Beginning today, March 9th at www.kernel.com/assassinscreed, Kernel is affording Assassin’s Creed fans the opportunity to immerse themselves in the highly anticipated movie release with exclusive film merchandise, one-of-a-kind experiences, revealing behind-the-scene sneak peeks and more.

Long before the Assassin’s Creed trailer premieres and nine months before the movie’s debut,Kernel’s is offering passionate fans of the franchise a first look of key elements from the film, including the hoodie and gauntlet worn by Callum Lynch’s/Aguilar (played by Michael Fassbender),limited-edition collectibles, apparel and accessories, the film script, advanced movie tickets, tickets to San Diego Comic Con and more.

To satisfy fans’ intense interest in their favorite entertainment franchises and characters, Kernel works directly with studios, filmmakers and distributors to give visibility to the entire creative process, from script to screen.  The Santa Monica-based company has redefined fan engagement with offers such as movie ticket pre orders, access to exclusive digital content, and customized VIP-experiences.
Kernel co-founder Andy Martinez says: “We’ve curated bundles at all levels but the most important item included in each purchase is the ticket. That’s the shared piece that binds and connects all of us as Assassin’s Creed fans since the day we first plugged into the Animus and thought to ourselves,  ‘wow, this would make a great movie!’”

Part of what is unique about Kernel and this program is that it is a real honest-to-god collaboration between the movie Fox, Ubisoft, New Regency, and of course the product creators like TriForce and McFarlane whose contributions traditionally wouldn’t be surfaced until much later.

The Assassin’s Creed movie, based on Ubisoft’s best-selling franchise, stars Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard.  The film premieres December 21, 2016 from Fox Filmed Entertainment and New Regency.

Kernel’s Assassin’s Creed packages range from $15 to $1200. Once fans purchase a package, they’ll be treated to additional behind-the-scenes content, more exclusive movie merchandise and experiences that will continue to become available in the months leading up to the film’s release.

Some of the early items curated by Kernel include:

Spanish Crossbow from Ubi Workshop – Kernel Exclusive

Only available on Kernel, this 15th century crossbow is an exact 1:1 scale replica of the weapon featured in the Assassin’s Creed movie. Created by famed Hollywood weapon’s master Tim Wildgoose, the crossbow is 18” long and features scenes from Medieval Spain, as well as motifs from Assassin’s Creed lore. Handcrafted, numbered and limited to an edition size of 20, this piece is a worthy centerpiece of any Assassin’s Creed or movie prop collection. Comes with a signed letter of authenticity. This package also includes a ticket to see Assassin’s Creed in theaters, a digital copy of the script, and behind-the-scenes extras.  Priced at $1200.

TriForce Aguilar Premier Scale Statue

The officially licensed Assassin’s Creed: Aguilar Premier Scale Statue, masterfully sculpted, hand-finished and hand-painted to precision quality by the artisans at TriForce.  The limited-edition statue, crafted and cast in polystone, the most authentic on the market, portrays Aguilar posed on top of a 15th Century Spanish rooftop.  The package includes a ticket to see Assassin’s Creed in theaters, a digital copy of the script, and behind-the-scenes extras.  Priced at $500

Official Assassin’s Creed Hoodie – Kernel Exclusive

Only available on Kernel, Ubi Workshop’s hoodies offer fans an early look at Callum Lynch’s hoodie in the upcoming movie. The original costume was created by famed BAFTA nominated costume designer Sammy Sheldon Differ and worn by Michael Fassbender in his starring role. With its modern fit and unique hood, this unisex Hoodie is made from 100 percent polyester, features two side pockets, metal snap buttons embossed with Assassin’s Creed logo and a YKK zipper.  The packages includes a ticket to see Assassin’s Creed in theaters, a digital copy of the script, and behind-the-scenes extras. Priced at $100.

McFarlane Toys Aguilar Hidden Blade – First Look!

Assassin’s Creed fans can bring the movie to life with McFarlane’s new screen-accurate Hidden Blade role-play item, offered as an exclusive first look only on Kernel. Used by Aguilar, the 15th century Assassin played by Michael Fassbender, the blade is highly detailed, intricately sculpted and true to the original design.  An early unpainted sculpt is currently shown on Kernel, giving  fans a rare glimpse of McFarlane’s creative process. The final product will be fully painted and functional, including a button-activated play-action and extending hidden blade. This package also includes a ticket to see Assassin’s Creed in theaters, a digital copy of the script, and behind-the-scenes extras. Priced at $60.

T-Shirt + Movie Ticket + Script

Live the Creed in this exclusive Assassin’s Creed movie T-shirt with the iconic words “Work in the dark to serve the light.” T-shirt is made of 100 percent pre-shrunk cotton and features a round neck and relax fit. This package also includes a ticket to see Assassin’s Creed in theaters, a digital copy of the script, and behind-the-scenes extras. Priced at $25.

Movie Ticket + Collector’s Watch + Script + Aguilar & Maria Temporary Tattoos – One Week Only!

Fans can arm themselves with everything needed to countdown to the Assassin’s Creed movie release, including a smooth printed LED Collector’s Assassin’s Creed watch (with silicone band, digital readout, and month/year function), replicas of Aguilar and Maria’s tattoos as featured in the movie, an official digital copy of the script delivered on the day of the film’s release, and behind-the-scenes extras. Priced at $15, the special introductory package is available for one week only.

Synopsis:

Through a revolutionary technology that unlocks his genetic memories, Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) experiences the adventures of his ancestor Aguilar, in 15th Century Spain.  Callum discovers he is descended from a mysterious secret society, the Assassins, and amasses incredible knowledge and skills to take on the oppressive and powerful Templar organization in the present day.

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Starring: Andy Martinez, Jr., Eva Tamargo and Michael Lerner
Directed by: Justin Chambers
Not Rated
Running time: 1 hr 49 mins
Crevice Entertainment

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

I was recently given an advance look at filmmaker Justin Chamber’s latest film, “American Bred,” which is premiering this Saturday at the D.C. Independent Film Festival.  I greatly enjoyed Chamber’s first feature, 2012’s “Broken Roads,” and am pleased to report that his latest film is an outstanding sophomore achievement. In the city of Detroit, if you need something, you speak to Francis Adamo (Lerner). Together with his wife, Catalina (Tamargo), he has made a life that many envy. The Adamo’s love America. And may God have mercy on those that would try to disparage that love.

A smartly made film that compares in style with “The Departed,” “American Bred” is a classic mob movie with a modern twist. The film is a study in trust – as in who you can and can’t. Loyalty and deception are the calling cards here when an order is given but not carried out and the question “who can you trust” overshadows everything.

The film is smartly written with complex but identifiable characters and smart, believable dialogue. In fact, Chambers screenplay won 1st Place in 2014 in The Writers Place Screenplay Competition. Besides a strong script, Chambers has cast some amazing actors, including Ms. Tamargo and Mr. Lerner. I’ve been a fan of Michael Lerner’s ever since he played Jack Ruby in a television film almost 40 years ago. In films like “Eight Men Out,” “Harlem Nights” and “Barton Fink,” for which he earned an Academy Award nomination, his presence on screen is always powerful. The film works technically as well. The direction is tight and the story moves smoothly, powered by an outstanding musical score by Ian Hughes.

Starring: Tina Fey, Margot Robbie and Martin Freeman
Directed by: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hr 52 mins
Paramount
Our Score: 4 out of 5 (stars!)

It’s 2006 and we meet hard-driving Kim Baker (Fey) in the middle of an assignment as a news reporter imbedded in Afghanistan with a Marine regiment. Things are typically hectic, though Baker’s story isn’t.

Flashback to 2003 where we discover Kim Baker in a dead-end job as a news writer for television. As the war in Iraq has intensified, the station is looking for ANYONE that will volunteer to cover the “forgotten war” in Afghanistan. The only requirements are that you can’t be married or have kids. Taking this as a sign, Kim volunteers and soon finds herself in Kabul, where her bright orange backpack helps her stick out like a sore toe. She make the acquaintance of a fellow female journalist, the beautiful Tanya Vanderpole (Robbie). Tanya tries to cheer Kim up by pointing out that she is “Kabul cute,” meaning where she might be judged as a 6 back in the states she is a solid 8.5 or even a 9 overseas. Good news indeed.

Well-made and much more serious than it’s being marketed, “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” gives Tina Fey to flex some acting chops you may not know she possessed. She does have a few good one-liners, but the story keeps her character grounded in the middle of war and the carnage it continually provides. In between assignments Kim stays at a boarding house where unwinding after being involved in a firefight begins with alcohol and ends…well, sometimes it never ends. The film gives an inside look at the various cultural differences that many here in the states may only have heard hints of. Even the local women scold Kim harshly for the slightest offense. However, this new influx of excitement in her life keep her going.

The film is well cast, with each actor playing well off of the others. As a Scottish journalist interested in Kim, Freeman is well meaning and sympathetic. As the Marine general whose unit Kim follows, Billy Bob Thornton is strong and unflinching. And very thin. Someone buy this man a sandwich. Alfred Molina gets the majority of the humorous lines as an Afghani politician slowly working his way up the power ladder. The battle scenes are well staged and, again, the horrors of war may not be what audiences are expecting so be warned. War is still hell.

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Starring the Voices of: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman and Idris Elba
Directed By: Bryan Howard, Rich Moore and Jared Bush
Rated: PG
Running Time: 108 minutes
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

I doubt that Disney had plans to release “Zootopia” in the thick of the 2016 election season. I’m sure they also couldn’t predict the uneasy distrust and fear of culturally different people that’s currently permeating throughout our society. “Zootopia”, obviously by coincidence, has a beautiful message about not judging books by a cover, petty bullying to get one’s way, and stereotyping. It also discusses that no matter how far we think we’ve come and all the things we claim to know, a lot of us, including the best of us, are sometimes still primitive with our feelings and attitudes.

The anthropomorphic animals in “Zootopia” seemingly live in harmony. Every animal is broken down into prey or predator, but cheetahs and other carnivores live peacefully alongside giraffes and other herbivores (which makes you wonder what’s on the dinner plates of all these meat-eaters). It seems like the world’s focal point is a massive city known as Zootopia, which itself is divided in different climates to suit the creatures living there.

The movie itself starts out in the vast lands and countryside surrounding Zootopia. In Bunnyburrow, we meet Judy Hopps (Goodwin), a hopeful bunny that hammers in another theme of the movie, never give up on your dreams. Despite her size, and the stigmas surrounding her breed, she wants to become a cop in Zootopia. Despite her childhood trauma involving a boy fox who claws her, and everyone telling her to give up on her aspirations (even her parents), she does join the law enforcement after enduring a tense trial and error process.

Once she arrives to Zootopia, she doesn’t get any respect from her superiors or co-workers and is relegated to meter maid duty. The insults by angry motorists clutching their tickets and being relegated to menial tasks don’t ever kill her chipper demeanor. But a mocking career con-man fox, Nick Wilde (Bateman), who enters the picture, certainly changes her optimistic outlook into a much sourer one. So when 14 animals go missing from Zootopia and she’s tasked with finding one of the animals, an otter, she tries to make the most of it, and even finds out that Nick may know where the otter went.

In a world where studios continue to franchise building, Disney may have crafted one of the most deep, rich, and visually thrilling worlds. “Zootopia” could easily have a couple of sequels, its own TV show, and spin-offs because of how well planned out and distinct everything is. Everything, from the mice scurrying about in their own community, to sloths operating the DMV, and polar bears as mafia boss underlings, feels so well thought out, organized, and fluid. Lesser writers, directors, and studios, would have fumbled everything or not even tried something this enterprising.

“Zootopia” is populated with more rich visual sight gags than it does animals. Some of the jokes require you to keep your eyes on the screen, your ears fixed on dialogue, and a decent understanding of American pop-culture (think contemporary top 40 music, AMC award-winning TV shows and AFI’s third greatest movie of all time). There are an even proportion of jokes for kids and adults and for kids with a mature side and adults who never grew up. Even those who don’t warm up to Judy’s vivacious personality and Goodwin’s bubbly line delivery will still admit this is the cutest movie of the year.

There’s a lot to unpack with “Zootopia”, because it fires on all cylinders. The voice acting is spot-on, the visuals are crisp and engaging, and the three directors, two scriptwriters, and seven story writers never lost sight of what they wanted to do. They came together and layered every little bit instead of crowding our senses with it. A week after the 88th Academy Awards, we’re already looking at next year’s contender for Best Animated Feature.

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Starring: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Brenton Thwaites and Chadwick Boseman
Directed By: Alex Proyas
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 127 minutes
Lionsgate
Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 Stars

The short voice over and quick crash course lesson in Gods, mortals, and other random nonsense populating “Gods of Egypt” in the first five minutes were definite signs for concerns. My worries about choosing the wrong movie to screen for the week began to come to fruition as I furrowed my brow at Set (Gerard Butler) spouting outrage over soap opera drama at Osiris (Bryan Brown) and being denied his inherent birthright by Ra (Geoffrey Rush) while Osiris’ son, Horus (Coster-Waldau) watches in shocking horror. Despite the visual theatrics, I immediately thought, “What the hell is happening?”

“Gods of Egypt” takes a while to settle into its own mythos, which is rubbish. There is a cause for concern about CGI heavy films in an ancient setting ever since the 2010 remake of “Clash of the Titans”. While “Clash of the Titans” used computer animation as a crutch for a lack of plot and acting, “Gods of Egypt” manages to blend the sword-and-sandal concept with child-like wonder through the CGI. It also helps that it never takes itself too seriously, allowing for small moments of seriousness to squeeze into the visual thrills and action set pieces.

I don’t mean to leave you hanging on what the hell this movie is about, because I assure you that it does pick-up after its bumbling beginning. Horus has his powers, which are his eyes, removed by his uncle, Set. Egypt goes from a civilization of peace to one dominated by war and slavery. The human, Bek (Thwaites), through the persuasion of his love in life, Zaya (Courtney Eaton), manages to steal one of Horus’ eyeballs and return it to the drunk and exiled God.

From that point on, Bek and Horus team up to get vengeance and restore some level of sanity (which seems like a useless word in a movie like this) to Egypt. There are more characters that show up and join Bek and Horus, but their introductions seem more natural because we’re not being bombarded with dozens of other characters all at once. Once “Gods of Egypt” has established the rules of its world, we’re able to follow along, relax, and enjoy the movie for what it is, dumb, shameful fun.

I feel a little guilty for liking this movie. Maybe that’s because it feels like such contemptible cash-in on the part of Lionsgate, even though they’re more than likely burning their earnings from “The Hunger Games” franchise on this one. Part of me doesn’t feel guilty though. The movies in the past that are very much like this, “Prince of Persia” and “Clash of the Titans” were actually attempting to cash-in on a different platform’s success or degrading it’s source material. “Gods of Egypt” is an original work and such ambition, even when it’s not necessarily very good, should be viewed in a different light as opposed to audacious remakes and reboots.

There is some Hollywood whitewashing and it does come at an inappropriate time, with the Oscars happening in the same weekend. Although, having Gerard Butler with a tan play an Egyptian God doesn’t feel as visually gross as Joel Edgerton plays Ramses II. That doesn’t excuse “Gods of Egypt” from lack of ethics, but like I said earlier, it’s shameful fun. The highest praise I can give “Gods of Egypt” is that it’s a decent waste of two hours, but I wouldn’t recommend you drop a single buck on this one.

Starring: Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Woody Harrelson
Directed by: John Hillcoat
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hr 55 mins
Open Road Films
Our Score: 4 out of 5 (stars!)

A group of men rush into a local bank. Brandishing weapons they wordlessly force the manager into the vault. Soon they have what they came for and run out. A few hours later they change clothes, put on their badges and go to work.

A well-crafted thriller, “Triple 9” is a game of one-upmanship between a group of dirty cops and the wife of an imprisoned gangster. It seems that one of the gang had a child with the wife’s sister and now she is holding their son hostage until she gets what she wants. What she wants is achievable but to buy the time necessary they need to have a “Triple 9” – a police call that signifies that an officer has been shot. Who will be the unlucky boy in blue?

Sharply written and featuring an amazing cast, “Triple 9” is an early spring present for movie goers. As the leader of the baddies, Ejiofor is strong. Hot when he needs to be, but always cool, it is easy to see why the men follow him. Anthony Mackie, Norman Reedus and Aaron Paul are among the bad apples, and the rapport they share on screen is strong. Harrelson is a veteran detective who is helping mentor his nephew (Affleck), the new guy on the block and the cop with a bullseye on his back.

The action set-pieces are well performed and director Hillcoat keeps the film moving from the first frame to the last. The film’s tone is set and runs on the original music and songs created by a very talented quartet of young men. The music is often able to further the plot in a way that simple dialogue cannot. Who is bad and who is good? Instead of hitting you over the head, “Triple 9” lets you decide on your own.

Starring: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman and Christopher Walken
Directed by: Dexter Fletcher
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 1 hr 45 mins
20th Century Fox
Our Score: 3.5 out of 5

If anyone ever took the slogan “Follow Your Dreams” to heart, it was England’s Eddie Edwards. Even though he grew up with braces on his legs, the young man knew, even as a boy, that he was destined for the Olympics. Too bad nobody let destiny in on the secret.

An enjoyable film, more in the tradition of “Cool Runnings” than “Remember the Titans,” “Eddie the Eagle” follows young Eddie (Egerton) as he tries, repeatedly, to find a sport he can represent his home country of England in the Olympics. His mother (Jo Hartley) does her best to encourage him, even giving him a biscuit tin to “hold all of your medals.” Unfortunately the only thing Eddie is able to collect is a growing number of broken eye glasses. Finally, he discovers ski-walking and is soon excelling in it. However, his odd personality and life class are used to keep him off of England’s Olympic Team. Heartbroken, he stumbles upon a sport where England hasn’t competed in almost 50 years – ski-jumping. If he can handle the landings he just may have his wish granted.

Hollywood loves promoting the stories of the underdog. Ironically, the Jamaican Bobsled Team that was the basis of the film “Cool Runnings” also competed, alongside Edwards, in the 1988 Olympics. Even though the outcome of these films is already known, a good movie will hold your attention. This one does almost in spite of itself. Egerton is fine as Edwards, and he bears a strong resemblance to the awkward young athlete. Supporting Egerton is Hugh Jackman, who plays a former ski-jumper named Bronson Peary now working at the international training facility in Germany. Jackman has always had a way of lighting up a screen when he shows up and he doesn’t disappoint here. What takes you out of the story is how, with the exception of the Finnish team, nobody else apparently needs to train for the games. Eddie pretty much just walks into the facility and begins throwing himself off of 40 meter jumps – nobody stops him. Because nobody is there. Just Eddie, Bronson, the chick who owns the bar and the Finnish team.

That being said, the production values are pretty good, especially the point-of-view shots coming down the ski jumps. “Eddie the Eagle” doesn’t soar as high as it could have, but at least it doesn’t crash.

Stallone in Tampa, 1976

Let me start off my saying that Sylvester Stallone and I are not friends.  Though we’ve spent countless hours together in the dark, it’s been almost four decades since we last spoke.  But as Oscar night is almost upon us, and Stallone is nominated, I thought it would be a good time to talk about my favorite films of his and share the memory of when we first met.

I’ve been in the movie “biz” since the mid-1970s.  I started out as a theatre usher when I was 16.  In 1976 I was a junior in high school.  I joined the staff of the school paper under the guise of wanting to write reviews.  In all honesty, the main reason I joined was because the time we were allotted to work on the paper was right before lunch time.  Many times, we would have to leave campus, under the guise that we were going to try and sell advertising.  But actually it was a great excuse to pass up the school cafeteria and pay a visit to Steak and Shake, Subway or Arthur Treachers.  For those of you under the age of 40, Arthur Treachers was a very popular Fish and Chips restaurant chain, long before Long John Silvers showed up.  To my knowledge, there is only one Arthur Treachers left, located in the food court of the Christiana Mall in Delaware.  But I digress…

In late November of 1976, I was contacted by Steve Otto, who was the film critic of the Tampa Times.  Steve was a former graduate of my high school and had been quite helpful whenever I had a question.  There was an upcoming press junket scheduled for Tampa to highlight a new film coming out called Rocky.  Would I be interested in accompanying him?  Would I have to miss school?  Heck yeah!  For those who aren’t familiar with the event, a press junket is a gathering of film critics who get to see a film early and then spend time with some of the talent.  Most of them take place in New York or Los Angeles these days, though on occasion there are still some regional ones, especially to get the word out on smaller films.

Steve and the others in attendance had seen the film a week before so they had their questions prepared.  I hadn’t, so I just sat quietly and listened.  First up was actress Talia Shire, who I recognized from The Godfather Part II.  She was very polite and answered every question with a smile.  After she had answered every question put to her we were told that “Sly will be here shortly.”  Sly?  Who the hell is Sly?  A few minutes later one of the reps brought in a guy who seemed to be nervous.  The first thing I noticed was that he was shorter than I was.  As he sat down behind a long table the rep said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, the writer and star of Rocky, Sylvester Stallone.”  For the next 30 minutes I listened to Stallone talk about his life.  How he felt connected to the character of Rocky Balboa because, like Rocky, his life was changed by a stroke of fate and some amazing good luck.

For those who aren’t familiar with the story, here is a quick rundown.  On March 24, 1975, Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali took on a boxer named Chuck Wepner.  The fight was held at the brand new Richfield Coliseum in Ohio.  Wepner, nicknamed “The Bayonne Bleeder” due to his ability to take a punch, was a true underdog.  Before the fight, Ali declared that he would win in three rounds.  Surprisingly, Wepner stood toe to toe with the champ, finally losing by Technical Knock Out with nine seconds left in the 15^th and final round.  The fight was televised via closed circuit and in Los Angeles, one of the people watching the fight was Stallone.  A writer as well as an actor, Stallone was inspired by Wepner’s courage and sat down at his typewriter.  Three days later he had the first draft of Rocky.

When the script was circulated around Hollywood, producers jumped over each other in an attempt to purchase it.  But there was a condition.  Whoever bought the script had to agree to let Stallone play Rocky Balboa.  The studios were appalled.  They wanted the script so they could feature Ryan O’Neal, James Caan or Robert Redford.  The bidding got as high as $350,000 but Stallone held firm.  Finally, producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler agreed to his terms.  Stallone was paid a total of $25,000 for writing and acting in the film.  But, like Rocky, his 100-1 shot paid off.

As the press event ended Steve and I walked up to Stallone and said hello.  I told him that I, too, was an actor and I hoped to one day be in the same position he was in.  He reached into a folder and removed a photo of himself.  On it he wrote, “May your dreams come true.”  And he signed it “Sly.”  My first autograph, which I still have and cherish to this day.

Of course, Rocky went on to make over $100 million – very unheard of at the time – and won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture.  Stallone was nominated both for his screenplay and for Best Actor, losing the script award to Paddy Chayefsky and the acting award to Peter Finch, both from the film Network.  The only thing he took home that night was a new notebook and a gold pen, given to him by Chartoff and Winkler, who told him, “now go home and write the sequel.”  And the rest, as they say, is history.

Here is a list of my 10 favorite Sylvester Stallone films.  Some you may agree on while others you may scratch your head.  Scratch away, my friends.  It’s MY list.

ROCKY
Where it all started.  For a long time this film battled with Jaws for the honor of my favorite film.  I saw the film many times while it was in the theatre and listened to the soundtrack album constantly.  In fact, if you play the music heard during the fight in the film I can tell you almost punch for punch what is happening on screen.  The script is top notch and contains some great lines.  My favorite line in the film takes place after the fight, when Rocky is being peppered by questions.  Calling for his lady love, Adrian, Rocky doesn’t want to acknowledge the reporters surrounding him.  Finally he snaps, “Oh come on, I’ve had enough things in my face tonight.”

F.I.S.T.
The studios lined up at Stallone’s door in the hopes that he would make his next film with them.  The winner was United Artists, who signed Stallone to play Johnny Kovaks, a fictionized version of Jimmy Hoffa.  Stallone also earned a screenplay credit, though, according to co-writer Joe Eszterhas, he didn’t write a word.  There is a great telling of the story in Eszterhas’ book, “Hollywood Animal.”

PARADISE ALLEY
This is Stallone’s directorial debut, working on a script he wrote.  The story deals with the Carbone brothers and their lives in New York’s Hells Kitchen.  Entertaining as hell and featuring Stallone himself singing over the end credits.

FIRST BLOOD
The first appearance of John Rambo, who here is a much more vulnerable than the later Rambo movies.  Stallone did extensive work on the script, including changing the ending of the original novel, in which Rambo dies.

STAYING ALIVE
Technically this is a Stallone film in name only as he co-wrote and directed it.  The film stars John Travolta as Tony Manero and is a sequel to Saturday Night Fever.  However, Stallone does appear in the film as the fur coat wearing gentlemen Travolta bumps into while walking on the sidewalk.  One of my “films I like that no one else does,” I really highlight it to point out how cognizant Stallone was of the Broadway theater scene.  In the film, Tony stars in a new spectacular show called “Satan’s Alley.”  Stallone somehow was able to predict that Broadway would soon be a place where shows were HUGE and over the top.

RHINESTONE
The second film on my “films I like that no one else does” list.  In it, Stallone plays a New York cab driver who becomes the man in the middle of a bet between country singer Dolly Parton and her sleazy manager, played by Ron Liebman.  Here Sly gets countrified and I still laugh every time I hear him pronounce the word “dog” and making it sound like it has two syllables:  “Da-og.”  On the down side, Stallone’s singing is best summed up by co-star Richard Farnsworth, who, after hearing Sly tackle a song, replies, “why that was scary, son.”

TANGO & CASH
Whoever dreamed of teaming up Stallone and Kurt Russell was a genius.  This is a fast and fun film with some great writing and on-screen action.  Extra points to Sly for having a sense of humor.  When one of his fellow law officers chastise his style, saying “he thinks he’s Rambo,” Ray Tango casually replies, “Rambo is a pussy!”

COP LAND
Stallone gained 40 pounds and worked for scale in this drama and, in the process, held his own on screen alongside actors like Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel and Ray Liotta.

ROCKY BALBOA
After the disappointment that was Rocky V, Stallone resurrected his most famous character and gave him back his dignity.

CREED
Stallone turned down writer/director Ryan Coogler’s request to play Rocky Balboa again for several years before he finally said yes.  In doing so, he becomes the sixth actor to receive (2) Academy Award nominations for playing the same character.  If there is any justice, on Sunday night the Oscar will be going home with Sly.  I warn you, if you’re sitting near me, please have some tissues handy.  If Stallone’s name is called I do believe I may shed some tears of joy.

You may know the name Jon Cassar from his Emmy Award winning association with the popular television series, “24.” But when he’s not putting Jack Bauer through his paces, he’s taking the reigns of one of the best Westerns of the past decade.

“Forsaken,” which Mr. Cassar directed, boasts a strong script and an even stronger cast, including Donald and Keifer Sutherland, who star as father and son. Mr. Cassar took some time out to talk to me about “Forsaken,” the return of the Kennedys and what may be next for “24.”

MIKE SMITH: What attracted you to “Forsaken?”
JON CASSAR: Actually I was there when the project was born. A few of us were sitting around on the set of “24” talking, waiting to set up a shot when we started asking each other, ‘what would be a great thing to do once “24” ends?’ Eventually we all decided, ‘let’s do a Western together.’ So that’s really where it started. Once we decided on that Keifer came along. He wanted to do a film with his father so everything just worked. I’m happy to say that I was there at the inception. We got a brilliant writer (Brad Mirman) who not only wrote us a classic Western but also a touching father/son story. So by then I had Keifer, I had a great script and THEN I get Donald Sutherland? There’s no way I wasn’t going to be involved!

MS: Any trepidations about taking on a Western? They seem to be so hit and miss these days.
JC: Yeah, of course. I mean you do worry about it. I mean at one point it was the most popular film genre’. The most popular television genre’ also. I mean, it’s amazing how many popular television shows were Westerns. But it did, of course, begin to fall out of favor, all though it is making a little bitty comeback over the past few months. But you’re right. But I knew I had a great Western story. And I knew I had a great father/son story that people could connect with. I knew that relationship was really the heart of it and if we did it right I knew if would connect. And it’s fun doing something that isn’t a true CGI film. It’s fun doing something where the effects are more simple.

MS: What was it like as an observer to watch Keifer and his father work together?
JC: It was great. I’m very fortunate to have had a front row seat to watch Keifer and Donald working together. From the first time it was fantastic. They are both veteran actors and, in my opinion, two of the best actors of our time. To watch them work together was a pleasure. As it was watching all of the actors. Demi Moore. Brian Cox. Michael Wincott. They are all so experienced. I was very lucky to have a front row seat and watch them work.

MS: Keifer. Michael Wincott. Greg Ellis. You used quite a few of your “24” company in the film. Was that because you already had a good familiarity with them and their work?
JC: Absolutely. First of all, you have to know that all of the actors in the film were basically my friends. I didn’t have a studio dictating who was going to play what part. We actually got to pick who we liked. A lot of them were Keifer’s friends. And of course, by having done “24,” they knew me so it made the connection easier for sure.

MS; The recent return of “24” was very successful. I’ve heard rumors that Fox is considering re-booting the show. Is that something you plan to be involved with?
JC: Nothing is official yet. I am involved and we have talked. I can say that if it goes forward I won’t be involved in the pilot but I do hope to be involved in the series. However, at this point I’m not.

MS: What else are you working on now?
JC: A few years ago I did a mini-series called “The Kennedys,” which was an eight-part mini-series that starred Greg Kinnear as JFK and Katie Holmes as Jackie. We’re doing a sequel to that, called “After Camelot,” based on a book. It will deal with what happened to the Kennedys after John and Robert died. It’s mostly the Jackie story and it follow her during her marriage to Onassis as well as John Jr. and Ted Kennedy. It will encompass all of that history. We shoot that soon in Toronto. It will run on the Reelz Channel. It’s actually a fun project for me to do because we’re re-creating all of the history that we all grew up with.

Born in Toronto, Chantel Riley’s path to stardom began when she realized she wasn’t doing what she truly wanted in her life. She is now. Since 2012 she has starred as Nala in the Broadway musical “The Lion King” and last year was able to take time off from the show to begin her movie career with a pivotal role in the new Jesse Owens bio-film RACE.

During a break in her busy schedule, Ms. Riley took the time to speak with me about the physicality of “The Lion King,” her role in RACE and why one day she hopes to be able to “ease on down the road!”

MIKE SMITH: Tell us a little bit about your background? How did you end up on Broadway?
CHANTEL RILEY: I’m originally from Toronto and I went to University in Toronto. After school I pretty much got a 9-5 job but after about a year and a half I realized it definitely wasn’t my thing. (laughs) Because I was a performer. I had taken dance lessons and I had grown up singing in my church. I just had an idea that something else was out there for me. I had no idea what it was but I knew I needed a change. A friend of mine told me about an open casting call they were having in Toronto for “The Lion King.” I had never auditioned for anything before in my life. This was my first time doing anything like this. So I went to the audition and got a few callbacks, which was very exciting. I had a couple well extended lunch breaks…I kept having to go downtown for these callbacks. A couple months later I got a call from my agent and they wanted me to audition to be part of the cast of “The Lion King” in Germany. So I flew to Germany, did the audition and booked the job on the spot. I did the show there for about a year and then I auditioned again for Julie Taymor, who directed “The Lion King” on Broadway, and was offered the role of Nala in New York on the Broadway stage. And here I am!

MS: So basically you’re just like Shirley Jones…you just show up and you’re on Broadway!
CR: (laughing) Exactly!

MS: You’ve portrayed Nala for quite a while now. Do you have to prepare anything special for yourself to keep the performance fresh? I can imagine doing the same thing 8 shows a week for a couple of years might get boring after awhile.
CR: Yes I do. I keep occupied by taking classes and making short films. These things keep me thinking outside the box. I also use what I learn from the classes and the films and bring it with me on the stage. It gives me a new sense at how I look at each performance every night. And this also gives me the chance to try something new. Every night we have a new audience. So it’s a great way for me to try new techniques and to find different ways of performing.

MS: I’ve never seen the show on Broadway but I’ve seen photos and the occasional video clip. It’s a lot more than just standing on a stage and singing. Is the show more difficult physically as opposed to musically?
CR: The show is very physical. We’re constantly on stage and we play lions and zebras and other animals. My role has me constantly running around. If Nala isn’t jumping on-stage she’s jumping off-stage. There’s a lot of activity. AND singing. I sing two songs in the show. We sing live and the dancers are moving non-stop. So it is a very physical show.

MS: You have an important role in the upcoming film RACE. What is your character’s relationship to Jesse Owens in the film?
CR: Quincella Nickerson was someone who was very close to Jesse Owens. She was not only his friend but a huge fan of his. She was a socialite whose father owned a huge insurance company in California. At that time that was pretty huge…that an African-American could be that affluent. She spent a lot of time with Jesse…attending parties and things. There were rumors going around that she and Jesse were engaged to be married. They spent a lot of time together. So we see a lot of that in the film…a lot of her in the film.

MS: If you could play one role on Broadway, either current or a show from the past, what would it be?
CR: Definitely Dorothy from “The Wiz.” I think that would be such a fun role. It would be so exciting. And it’s such fun music. That would be so much fun!

MS: What do you have coming up next?
CR: I’m working on a new short film with James Brown-Orleans, a fellow cast member from “The Lion King.” We’ve done a lot of short films together. Our most recent film, “Teacher’s Nightmare,” just won the Wendy’s International Short Film Award for Best Drama. That’s pretty cool.

Starring: Keifer Sutherland, Donald Sutherland and Demi Moore
Directed by: John Cassar
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hr 30 mins
Moving Pictures Media
Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Here’s a little trivia for you. Donald Sutherland and his son, Keifer, have appeared in two films together. One is A TIME TO KILL though they did not share a scene together. The other is MAX DUGAN RETURNS, which came out in 1983. The bad news is that it took the father/son duo more than three decades to team up on the big screen again. The good news is a new film called FORSAKEN.

“Your mother’s dead.” These are the first words that Reverend Clayton (Donald Sutherland) speaks to his son, John Henry (Keifer Sutherland) as he returns home after a 10-year absence. John Henry left home to fight in the Civil War but wound up a notorious gunslinger. He has come home to reconcile with his father, and the townspeople, who view the “new” John Henry warily. He has also come home to find that one of the town’s leaders, James McCurdy (Brian Cox) is using force to make people “want” to sell their farms and leave town. Those who don’t sell soon find themselves dead. McCurdy has hired notorious gunfighter Dave Turner (a very subtle Michael Wincott) to oversee the townsfolk and their migration. One of Turner’s men, Will Pickard (Landon Liboiron, in creep mode) enjoys violence and goes out of his way to belittle John Henry, who no longer wears a gun. That is, of course, until he has to.

FORSAKEN borrows from some of the best westerns of the past 30 years, including SILVERADO, UNFORGIVEN and HBO’s “Deadwood.” Both Sutherlands are in fine form and it is a genuine treat to see them together on screen. Their scenes together, especially those strictly devoted to being loving father and estranged son, are brilliant. A lot of people think of Brian Cox as a smooth character actor, but they never remember that he was the original Hannibal Lecter in the film MANHUNTER. While not as creepy here, his performance is strong and commanding. Wincott is also smooth and southern, obviously embracing the role of gunslinger as much as John Henry is trying to distance himself. As the woman he left behind, now married, Demi Moore makes a rare appearance and is also solid. Production values are well done and director Cassar, one of the driving forces behind television’s “24,” keeps the story moving smoothly. If you’re a fan of the genre’ you won’t be disappointed by FORSAKEN.

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Starring: Joseph Fiennes, Peter Firth and Tom Felton
Directed By: Kevin Reynolds
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 107 minutes
Sony Pictures Releasing

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Usually when talking about faith-based movies, I have to walk on eggshells. I can’t insert my own personal doctrine into my review, because generally I’m not going to agree with the personally held beliefs of the movie’s message. So I generally try and judge the movie based on its acting, production, and story merits. I’m well enough versed in Christianity (attending Catholic school for
four years helps) to understand the message of any historical Christian movie. Generally, I assume I’m not going to see anything new, but miraculously, “Risen” tells an original, entertaining story about the Son of God.

The crucifixion of Christ is very well known throughout American culture and its decent fodde, but “Risen” aims for a loftier and lesser told tale, the aftermath. Clavius (Fiennes) is a seasoned Roman tribune that has led many a men into battle. He’s back in Jerusalem, weary from death and destruction, and given a task to overlook a controversial crucifixion. You know which one. Clavius begrudgingly goes along, not yet understanding the magnitude of watching Christ on the cross.

Clavius then overlooks Christ’s burial, rolling a giant boulder over the tomb, and sealing it with rope, wax, and the Roman seal of approval. He puts two guards at the foot of the sepulcher and figures that his job is done. By the third morning, Clavius hears that the body is gone, and that something unbelievable has happened. Clavius then investigates, questioning his own archaic faith along the way.

The production company, Affirm Films, is behind this one. Their past movies have included lengthy naps such as “Heaven is for Real” and “War Room”, but “Risen” is a step above their normal fare. A lot of the credit can go to writer and director Kevin Reynolds who keeps the story flowing and makes “Risen” a double dose performance. It’s part action-mystery and part faith discovery. The sleuthing act of part one blends well into the second part which is all about seeing faith through fresh virgin eyes.

Most religious movies feel phony and cheesy when preaching the Gospel, but “Risen” presents it for what it is, what it means, and the good natured spirit of it all. It feels more like an engaging lesson than an obnoxious sermon. The historical figures of this movie begin and end with Jesus, his disciples, Mary Magdalene, and Pontius Pilate. Everyone else, I presume, is fiction. Clavius and his interactions represent an agnostic or atheist person discovering the word of God for the first time.

As for the settings, the Roman culture and everything else, it’s fairly faithful to the history books. The production values are some of the best I’ve seen for an Affirm Films flick. Instead of splurging on a big name stars that people can recognize, “Risen” has focused more on detailed sets, make-up, clothing, and a talent agent that picked some great actors. Fiennes deserves all the credit in the world for going from a for-sure Roman, to a skeptic, to a perplexed Roman, to a follower of Christ. Fiennes makes Clavius’ transition highly believable. It also helps when you cast Peter Firth as Pilate.

“Risen” does suffer from having too much downtime, a long and drawn out ending, and a poor framing device. The movie is told by Clavius as he relays his tale to a random peasant that he crosses paths with 33 years after the fact, without having aged a single day. As for the more light hearted moments and jokes, all I could do was roll my eyes. But in terms of a movie going experience, it may be a profound, moving experience for the faithful, and a decent popcorn flick for the average moviegoer. Who knows, it may even stir spirituality in the staunchest of doubters.

Criminal Activities
Blu-Ray/DVD
Rated: Not Rated
Studio: Image Entertainment
Running time: 94

Media Mikes Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

It all comes down to bad luck. One day you’re wondering how your friend is doing, the next your at his funeral because he got run over by a city bus. Such is the day that Zach (Michael Pitt), Noah (Dan Stevens), Warren (Christopher Abbott) and Bryce (Rob Brown) have when they attend the above named friend’s funeral. Meeting up afterwards they catch up with each other’s lives. All are doing fine but, like everyone else, can surely use a bump in income. Bryce shares with the others a medical company his cousin works for is about to go public. He also notes that they have an FDA approved drug about to be released. His cousin has accumulated a lot of stock and is looking to sell some. The price: $200,000. Only Noah seems to have the necessary funds so he agrees to front the amount for the group. Things go well until it’s discovered that the drug company was a sham and now it’s time to pay the piper. And the piper wants his money NOW!

“Criminal Activities” is the cleverly written directorial debut of actor Jackie Earle Haley and is a gem that was sadly overlooked during it’s theatrical release last November. The film follows the young quartet as they meet up with their financial benefactor, Eddie (Travolta, in tip-top “Get Shorty” form). With interest, etc, the boy’s $200,000 debt is now doubled. Eddie gives the lads a chance to clear the books. It seems one of his underworld rivals has kidnapped a family member and Eddie wants to repay the favor by having the rivals’ nephew snatched. It’s obvious that the boys are in over their heads when none of them recognize the gangster’s name. “Google him,” they are told. They somehow manage to pull off the kidnapping but they end up grabbing much more than they bargained for.

A triumph on all levels, the film’s strongest point is it’s cast. All four young leads have energy to burn, as does Edi Gathegi, who plays their kidnapee, Marques. As the old pro, it’s so good to see John Travolta having so much fun with a role. Director Haley cast himself and Christopher Jay Gresham as Eddie’s henchmen, and their interaction with the others makes for some of the films more humorous moments. As a director, Haley keeps the story moving at a fine pace, making great use of both long tracking shots and the sights of the city of Cleveland at night. Robert Lowell’s script is witty and sarcastic, with a twist to rival “The Usual Suspects.” If you didn’t get the chance to see this last year, I hope you find the time to see it now. You won’t be disappointed.

Directed by: Robert Eggers
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hr 33 mins
A24
Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

It’s the 1630’s in Puritan New England, and we’ve just watched a family leave the safe confines of their settlement to go out on their own. It’s unsettling. It’s unsafe. And it’s just the beginning.

The Witch, Robert Eggers’s first feature film premiered to much acclaim at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, and after having seen the film, it’s no surprise. Eggers has managed to create a fresh film in an often-described, stale genre. We follow Thomasin, a teenage girl masterfully played by Anya Taylor-Joy, as her family leaves the community under the threat of church banishment to settle on their own in a remote patch of land. That just happens to be next to an imposingly dark, tall forest. When the family infant is stolen right from under Thomasin’s nose in the most terrifying game of peekaboo that you’ll ever see, we watch as a family based on faith and loyalty unravels. Possession, accusations, suspicions, and paranoia mount as things continue to go from bad to worse for the family. Oh, and did I mention there’s a witch in the woods?

Eggers got his start doing production design and that background influence is strong in the film. The color work is deliberate. Just as the lives of the characters are bleak and their faith restrictive, so too is the landscape Eggers has placed them in. It’s gray, dull, and repetitive; so much so that when we do encounter the witch, we are almost relieved, as she comes with color in her scenes. What at first feels like a breath of fresh air in the barren landscape soon encircles us with a feeling of dread. These vibrant colors do not belong in this world. This type of unease is helped along by the superbly discordant score, which both pulls us in and jars us away throughout the film. The actors do an expert job playing a family on the verge of destruction, walking that fine line between rationality and unsteadiness. The camera work keeps you on the edge of your seat- never have I been so terrified of a goat before.

Watching The Witch is a study in psychological stress. It’s slow-paced and deliberate, and it leaves you with the feeling that you’ve seen something that you weren’t supposed to. The fact that the film is largely based off of historically real accounts of events of that time period only adds to this overwhelming feeling of unrest. This is not the film to see if you are looking for a “jumpy” horror film, but if you are looking for something that will get under your skin and will still have you thinking about it days later, The Witch is for you.

The Witch opens on Friday February 19th

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If you’ve made the right decision this Valentine’s Day weekend and have checked out Deadpool then you may not have heard Greg LaSalle but you definitely saw him. Sort of. LaSalle is one of the tech wizards behind the Academy Award winning MOVA Facial Performance Capture system used in bringing Deadpool’s X-men reinforcement, Colossus, to the screen. While Colossus’s body and voice were provided by actor Stefan Kapicic, LaSalle stepped in front of the MOVA cameras to give the metallic facial performance.

The morning after Deadpool made its New York debut amidst a Deadpool fan costume contest, I sat down with LaSalle for a conversation on Deadpool, other Marvel films and this amazing process used to bring characters such as the Incredible Hulk and Thanos to life.

Lauren Damon: Did you go to the fan premiere last night?
Greg LaSalle: Oh yeah, that was a lot of fun.

How many Deadpools showed up?
LaSalle: Oh you mean the people who dressed up? Oh I don’t know, I think there were quite a bit. I think they chose like seven of them or something, it was pretty funny. One in a tutu, I mean…it was hysterical.

Are you someone who goes to conventions in general seeing that?
LaSalle: No–
“Avoid them like the plague!”
LaSalle: [laughing] No, it’s not that, you know it’s just I have so many things to do. I don’t get a chance to do that very often.

Can you talk about what MOVA Facial Performance Capture is?
LaSalle: I’ll start by telling you first a little bit about what motion capture actually is–which is where you would wear the reflective markers. And that system, those systems were actually developed to deduce where a skeleton is moving. So as those cameras became higher resolution, people started shrinking the dots and gluing them to people’s faces. The data set you get from that is only like 200, 250 points. So a friend of mine in the bay area decided that he would fund the development of research to find out how to actually capture the entire surface of the skin deformity and that’s where MOVA comes from. That development.

So it’s super high resolution, it captures about 7000 data points, all the wrinkles, all the subtlety of the performance is captured. So it’s basically like capturing a scan per frame of the film of the actor. And then about two years ago Digital Domain developed a technique to take those and apply them mathematically to a computer generated character. So the entire performance gets carried over so it really looks, you know, all the performance is captured.

I heard that it’s captured through paint instead of dots?
LaSalle: We apply, it’s invisible makeup in white light that just is applied as a random pattern and then the system has strobing black lights and white lights. So certain cameras take a picture when the black lights are on and all they see is this random pattern makeup. And that’s what’s used to create the scans and track the points across the face.

Seeing as you worked on both Avengers and Age of Ultron and a couple years had passed between them, did the process for capturing the Hulk change? If you worked on the Hulk?
LaSalle: I did, in the first Avengers that’s what it started out as actually, it was before filming was working with Industrial Light and Magic to capture Mark [Ruffalo] to see how he would move as the Hulk. On set they used a bit of different technology so this new technology that we used for Colossus is actually the first time it’s been used. This mathematic transferring of the performance. Things like in the past, like in Avengers, we surveyed the actor. We’d get all the information about how the actor’s face would move and then companies would build a rig which is just a way of animating and when you run a slider, the lip goes up and it goes up as if it was the actor. But it doesn’t have all the subtlety and nuance of the variation in a performance. The new technology the does.

Did you have any hand in that Hulk-smashing-Loki scene?
LaSalle: Well we only specialize in the facial stuff, so only the expressions part of–but that was my favorite part of the first Avengers movie. That ‘boom boom boom!’ [LaSalle does some pretty accurate Hulk smashing motions] It’s a shame though to see Tom Hiddleston beat up like that because he’s such a nice guy.

You captured his face for that? Wasn’t it just grunting?
LaSalle: Yeah yeah…It’s so many years ago now and we’ve done so many things that I can’t remember exactly what we did. If I remember correctly, they put a pipe with some foam on the end and they kept [jabbing motions, laughing] like they’re pushing the back of [Tom’s] head so that he’d [jerks his head]…It was very strange!

What did you work on for Age of Ultron?
LaSalle: Actually I only did the–Thanos. Working with Josh Brolin.

Also on Guardians of the Galaxy too?
LaSalle: Mhmm.

I don’t know if Marvel would let me ask you but when is he coming back?!
LaSalle: That’s really funny because I was convinced while we were filming Age of Ultron that they’re gonna–I just have this feeling that something will happen. I mean he’s like the baddest dude in the whole universe and they have to do something–

Yeah coming up of course we have [Captain America] Civil War, that’s Earth-bound but [Thor] Ragnarok is coming and that’s out there! He’s waiting in the wings…
LaSalle: I mean I wish I could say. I’m not privy to those kinds of things to begin with. But it would be really cool to see a bad ass movie with Thanos. I mean they have so many characters and so many things to do. Kevin Feige–he’s the president of Marvel–knows this universe probably better than Stan Lee and he has this all mapped out in his head. He knows exactly what he’s doing.

Do you keep up with the other projects in between what you’re working on?
LaSalle: I don’t actually like actively keep up. I look for within the industry, what we could work on and how we could pull things off.

So working as Colossus, you’re performing his scenes and they just transfer your face into his?
LaSalle: Yes, in simple terms, yes. It creates a scan first and then this fancy math transfers that by figuring out where–you teach it ‘Okay, this is where the center of my cheek is and this is the center of where Colossus’s left cheek is’ and it mathematically calculates what else is going on in that area. It transfers it.

How did it come to be this split performance where you’re on the face and Stefan Kapicic provides the body and voice?
LaSalle: Tim Miller understands this technology really well, so he figured he could take the best of what different people had to offer and Frankenstein all that together. And he was adamant about having an authentic Russian voice. I believe he even recorded another and he just didn’t like it and then he found Stefan. And I think it works extremely well. It’s a pretty cool way of using the technology.

What was the most fun about being Colossus?
LaSalle: Well I’ve known Tim for a long time and I just like working with him. He’s fun, he’s actually a lot like Deadpool in his comedy and the way he’s sarcastically funny. So I enjoy working with him on that. But I also did the tests which we did like six years ago so it’s been really awesome to see it finally get made. So just the general overall feeling of being happy about that.

Was Tim involved at all in how Deadpool was treated in [2009’s] Wolverine?
LaSalle: No

Was there discussion about just getting away from that entirely?
LaSalle: Tim is a huge comic book fan. He reads a ton, he likes graphic novels. He knew that he wanted to take what’s on the page and have that be what’s in the film. He wasn’t going to mess with it, he wanted to–as a fan he knew that that’s what everybody wanted to see. That’s what he wanted to do.

How instrumental was Ryan Reynolds also in getting this?
LaSalle: I think it was a collaborative effort because they all have their understanding of the character so they–and Tim is great that way. I know he had people that they discussed it: ‘This is what I’d like to see, this is what you’d like to see’ and then they figured out a way to get that all to happen.

This is your second time in front of the camera [after an appearance Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb] is this what you’d like to do more of?
LaSalle: Well I think it’s fun, I’ve been acting for a while and that’s why Tim gave me the part. But I like to do both. I think it’s fun to play the computer generated characters because you get to do really wacky stuff. And then but I also like really small, intimate type live action things. So I’ve been shooting a few short things.

What’re some of your favorite films this past year?
LaSalle: Oh, I liked the Big Short, I liked Trumbo if you’ve seen that. I thought Trumbo was really good.

Yeah, it was weird to watch that in the context of “Award season” since there’s so much of Oscar in the storyline…
LaSalle: I know! You gotta block all that stuff out. Well it’s so interesting too. I mean it’s doubly cool that it’s true.

Do you have more acting roles coming up?
LaSalle: I just finished filming, ironically with Blake Lively [married to Reynolds]. A movie with her called All I See is You which there’s what we call invisible effects. It’s a live action movie but they wanted to use this new technology to drive her newborn baby being born and a character that she sees in her head. So I played both of those parts.

Playing a fetus?!
LaSalle: Not the fetus! As soon as it’s born I had to do the scenes of taking the first breath of screaming and crying and opening the eyes and looking around. They wanted all this subtlety. They figured a live performance would do that more than trying to animate all that subtlety into it.

[This next question features discussion of a specific Deadpool moment, so for the SPOILER-shy, skip down past this one!]

Does that mean you had anything to do with Deadpool regrowing a baby hand? [A brilliant moment after Deadpool cuts his off to escape Colossus’s handcuffs]
LaSalle: (Laughs) No! No. It’s so funny because I’d known that he cuts his hand off for a very long time but I never go to see anything–I only knew because Colossus ends up with his hand. And I never knew what happened. So when he cut his hand off, the first time he saw the movie it was like ‘OK now how does it grow back? How does it grow back?’ And then they even made that funny, it was awesome. I didn’t know what to expect because I don’t like to see the movie until they’re completely done because there’s just so many things that pull you out of it, you know? So I wanted to wait til it was done and I think that all this talk–the blood and the guts and the R-rating, it’s perfect. I don’t care!

It would be weird if you had this much violence and then just no blood, it’s annoying when PG-13 movies do that–
LaSalle: Plus it’s there because it needs to be, a couple of short seconds and it’s not gross. It’s just real.

[Spoiler over!]

Back to Deadpool , considering there are so many films now in the ‘Marvel Universe’, what do you think is most appealing about this character, what does he bring?
LaSalle: Well I think his authenticity to the original character. And the comedy. I mean I think there’s a lot of funny stuff in the Avengers movies and some of the other stuff, but that’s what Deadpool’s character is built around. And I think that that just makes it’s different and stand out.

If Deadpool had to be pitted against any of the Avengers, who do you think would win out?
LaSalle: Oh…This might sound bad but I think Deadpool is way smarter than those other characters. So I think he’d win a lot of stuff. Because he thinks differently than they do.