other next year for another film. So four or five years this went on and then finally Oldboy happened.

Is there a story that he needed the blessing of Park Chan-wook? You needed it too?

LEE: Yes.

True? And has he already seen the movie?

LEE: He has not seen the film yet. But that story is true. Before Josh agreed to do it he met with Park. Asked for his blessing. Park gave it and told Josh don't try and remake my film, do your own film.

Now this movie, you know it hinges on a twist. You guys, I think, put a put a sort of a different twist on this twist, sort of dangle in front of our face more than the other film does. And you make it a little bit more eye opening than that film did as far as I can tell having seen yours first. Is this something you felt like you had to do, because it was sort of an obstacle?

LEE: I had to do what?

I'm trying to say without saying it. But I mean the other film twists sort of never really gave you the ability to predict it. Whereas your film I feel like, having viewed it first, and not knowing the twist, I was like how did I not see that coming.

LEE: I don't know how to answer that. I mean, I don't want to give away the twist. But I do think that for a lot of people that see it they would not have heard of Oldboy. They've never seen a Korean film in their life. So it's gonna be new to a majority of the audiences that sees this film.

What sort of thinking went into this to give it an American as opposed to an Asian sensibility?

LEE: Like I said before, Josh and I never sat down and said “This is Korean culture it can't work in America.” That was never our thinking. We don't think like that. Storytelling is global. Excuse me storytelling is global. It's all about what's gonna work for the story. So it never came down to nationality. Ever.

You purposely didn't really define where this takes place?

LEE: Right.

I think people might've assumed “It's a Spike Lee film. Maybe it's New York.” You know you shot in New Orleans, maybe it's going to be New Orleans. Talk about why that is. It's such a dark film you really didn't want to attach location to it?

LEE: Well we just wanted to be non-descript city. That's a very hard thing to do in New Orleans. New Orleans is one of the most distinct cities in the United States of America. So it was a challenge to shoot there, but not make it look like New Orleans. The reason why people shoot in Louisiana, because the state of Louisiana has the best tax break now. Rebate. So you have hundreds of people who left LA and moved to New Orleans because that's where films are being made; that's where the work is.

What's New Orleans like these days? Has it is it bounced back at all?

LEE: There's been some progress, but the main thing is still a large number of African-American population which is not returned yet and probably won't. They've been forced to migrate to Atlanta, Houston, San Antonio. Have found better paying jobs, better schools, a better way of living. So that's still been the thing that that the city is missing.

Revenge aside and character development, in the back of my mind I'm thinking about the prison system. Do you think that would work maybe there wouldn't be so many people returning back to prison if they'd went through some sort of system like that.

LEE: No (laughter).

I read that Josh Brolin seems to think that the longer director's cut, as they say, that you know three-hour version of this film, he sort of prefers.

LEE: He never.  Let's clear this up right now. There never was a three-hour cut. What Josh was shown was like two hours and I would say twenty-five minutes. But there never was a three-hour cut.

My question was going to be what caused this length seemed to perfectly mirror the length of the original film and it also seemed like, I don't know, what could've been on the cutting room floor. Can you start to talk about what might have been, you know, if it wasn't a two hour, twenty minute version, what would've been in there?

LEE: Man, all I'm gonna say is it's a tough business. That's how I'll answer that question.

Is there anything you took away from this film in a sense of whether it be the long one take action sequences that you can see yourself enjoying and doing more of in future films.

LEE: Hmm. We've done a lot of one takes over three decades of my film-making. But it was fun trying doing the fight sequence. We worked on that long and hard. Josh worked really hard with the stunt coordinator, the stunt guys. Sean Bobbitt worked very hard. The great DP because we had to not only to have to choreograph the fighting, we had to choreograph the camera too. We shot that, if you know that the original film that was really shot in one plane actually was left to right. Ours was on three different levels. So that's somethingthat we had fun doing.

Since Josh was in here, was he a little chunkier in the beginning of the movie? And then lost weight.

LEE: Oh yeah, he gained 50 pounds.

Can you discuss that?

LEE: Well he met with a bunch of doctors and dietitians, and they came with state diet, the state plan, the state program for him to gain weight and lose weight over a relatively short amount of time. So through, the way it was explained to me most of the weight he gained was water. So he had to lose it, lose like twenty thirty pounds over a weekend. We made that transition from shooting in a cell to going back outside. Josh will do whatever it takes.

How did that affect his personality would you say?

LEE: Well, he said that, I mean it has to, I mean, DeNiro I mean is famous here. DeNiro talked about the month depression he had after doing the Raging Bull and the weight he had to gain for that. Right now it's much more advanced and doesn't take months to lose the weight, but it does affect your psychology though. I mean you can't be happy about, uh, you become another person with that weight gain.

And to you what  was, I mean Josh Brolin first and foremost out of this too but, sort of the second most important casting decision. Was it Sharlto? Who did you feel that needed to be the exact right decision to make this your movie as far as the characters in the film the original?

LEE: All the leads. I wouldn't put them uh numerical order but they're all crucial. Uh, Sharlto, uh Sam's role, Liz Olsen. Those are all crucial so they all were high priority, that to surround Josh with the best actors we could get.

Can you can you talk about the casting process was it was it did these, once you kind of honed in on these performers, did the character kind of get catered to them, or were you casting sort of Sharlto types for the villain?

LEE: No, don't we didn't cast anybody else.  That's what we wanted. And I remember the first time I saw him I knew who he was and that was District 9. So when I see a performance like that, I make a mental note that's somebody I wanna work with in the future. And this is an industry where everything is timing. So you might have a role but they're on to do another movie whatever happens, so you have to wait until it happens. That's the case it was with Josh and I working, cause I said before we'd talk for four or five years working together, but that's never been presenting itself until Oldboy.

Is there a shorthand now working with Sam? And does he give any input or is he allowed?

LEE: Sam is allowed. Samuel L. Jackson is allowed to do whatever he wants to do (laughter). But it was great working with him again. The last time we worked together was in Jungle Fever, which was 1991. And it's like we never missed a step. He called me up and said “I wanna be in this film.”

Was that his idea the mohawk?

LEE: No, that was my idea. When you cast Samuel in film you're always thinking about what's the hair gonna be like. So I asked if he ever wore a Mohawk before? He said “no.” I said you can wear one in this film if you want to. And he said “Let's do it.”

And but a blonde one no less.

LEE: We had two different colors, so there's one when Joe's locked up and then the change when he gets out. But passes the time.

Some of some of the visual choices in the film. One that jumps out to me, and is sort of because you guys gave out the umbrellas to the press. So that in particular was the big change between the two films. Who came up with that? There's just the look of the umbrellas, the colors, the vibrancy that type of thing.

LEE: Well that color is one of Nike's most popular colors now (laughter). It's called Bolt. And I we wanted something that, again story, he's been locked up. We had to have something visual that would grab his attention. So I mean a black umbrella? He's not looking for a black umbrella. I mean he's gonna look at something that blares out “look at me.” Cause we had to think like Sharlto's character. This is a plan. He spent years putting this plan into place. He's thought about every single thing. The color of the umbrella, where we're gonna drop him off, who’s the person handing the umbrella, who I'm gonna cast for all these people we're showing on television. All that stuff, all that plan was thought out. We had to think like, think like him.

Was that sort of then your nod to Nike? To have the Bolt color?

LEE: Imma do more than that (laughter).

Are you going to do another commercial for them anytime soon?

LEE: Well you gotta ask Michael Jordan (laughter).

Anything specific you like to do on all your films techniques that you were still able to bring to Oldboy just to make it more your own?

LEE: Just do what I do. Do what I've been doing since 1986. To be honest there was really no extra. I never came to a situation where “Oh God, I've never done a film like this before. What am I gonna do?” It was never that thinking. It's another film, it’s a different story. It’s still storytelling.

Do you have a preference for shooting, uh, film versus digital? Or any opinion about that at all.

LEE: It depends. When you have money you can afford to shoot on the film. We shot some 35. We don't have money. My new Kickstarter film, which is called Da Blood of Jesus, we shot this on this new Sony Camera called F55 which was wonderful. We can afford to shoot on 35mm with the amount of money we raised on Kickstarter.

You must really love Kickstarter, because I know when you started you had credit cards paying for your movies.

LEE: That was Robert Townsend, that wasn't me. I aint even have a credit card (laughter). But what the point I was trying to make a lot of times with these criticisms I was getting was the principles of Kickstarter I've been doing since before there was Internet, before there was Twitter. Social Media was me calling people up, writing postcards, pens to paper, writing letters, so the principles have not changed it's the technology.

You yourself invested in other people's Kickstarters? Or you sort of just using it for your own purposes.

LEE: Oh no, no, no. I've invested in at least eight or nine projects since I got on Kickstarter.

And can people I mean do you sort of tweet it out there, I mean fans of yours that sort of trust your you know your work can they see what you've invested in and be like this may be something I wanna look into as well?

LEE; Oh yes. If you go, if you go to Kickstarter and look under “Spike Lee,”  you'll see a listing of film and the names of the films and filmmakers that and I think the amount of money too that I've contributed you can check it out.

What's been like the coolest giveaway you've done through Kickstarter?

LEE: Well that's really the most expensive one, where you get to sit with me courtside at a Knick game. And go to dinner.

How much is that?

LEE: That was $10,000.

Wow.

LEE: And we sold 36 games. But I gotta pay for tickets too so it's not really. Tickets are $3400.

Can you talk a little bit about Da Blood of Jesus?

LEE: Da Blood of Jesus?

Yes.

LEE: This, Da Blood of Jesus title of my new film. Uh, it's about people addicted to blood but they're not vampires. It's a temporary film. We shot it in New York City in Martha's Vineyard and we're editing the film now. It's starring two relatively unknown actors but great talents. Stephen Tyrone Williams, who was in Nora Ephron's Lucky Guy with Tom Hanks. And a young British actress, her name is Zaraah Abrahams. So they did a phenomenal job.

And is that a comedy?

LEE: There's humor in it, but a lot of blood and sex too.

Cool (laughter). Thank you.

LEE: Thank you.

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Film Review - OLDBOY ★★★☆☆

There are some movies you can truly experience to the fullest from start to finish only once. If you are familiar with Park Chan-wook's 2003 cult favorite and disturbing ultra-violent revenge thriller Oldboy, you know exactly what I mean.

Spike Lee has taken on the daunting task of re-imaging the South Korean film (itself based on the Japanese manga of the same name), and delivers an intense new take on the tale that is faithful to the original while including some debatable adjustments suited for American movie goers.

When we meet Joe Doucett in 1993, he's an obnoxious advertising executive, and a raging booze hound. His drinking leads him to lose high profile clients and hopelessly backpedal to his family after failing see his daughter Mia on her third birthday.

Mia's gift in hand, drunk and defeated in the pouring rain, he finds himself confronted by a mysterious figure. The things he sees the morning after are the only things he will see for the next twenty years. Doucett is imprisoned in a cell made out to resemble a dingy hotel room. His captors nourish him solely with Chinese take-out dumplings and a small bottle of vodka which are slid which are slip under a solid metal door. Doucett keeps track of time and current events only by the television set and without explanation, spending the next twenty years locked away in the room.

Through televised news reports, he learns that he has been framed for the brutal murder of his wife, and his daughter Mia has become the repeated subject of an ongoing investigative report on a tabloid magazine show. Just as abruptly as he was kidnapped, twenty years later Doucett finds himself free (now clean and sober), waking up in a wooden chest in the middle of a field, and determined to re-unite with his Mia.

What follows is Doucett's obsessive quest to find Mia and consequently discover the secret of his sentence so he can exact revenge using the most violent means necessary (typically using a hammer as his weapon of choice). Joe meets Marie, a sympathetic nurse from a local free clinic (played by Elizabeth Olsen), and along with an old prep school buddy Chucky (Michael Imperioli), inevitably become personally intertwined with Adrian, the affluent man responsible for his imprisonment (Sharlto Copley).

Upon receiving a tracked cell phone, Doucett is propositioned to solve the mystery of his jailing. If successful he will see his name cleared and all the answers will be revealed. If he decides to simply hunt down and kill Adrian, his true freedom will die along with him. The thick plot thicken even further when Adrian presents Joe with the more pertinent question that at first eludes him "Ask not why you were imprisoned, ask why you were set free."

Lee's film does not deviate greatly from the basic structure that moved the original from tense beat to tense beat. While notably excising a shocking culinary scene involving an octopus (though a nod to it exists), Lee manages to one-up Chan-wook's breathtaking fan favorite one-take fight sequence in both brutality and body count. As far as the twists and turns plot that makes the Oldboy experience a wrenching punch to the gut, Lee and screenwriter Mark Protosevich indeed pull no punches. The approach and execution may have been altered as they deemed necessary for a Stateside audience (the script prefers broader strokes over the original's selective subtle hints), and some of the overall shock value may have been toned down in this re-imagining, but the end result should remain nonetheless powerful for those not in the know.

Spike Lee has never backed away from controversial material, and Oldboy is bold, and unlikely, step forward in his career. While the audience is undoubtedly and inherently limited by the film's edgy subject matter, Oldboy stills falls more on Spike's 25th Hour and Inside Man Hollywood side of the resume than the projects his fans feel lie more along the lines of a signature Spike Lee Joint.

Lee has assembled a top notch cast. Brolin gives a visceral and haunting performance as the broken man on a dark missions of absolute revenge and urgent discovery. His physical transformation for the role is also impressive, going from a schleppy drunk to a chiseled warrior during his incarceration. Sharlto Copley as the mysterious Adrian, once again proves to be a big screen chameleon. He seamlessly embodies a chilling villain unlike any of his previous big screen efforts. Elizabeth Olsen has her thing down pat, and provides a solid dramatic performance as Doucett's sympathetic link to a world he find himself two decades behind. Samuel L. Jackson chews up the scenery, as only Sam Jackson can, as the twisted foul-mouthed Mohawk-sporting "warden" of Doucett's prison facility.

Oldboy is not for those squeamish in regards to brutal violence. Lee has successfully crafted a psychological revenge thriller that graphically depicts Doucett's deadly skill with a hammer. Though I'd be hard pressed to say the dark puzzle pieces of Protosevich's twist and turns screenplay will not leave deep wounds of their own on you.

It's hard to categorize where exactly Oldboy fits in for an audience here. The expectations from fans of the cult original will immediately hold Lee's re-imagining to rival the cinematic benchmarks set by Chan-woo, and it will be open to inevitable debate among the loyalists regarding which changes the film is essentially better off with.

Is this remake necessary? Absolutely not. But how many remakes are? Should the original have been just left alone to bask in its cult status and lurk under the mainstream radar? Perhaps. But thankfully we are not presented with a blasphemous version lacking its own merits to stand on or carelessly treads on its predecessor. For whom Spike's take connects to, it will serve as a stepping stone to seek out the definitive version, which on the surface is not necessarily a bad thing. But for them every left turn in the story will instead be merely steps on a familiar path.

Lee, Protosevich and the solid cast deliver a intense roller coaster that undoubtedly makes its own memorable mark on the dark revenge genre, but will play best to those going in with a blank slate.

Oldboy opens in theaters on November 27th.

REVIEW RATING: ★★★☆☆
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: Josh Brolin, Sharlto Copley, Elizabeth Olsen, Michael Imperioli, Samuel L. Jackson
Screenwriter: Mark Protosevich
Studio: Film District
Rated: R
Running Time: 93 minutes


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The Chronicles of DOCTOR WHO's Early Days Set For AN ADVENTURE IN SPACE AND TIME Tonight!

The Day of the Doctor is practically here, but before we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who, it's time to re-visit the show's earliest days. Tonight at 9pm on BBC America, the docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time starring David Bradley as the First Doctor will take fans back to the genesis of the longest running science fiction show in history.

From BBC America:

"What do you get when you mix C.S. Lewis with H.G. Wells, and sprinkle in a bit of Father Christmas? An alien Time Lord exploring space and time in a Police Box spaceship called the “TARDIS” (Time And Relative Dimension in Space). Written by Mark Gatiss, the BBC AMERICA co-production, the film stars David Bradley (the First Doctor, William Hartnell), Brian Cox (BBC Head of Drama, Sydney Newman), Jessica Raine (Producer, Verity Lambert) and Sacha Dhawan (Director, Waris Hussein). An unlikely trio of misfits set out to create a genre series that all ages would love. William ‘Bill’ Hartnell, displeased with his career, was presented with a chance to break out of the hard-man roles he’d become known for. And with the instincts of first time producer, Verity Lambert and first time director, Waris Hussein, the Doctor was born. As the success of the show grew, William went from unhappy curmudgeon to beloved television star who relished his career resurgence and found a new lease on life. But all good things come to an end. How will Bill face leaving behind the part that has made him a hero to millions of children? And can the show survive without him? Journey back fifty years through space and time to witness the exciting beginning and untimely end of the First Doctor in this touching drama."

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Twenty-Five New Images Revealed From THE DAY OF THE DOCTOR!

Six days to go until the world premiere of The Day of the Doctor, and we're all still catching our breath from the triumphant (and mind boggling) return of Paul McGann in The Night of the Doctor earlier this week.

Moving full steam ahead, BBC has released 25 new stills from the upcoming historic Doctor Who 50th Anniversary episode. Looking over these new images, do we seeing David Tennant taking the control of the War Doctor's TARDIS? I do think that's Clara sipping tea next to John Hurt's War Doctor in front of a pair of the iconic time traveling Police Boxes.

Be sure to tune into BBC America all this week for their 50th Anniversary Doctor Who programming leading up to Saturday's simulcast of The Day of the Doctor at 2:50pm EST.

Tomorrow night kicks off with two one-hour specials: Doctor Who: Tales from the TARDIS at 9:00 pm EST, followed by The Science of Doctor Who with Brian Cox at 10:00 pm EST.

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Check Out The Extended Preview From AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.'s THOR: THE DARK WORLD Cross Over

ABC makes a wise decision this week with Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. by setting the episode in the direct aftermath of the events that took place on the big screen in Thor: The Dark World. While there has been no shortage of references to Agent Coulson's death in The Avengers and the recent inclusion of a Chitauri helmet as a plot point, the show could use a lot more tangible representation from the unlimited Marvel Cinematic Universe it actually takes place in.

A extended clip has been released, and if you have seen Thor: The Dark World, you are instantly familiar with the team's assignment. I would wager that the episode will keep things vague enough as to not completely spoil the film.While I understand Marvel and ABC's desire to separate the TV stuff from the movie stuff, but this is definitely the sort of thing I would like to see more of in the show. It has hit a stride in feeling too detached from the bigger picture, which frankly threatens to makes it feel like any other franchise featuring super spies with awesome gadgets and unlimited resources.

Do not expect any stars from Thor to stop by (nor should they, even though it's November sweeps), but maybe down the line we will see Cobie Smulders again reprise her role as Agent Maria Hill (as she did in the S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot) when her How I Met Your Mother obligations are done. And since CBS played nice with Smulders schedule, maybe they could do the same with Kat Dennings and lighten up her Two Broke Girls workload to cameo as Darcy Lewis.

Episode Eight of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., titled The Well, airs this Tuesday on ABC at 8pm.

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Film Review - THOR: THE DARK WORLD ★★★☆☆

2011's Thor, directed by Kenneth Branagh, introduced us to Chris Hemsworth as Marvel's Mighty Avenger and Norse God of Thunder. It was a big screen crowd pleaser origin story with typical fish out of water elements played for comedic value. Much like Iron Man 2, I felt was burdened with a heavy handed underlying pep rally agenda for The Avengers with a looming presence from S.H.I.E.L.D and a pointless second unit insert cameo from Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye. It was a solid introduction to the character for the movie going audience and moved him forward into the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. But perhaps just as important, Thor also kicked the doors down with Loki. Tom Hiddleston's charismatic portrayal of the Asgardian villain has exponentially taken on a life of its own and turned him into a huge fan favorite far beyond anyone's expectations.

When we last saw Thor and Loki, the sparring step brothers were on their way back to Asgard to have the villain pay for his attempt to take over the Earth with an alien Chitauri army. Thor: The Dark World, firmly set during Marvel's Phase Two arc (as in the post-Avengers timeline begun with Iron Man 3 and references the team-up film's epic events as the Battle of New York), and all seems at peace within in the Nine Realms.

Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), now living in London, has not lost hope in reuniting with Thor, she is well aware of his part in saving the world along side the Avengers. While conducting astro physics tests, she unwittingly stumbles upon and becomes infected by an ancient liquid weapon known as the Aether. If that wasn't bad enough, an evil force and enemy of Asgard who pre-dates the beginning of the universe, the dark elf known as Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) is awakened when the Aether becomes active. The Dark Elf is hell bent on returning the universe back to the dark days it came from.

When it becomes known to Thor that Jane is in danger on Earth from both Malekith and the Aether which will destroy her from within, so he returns to her side and wisks her back to Asgard for safety. In this magical dimension, Jane assumes the fish out of water duties that Thor had in the first film, and it's a welcome progression to see how Thor has matured greatly from his first big screen adventure, becoming a protective guardian and calculated warrior.

The movie is heavily set in Asgard in addition to other CGI heavy un-Earthly worlds in the Nine Realms, and gives a healthy amount of collective screen time to Odin (Anthony Hopkins), Frigga (Renee Russo), Lady Sif (Jaime Alexander), Heimdall (Idris Elba), Volstagg (Ray Stevenson) and Fandral (Zachary Levi). Though it's Tom Hiddleston's sprung from prison Loki who effortlessly steals the show once again. From his three big screen appearances, Loki not only possesses the most under the hood as far as character development goes, but manages to become a villain to root for. Its obvious Hiddleston adores playing the character, and could very well become one of the irreplaceable crown jewels in the live action Marvel universe.

Thor: The Dark World is highlighted by the unholy alliance formed by the embattled brothers Thor and Loki, and boasts a breathtaking FX-laden final battle that spans the Nine Realms. Eccleston provides a strong on-screen ominous presence for Malekith, but the script doesn't give the character much depth beyond being the straight-up evil being out to conquer all of reality no matter the cost. Marvel will have a tough time in topping Loki from here on in as far as the bad guys are concerned. 

On a side note, Malekith and his army of Dark Elves utilize spaceships and advanced weaponry, which when put up against the hocus pocus powers of Asgard, seemingly have put the film makers of the inevitable big screen version of Masters of the Universe on notice (just as Pacific Rim dealt a deadly blow to the in-the works cinematic adaptations of Robotech and Voltron). He-Man's world is based on a mash-up of science/technology and magical elements, and much of The Dark World plays directly in that sacred sandbox. So Marvel may have trumped the MOTU movie folks big time here. Moving on.

I caught the film in IMAX 3D, which for all intents and purposes, the presentation delivered. I think its safe to say we have reached a point where the post-3D conversion process for event films like this makes for an enjoyable experience when seen under optimal conditions. Its been while since I've been distracted by a muddy picture or excessive motion blur. OK, actually R.I.P.D. was pretty bad both as a film and in its shoddy 3D conversion, but I would't ever weigh the expectations and resources of that film against a Disney/Marvel production.  The Dark World's 3D isn't out to wow you with Thor constantly throwing Mjolnir out at you, but it adds a sufficient extra layer. Though there is satisfying Mjolnir action galore throughout the film.

The sequel is also unexpectedly funnier than its predecessor. Kat Dennings' Darcy Lewis is once again the flat out winner for one-liners, but the third act manages to delivers some out of left field laughs that lighten the tone even when the peril seems to be at peak moments. Though its not to be confused with the sad and bufoonish treatment of Stellan Skarsgard's Dr. Erik Selvig throughout most of the film.

Overall, the sequel is a bit all over the place, but nonetheless stands proud as an action packed solid edition to Marvel's movie slate. Where Iron Man 3 was able to focus on the power-less Tony Stark in a stripped down storyline, a mighty and mythical hero like Thor by nature isn't a character that immediately lends himself to the "less is more" equation. This solo outing has the burden of needing to take things further while holding court alongside the shock and awe spectacle of the Avengers films, which it manages to pull off. It also succeeds in developing the immature Thor we first met in 2011 to the next level in the Marvel playing field, and tees him up for the next epic adventure with the Avengers in 2015's Age of Ultron.

Thor: The Dark World is now playing on 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D screens.

REVIEW RATING: ★★★☆☆
Director: Alan Taylor
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Christopher Eccleston, Anthony Hopkins
Screenwriters: Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely
Studio: Disney Studios
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 111 minutes


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This NEWHART-style BREAKING BAD Alternate Ending Throws It All Back To MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE

So what if Bryan Cranston's Hal from Malcolm In The Middle wakes up terrified in the the middle of the night after having dreamt the entire Walter White saga? That's what you get in this wacky
"alternate ending" to Breaking Bad.

Cheers to Cranston and his Malcolm wife Jane Kaczmarek for reprising their roles as Hal and Lois from the hit Fox sitcom while paying tribute to one of the most enduring series finale stunts in television history pulled off by Newhart.

SOURCE: i09

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