Tag: stan lee

WAMG Interview: Liel Leibovitz – Author of the Book STAN LEE, A LIFE IN COMICS and Upcoming Speaker at The St. Louis Jewish Book Festival

Author Liel Leibovitz will be speaking at the St. Louis Jewish Book Festival on Sunday, November 8 at 2pm. Visit stljewishbookfestival.org for the latest information. Ticket information for this online Liel Leibovitz event can be found HERE

Liel Leibovitz is an Israeli-American journalist, author, media critic and video game scholar. His book Stan Lee, A Life in Comics is part of the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, a meditation on the deeply Jewish and surprisingly spiritual roots of Stan Lee and Marvel Comics. Few artists have had as much of an impact on American popular culture as Stan Lee. The characters he created—Spider-Man and Iron Man, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four—occupy Hollywood’s imagination and production schedules, generate billions at the box office, and come as close as anything we have to a shared American mythology. This illuminating biography, Stan Lee: A Life in Comics, focuses as much on Lee’s ideas as it does on his unlikely rise to stardom. It surveys his cultural and religious upbringing and draws surprising connections between celebrated comic book heroes and the ancient tales of the Bible, the Talmud, and Jewish mysticism. From close readings of Lee’s work to little-known anecdotes from Marvel’s history, the book paints a portrait of Lee that goes much deeper than one of his signature onscreen cameos.

Liel Leibovitz took the time to talk to We Are Movie Geeks about his new book about one of his heroes..

Interview conducted by Tom Stockman October 28th, 2020

Tom Stockman: Hi Liel, your book STAN LEE, A LIFE IN COMICS is part of a series of books called Jewish Life. There are 22 books in the series.  Did the publisher approach you about writing a book about Stan Lee or was this your idea? How did that all come together? 

Liel Leibovitz: They approached me. They did not originally tell me what it was to be about. They took me to a lunch in New York and asked me if I would be interested in writing a book for this series. I told them I would be delighted to and then they told me they wanted the book to be about Stan Lee. And there’s me, this big comic book nerd since age seven, and I looked at the editor and waited for her to say she was just kidding.  It was such a tremendous opportunity and I really can’t think of any other person that I have spent so many years of my life thinking about. 

TS: The focus of your book is how so many of Stan Lee’s creations take their cues and influence from Stan’s own Jewish background and from traditional Jewish legends. Please talk about that and give some examples. 

LL: Yes, to me what is interesting about Stan’s work; Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Avengers, etc is that they have become so massively popular in America not just because the movies have made billions of dollars at the box office, but because they have in some ways become part of an American mythology.  So what I argue in the book is that basically if you go back and read some of Stan’s comics, they are successful because they are kind of retelling ancient biblical stories. For example you have someone like Spider-Man, who is suddenly given great power and refuses to use it to help his Uncle Ben, who of course gets famously murdered in the first issue of the comic book. Then Spider-Man must learn that with great power comes great responsibility and that he is indeed his brother’s keeper. It’s the same exact realization that the biblical Cain had, this notion that we are all responsible for one another and have to use our powers to help each other. There are so many other examples like this and what I do in the book is to go through them and show how the Marvel Comics Universe is a modern-day version of these very ancient morality tales. 

TS: Some of these characters that Stan created certainly seem to have more self-awareness about their own weaknesses and hang-ups and fears and phobias, certainly more than Superman or the comic superheroes that preceded Stan’s creations.  Do you think this was related to Stan’s Jewish upbringing? 

LL: Absolutely it was related to his upbringing. He grew up in the middle of the depression. He saw his father lose everything. And I argue in the book that it is part of his deeply Jewish way of looking at the world.  Everything is subject to argument and interpretation. There is a famous story in the Talmud that I recount in the book about a bunch of a rabbis that have an argument and one of them says “If I am right, let God himself come down and say so”. God comes down and says that that rabbi is correct.  The other rabbis look at God and tell him that that might be his opinion up in heaven, “But here on earth we get to call the shots”. So I think Stan Lee captured  the same kind of themes and elements  to show that even the mightiest, wiser, strongest, seemingly perfect heroes also have quibbles and issues and problems that are not always universally accepted. 

TS: Did Stan Lee as an adult talk much about his Jewish faith? 

LL: Not at all. In fact so much so that it became clear that it was kind of an evasive tactic People noticed that and pointed out to him that some of these characters resemble characters in the Bible or that a line he had written in a comic book was reminiscent of a famous biblical phrase, He would just smile coyly and say “Really?  I never noticed that“, but clearly it was something on his mind.  I will say that after Stan became very famous for all of his creations,  and was honored by Marvel Comics with a big gala celebration in Carnegie Hall,  what he chose to do for the occasion was to get on stage in front of thousands of people and read a poem that he had written for the occasion. The poem was called God Cried which shows that, even though he vehemently denied any sort of biblical or spiritual matters all these years, God was never very far from his mind. 

TS: I assume that you have seen all of the Marvel Comics Universe films.

LL: All of them. Several times.  

TS: How would you compare the Jewish influence in the films to the comics? 

LL: That’s such an interesting question because one of the things that was always interesting to me about Stan Lee’s Comics universe is that he was always interested in creating a world and environment in which minorities could be represented. Persons who are persecuted for their beliefs or appearance could be represented and when Stan Lee was writing in the 1960s  and early 70s, those people were Jews. Now, 30 or 40 years later, Jews have risen up in the socio-economic spheres in America while still being very much a minority. We’re a minority that is doing financially much better there are new groups of immigrants, a tidal wave of newcomers to America who are taking their turn working their way into American society and culture. Now you see a lot of that in the comic books and also in the movies. Spider-Man for example is now a mixed-race boy from Brooklyn. He’s no longer the proto-Jew from Queens.  To me, that is so wonderful and that was exactly the intention of Stan Lee, to show people what it’s like to be the outsider, the person who is not exactly sure of their place in society

TS: Let’s talk about you. You grew up in Tel Aviv.

LL: Correct.

TS: You said you were a comic book nerd beginning at age seven.  Were comic books popular there in Israel the way they were in the US? Did they have comic book shops there? 

LL: That was the source of so much frustration growing up because we watched what little American TV that did come our way. When I grew up in Israel (and it’s a much different country now) we had only one channel on TV.  It was ironically called ‘Channel 1’, so we got glimpses of American culture and we knew that comic books were really cool. The Incredible Hulk TV show for example played really well in Israel. But there were no stores to go to, no place to actually buy comic books. The first time I came to America I was seven.  I was with my parents on vacation here in New York and they took me to an amazing store in downtown New York, it still exists, called Forbidden Planet.  We went there and I was so afraid they would ask me to leave that  I grabbed every comic book I could get my little hands around and somehow convinced my parents to buy me this stack of comic books because I told them that this is the way that I would teach myself English. That ended up sort of being true. The amazing point is that when I got home I realized that these were all of the comic books that I was going to have for at least a couple of years so I studied them the way some rabbis study the Talmud.

TS: So you’re saying it was just impossible to get your hands on comic books in Israel?

LL: Eventually you could when I was a teenager.

TS: Were they translated into Hebrew or Arabic or were they in English?

LL: Oh they were all in English they were imported from America.  None were printed locally  

TS: Disney bought Marvel in 2009 for several billion dollars yet Stan’s paycheck after that was relatively modest.  Why do you think Stan was not a better businessman?

LL: From the beginning, Stan’s contract was this very tenuous issue. He started working at Marvel Comics because his relative owned the magazine publishing company that also owned what eventually became Marvel.  He became editor in chief at a very young age because everyone was sure this was a really dumb business and they didn’t care much about it and were perfectly fine with a 20 something-year-old being boss. When the company took off, which was 20 years later, Stan was in his 40s.  He was already tethered to this contract which really didn’t give him rights over many of his creations. He was decently compensated, but if you think about this immense influence that he had over culture and all the money that his creations had made, there is no doubt in my mind that he deserved far more than he got. 

TS: When did you write the book? Before or after Stan’s death? 

LL: I finished my draft three days after he died. 

TS: When I think about Stan at the end of his life I picture him sitting there at Comic Cons with thousands of fans lined up to plunk down $100 or more to have Stan sign their comic book.  Why do you think he did that well into his 90s? Did he need the money or did he love his fans, or a combination of both? 

LL: Look, I think Spider-Man is good and Iron Man is OK  and the Incredible Hulk is fine, but I think Stan’s own greatest creation was Stan Lee. Very early on in his career, he realized that part of the thing that made Marvel so magical was that readers felt like they could actually be friends with this genial, approachable creator.  He performed on college campuses and absolutely loved the adoration he received and understood that it was a rare treat for an artistic creator, which is someone who usually sits in a room at home and dreams of ideas and never had any real feeling of how readers or viewers received the work. For Stan, it was a real treat to be able to go into a room full of people and receive all that love and all that support. I think he did it out of pure love and pure joy and pure satisfaction. I’ve seen him at Comic Cons several times and the sort of exuberance that he radiated could not be fake. 

TS: It’s good to hear that. Best of luck with your book and all of your future projects.

LL: Thank you.

Marvel Studios AVENGERS: ENDGAME Arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand beginning August 13th.

Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Endgame,” the climactic conclusion to an unprecedented, 11-year cinematic journey in which the Avengers take one final stand against Thanos, delivered the biggest opening weekend in history and is currently one of the highest-grossing films of all time. On July 30, Avengers fans around the world are invited to assemble once more for the in-home release of “Avengers: Endgame” on Digital in HD, 4K Ultra HD™ and Movies Anywhere, followed by a physical release on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™, DVD and On-Demand beginning Aug. 13.

Fans who bring home “Avengers: Endgame” will gain hours of additional screen time with their favorite cast members and filmmakers who have shaped the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Bonus features include a tribute to the great Stan Lee; the tale of Robert Downey Jr.’s casting as Iron Man; the evolution of Captain America; Black Widow’s dramatic story arc; directors Anthony and Joe Russo’s experience at the helm of both “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame”; the making of an epic battle scene with the women of the MCU; the creation of Bro Thor; deleted scenes; a gag reel and more.

The must-own, final chapter of the 22-film MCU series, “Avengers: Endgame,” will be packaged several ways to ensure fans get the most out of their in-home entertainment experience. Viewers can bring home the film two weeks early on Digital 4K Ultra HD, HD and SD and gain access to an exclusive extra highlighting the love story of Steve Rogers (Captain America) and Peggy Carter. A physical copy of “Avengers: Endgame” is available as a 4K Cinematic Universe Edition (4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and Digital Code), a Multi-Screen Edition (Blu-ray and Digital Code) and a single DVD. Fans who wish to revisit all four films in the Avengers franchise may opt for a Digital bundle, which includes “Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame.” 

Check out this hilarious blooper reel:

BONUS MATERIAL (may vary by retailer):

  • Remembering Stan Lee – Filmmakers and cast honor the great Stan Lee in a fond look back at his MCU movie cameos.
  • Setting The Tone: Casting Robert Downey Jr. – Hear the tale of how Robert Downey Jr. was cast as Tony Stark in the original “Iron Man” — and launched the MCU.
  • A Man Out of Time: Creating Captain America – Trace the evolution of Captain America with those who helped shape the look, feel and character of this compelling hero.
  • Black Widow: Whatever It Takes – Follow Black Widow’s journey both within and outside the Avengers, including the challenges she faced and overcame along the way.
  • The Russo Brothers: Journey to Endgame – See how Anthony and Joe Russo met the challenge of helming two of the biggest films in cinematic history … back-to-back!
  • The Women of the MCU – MCU women share what it was like to join forces for the first time in an epic battle scene — and be part of such a historic ensemble.
  • Bro Thor – His appearance has changed but his heroism remains! Go behind the scenes to see how Bro Thor was created.
  • Six Deleted Scenes – “Goji Berries,” “Bombs on Board,” “Suckiest Army in the Galaxy,” “You Used to Frickin’ Live Here,” “Tony and Howard” and “Avengers Take a Knee.”
  • Gag Reel – Laugh along with the cast in this epic collection of flubs, goofs and gaffes from set.
  • Visionary Intro – Intro by directors Joe and Anthony Russo.
  • Audio Commentary – Audio commentary by directors Anthony and Joe Russo, and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

Stan Lee 1922-2018

He never directed a feature film. He never had a screenplay produced. Yes, he dabbled in front of the camera, but he usually played himself or would appear for a few seconds in a “cameo” role. Frequently he would be given an executive producer credit, which we would see many times over the last couple of decades. And yet, Stan Lee was a major force behind four of the twenty biggest domestic box office hit motion pictures of all time. This warranted the following report from today’s Hollywood Reporter, which began:

Stan Lee, the legendary writer, editor, and publisher of Marvel Comics whose fantabulous but flawed creations made him a real-life superhero to comic book lovers everywhere has died. He was 95.

Lee, who began in the business in 1939 and created or co-created Black Panther, Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Mighty Thor, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, Daredevil and Ant-Man, among countless other characters, died early Monday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, a family representative told The Hollywood Reporter.


So, why are we both mourning and celebrating the life and legacy of Stanley Martin Lieber (his birth name) on this site today? That’s because he’s added so much fun to the movie experience with his creations and cameos. His 95 plus years was an incredible adventure, almost as amazing as anything he imagined (and helped publish).

Born on December 22 in 1922, Stan was in the right place, and had the right relatives, at the beginning of the golden age of comic books. Thanks in part to his uncle and cousin, he landed an assistant position at Martin Goodman’s Timely (Marvel much later) Comics in 1939. Soon he fulfilled his ambition to be a writer, penning the one-page prose story, “Captain America Foils the Traitor’s Revenge” in Captain America Comics #3 in 1941. Stan became an interim editor until he entered the Army in 1943, eventually earning the classification as “playwright” for his work on training films and instruction manuals. Postwar he returned to Timely as editor and oversaw the books’ transition to Westerns, funny animals, teen humor, combat, and, changing the company name to Atlas Comics, science fiction featuring all manner of giant monsters like “Gloom”.

Stan serves in WWII

Proving that “everything old is new again”, the superheroes returned in the late 50’s (though Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman never left) when rival National Periodicals scored a hit with the revamped Flash and the Justice League. Stan’s boss Goodman told him to come up with a “super team”. Lee had become frustrated with his job and thought about pursuing a new life as a “real” writer. Luckily his wife Joan suggested that he try writing a superhero book that he would find interesting. Thanks to her prodding, and the stunning art by co-creator Jack Kirby, the Fantastic Four was a 1961 smash. As Atlas became Marvel, the new heroes arrived at a furious pace: Dr. Strange, the Incredible Hulk, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Mighty Avengers, Daredevil, and the company’s solo superstar and mascot, the Amazing Spider-Man. Stan also decided to give the artists full credits on the opening splash page, even bestowing alliterative “nicknames” like “dashing” Don Heck and “sturdy” Steve Ditko. He soon had his own editorial column, “Stan’s Soapbox” in all the books, adding to the informal, friendly vibe of Marvel Comics. College students picked up on this and the irreverent attitudes of the book where all the heroes had real-life problems or hang-ups (Spidey had trouble paying his rent, Iron Man had a bad ticker, etc.). Stan himself was in demand as a speaker at campuses all around the country, turning him into a promoting “pied piper” for the comics industry.

Stan and wife Joan in the early days of their marriage

But Stan yearned for his heroes to make the jump to other media. There were network Saturday morning cartoons and the syndicated limited animated (being very generous here) package of “The Marvel Superheroes”. He eventually moved from Marvel’s NYC HQ to LA in order to get the properties into live-action TV shows and feature films. CBS had a hit show with “The Incredible Hulk” starring Bill Bixby, but Spidey, Dr. Strange, and Captain America tanked. However, Stan became more of a household name as the narrator of the Saturday morning cartoon, “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends”.  Finally, Marvel was in the movies with 1986’s HOWARD THE DUCK, but that was a legendary flop. The next decade was littered with false starts and unreleased movies. In 1998, BLADE struck box office gold, followed two years later by the X-MEN, and topped in 2002 by SPIDER-MAN. For many of those films, Stan would pop up on screen for a quick wink at the camera, as with THE FANTASTIC FOUR, HULK, and DAREDEVIL.

In 2016, finally together on screen in X-MEN: APOCALYPSE

Then something happened that Stan probably never dreamed of. Marvel started producing big-budget films based on their own heroes and properties. Not only was Stan promoting the movies on TV and via interviews, but he would also have a cameo in each film. Originally Stan said he’d just show up in films based on characters he created, but over the last ten years his cameos have become part of the Marvel Studios format and design, something that fans look forward to as much as the opening “comic pages flip” of the company logo and the post and mid-credits bonus scenes (with a long list of other writers and artists Stan has collaborated with).  Perhaps some of the filmmakers considered him a “good luck charm”. Here’s a montage of his “walk-ons” so far:

So far? But he’s gone to the Comicon in the sky, you say. Well, last year or so, James Gunn shot his scenes for the next few films that would be inserted later. Though IMDB won’t confirm, I’ll bet we’ll see his mischievous grin in CAPTAIN MARVEL, the Infinity Wars finale, and maybe SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME over the next year. Plus there are the two X-Men flicks. Well, I can tell you that sharp-eyed viewers will spot a silent cameo in RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET in just 9 days. Oh, and “the man” did get some major honors. In 2008 he received the National Medal of the Arts from President George W Bush, followed in 2011 by his very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Wow, how lucky can one planet be? We were treated to nearly a century of Stan Lee. And his gifts will continue in inspire and entertain forever. That is some kind of legacy. What more can I add, except…

Excelsior! Nuff’ said!!

WIZARD WORLD Comic Con St. Louis Adds Anime Voice Actors Bryce Papenbrook, Austin Tindle, and Jad Saxton – February 2nd – 4th

Three popular anime voice actors have been added to Wizard World Comic Con St. Louis, February 2-4 at America’s Center, as Bryce Papenbrook, Austin Tindle and Jad Saxton will appear at the Anime Arena on the show floor. The three will be available for photos, autographs and voice recordings.

In addition, RightStufAnime.com is partnering with Wizard World to bring something awesome to the Anime Arena. They will be sponsoring a 20×40 space which will be free to all attendees. The Arena will include PS4’s playing the new DragonBallz fighter game, a 500+ manga library, board games, and even some free swag for attendees. Popular character stand-ups will be waiting to take photos will fans (Naruto, Bleach, Yu-Gi-Oh). All items can be rented with some form of ID.

Wizard World attendees can meet them as part of their standard admission, or get an enhanced Anime Gold VIP package with curated anime items, dedicated VIP check in and more at https://wizardworld.com/vip-package/anime-gold-vip-package-5-2-1.

Papenbrook (appearing Saturday and Sunday), is well known as the voice of Kirito from Sword Art Online, Eren Jaeger from Attack on Titan, and Meliodas from The Seven Deadly Sins, and will be making his first ever Wizard World appearance. He has been a professional voice over artist since the age of eight. He was introduced to the voice acting scene by his father, Bob Papenbrook, and has continued the trade in his footsteps. Bryce has performed in numerous video games, cartoons, and television shows. Some other recent roles include Rin Okumura in Blue Exorcist, Shirou Emiya in Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works and Wol in Mobius Final Fantasy. Fans You can follow Bryce on Facebook at http://facebook.com/ActorBrycePapenbrook, @BrycePapenbrook on Twitter, and @BrycePapenbrook on Instagram! IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0745310/.

Tindle (appearing all three days) has worked on several of our favorite Animes including Attack on Titan, Assassination Classroom, Is This a Zombie, and even voices Ken Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul. The Dallas resident attended the University of Texas at Dallas on an academic scholarship, where he almost became an electrical engineer. At 19, he was cast as Romeo and changed majors the same day. He has spent over a decade performing professionally on stage in Dallas, Texas, but he’s probably most well-known for his work with Funimation Studios, where he has voiced many characters including: Marco Bodt (Attack on Titan), Karma Akabane (Assassination Classroom), Avilio Bruno (91 Days) and many others. Fans can currently hear him voicing the role of Kaneki every Saturday at 1 a.m. on Cartoon Network.

Saxton, appearing all three days, has over 150 roles including some of our favorites: Kanna from Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, Carla from Fairy Tail, and Akatsuki from Log Horizon. She is also known for her roles as Yuki in Wolf Children, Young Nico Robin in One Piece, Koneko in High School DxD, Hatchin in Michiko & Hachin (Toonami), Faris in Steins; Gate, Haruna in Is This a Zombie?, Sena Kashiwazaki in Hagani, Adèlie in Space Dandy (Toonami), Mira in Dimension W (Toonami) and Nona in Death Parade. For a full list of her work, please visit www.animenewsnetwork.com.

Wizard World Comic Con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop culture: movies, television, gaming, live entertainment, comics, sci-fi, graphic novels, toys, original art, collectibles, contests and more. The second event scheduled on the 2018 Wizard World calendar, St. Louis show hours are Friday, February 2, 4-9 p.m.; Saturday, February 3, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, February 4, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Kids 10 and under are admitted free with paid adult.

The other guests at this year’s Wizard World Comic Con in St. Louis are:

SEBASTIAN STAN

Sebastian Stan is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s most sought after young actors.  Stan was last seen on USA Network’s buzzed about mini-series Political Animals. Stan also appeared on ABC’s hit fantasy series Once Upon A Time with for a seven-episode arc. On the big screen, Stan is best known for his role as Bucky Barnes in Marvel’s box office smash Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Other film credits include Summit Entertainment’s Gone, Darren Aranofsky’s Black Swan, Rachel Getting Married, Spread, Hot Tub Time Machine, The Education of Charlie Banks, The Architect and The Covenant.

SEAN BEAN

Sean Bean is an English actor with a long and varied career.  After graduating from RADA he made his professional debut in a theatre production of Romeo and Juliet in 1983 and after leading roles at the royal Shakespeare company, he found his first mainstream success for his portrayal of Richard Sharpe in the ITV series Sharpe.    He has since garnered further recognition for his performances as Ned Stark in the critically acclaimed HBO series Game of Thrones, as well as roles in the BBC anthology series Accused and the award winning BBC drama BROKEN.  Perhaps his most prominent film roles is Boromir in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.   He has starred in such films as GoldenEye, Troy, Patriot Games, Ronin, National Treasure, North Country  and many more.

BILLY BOYD

When he was 17 he left school and went to work in a book-binding workshop. Ironically, during the years he worked at the book-binders, the Lord of the Rings trilogy was printed and bound there, many copies bound by his hands. Billy planned on going to America for a year, but before he went he called the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and asked about applying for when he got back. But it so happened that they still had space for this year and they asked him if he wanted to apply and he did. He was at the drama school in a 3-year course for his bachelor of arts degree, meanwhile studying everything from Shakespeare to puppet-making. During this time Billy had a few small roles in TV series such as Down Amongst The Boys and Taggart. After graduating he performed in many plays like The Slab Boys, The Diary of Adrian Mole etc. at The St. Andrews theatre which were his first paying roles. He then received a call from his agent about the Lord of the Rings movies and if he would like to audition for them. He went along not expecting much, but within a few months Peter Jackson came out to Scotland to meet him and to audition him personally. While rehearsing for a show he received a call from his agent who said that the part of Pippin had been offered to him – if he wanted it.

SEAN ASTIN

Sean Astin (born February 25, 1971) is an American film actor, director, voice artist, and producer best known for his film roles as Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Mikey Walsh in The Goonies, and the title character of Rudy. In television, he appeared as Lynn McGill in the fifth season of 24 and currently voices Raphael in the 2012 Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series.

MICHAEL ROSENBAUM

Michael Rosenbaum has worked with everyone from Bradley Cooper and Kevin Spacey to Christopher Walken and Clint Eastwood. The diverse actor has worked in over twenty films, such as Hit and Run, Urban Legend, Sweet November, Bringing Down The House, Pool Hall Junkies and Sorority Boys. He portrayed Lex Luthor on the smash hit Smallville for seven years and voiced The Flash on the hit animated series The Justice League. Currently, Rosenbaum is starring as the lead actor and Executive Producer in the second season of the dark comedy series IMPASTOR for TVLAND that is a hit with critics and recently finished filming the feature film The LAST DAYS OF SUMMER with Bill Fichtenor.

LUCY DAVIS

Lucy’s first job as an actress was at the age of 20, when she played Maria Lucas in the BBC/A&E adaptation of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.  A few years later, she starred in the Golden Globe winning BBC comedy THE OFFICE, playing DAWN TINSLEY. Shortly after this she played DIANNE in Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright’s zombie movie SHAUN OF THE DEAD.She is also part of Pamela Adlon and Louis CK’s comedy drama BETTER THINGS on FX. And more recently, she can be seen in the new DC movie WONDER WOMAN, where she plays Wonder Woman’s friend and Steve Trevor’s secretary – ETTA CANDY.

JOHN BARROWMAN

John Barrowman is an Entertainer with a capital E. He sings, he dances, he acts, he presents, he judges – he is a unique talent in the entertainment industry on both sides of the Atlantic. John can currently be seen in the regular role of Malcolm Merlyn (aka The Dark Archer) in the hit American drama series Arrow, based on the Green Arrow comic books. The show has been a huge success all over the world, and is aired in the UK on Sky 1 and on the CW network in the USA. He has appeared in all four series of the show. He subsequently guested as Malcolm Merlyn in The Flash, and has also guested on the CW’s hit historical drama Reign. Having guested on the hit American political drama Scandal for the ABC network, he hosted a major new entertainment series for the network, Sing Your Face Off. In the UK on Channel 4 he hosted Superstar Dogs (a game show for dogs) and The Small Animal Hospital with John Barrowman, which followed the work of Glasgow University Veterinary Hospital. He hosted two series of the BBC1 game show Pressure Pad and has hosted The National Lottery Awards on BBC1 three times.

DAN FOGLER

Forging an exceptional transition from theater to film & television, Tony award-winning actor DAN FOGLER recently starred in Warner Bros. highly anticipated FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM. Written by JK Rowling, Dan helped launch the five-film franchise series alongside Eddie Redmayne and Katherine Waterston in 2016. He just wrapped production on the sequel FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD, coming to theaters everywhere Thanksgiving 2018. His credits include a starring role in Ang Lee’s TAKING WOODSTOCK, Relativity’s TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT, and LOVE HAPPENS opposite Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston. Dan is also well known for the cult classicsBALLS OF FURY for Focus and FANBOYS for Weinstein. On the TV side, Dan’s been featured in ABC’s SECRETS & LIES opposite Ryan Phillippe; and had recurring roles on both THE GOLDBERGS and HANNIBAL. In 2005, Dan won a Tony Award for his performance as ‘William Barfee’ in the Broadway production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Bee”.

BONNIE WRIGHT

Wright’s interest in directing springs from her experiences as an actor. From 2001 to 2011, she played Ginny Weasley in all eight films in the Harry Potter series and had the good fortune to work with Christopher Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell and David Yates. Subsequent acting roles include The Sea (2013) with Charlotte Rampling, After the Dark (2015) with James D’Arcy and most recently,The Highway is for Gamblers (2015), directed by Alexandra McGuinness.

NICHELLE NICHOLS

Nichelle Nichols began her professional singing and dancing career in her home town, Chicago, at the tender age of 14. As a teenager she was discovered by the great Duke Ellington, who hired her to choreograph and perform a ballet for one of his musical suites, and finished the tour as his lead singer. When Nichelle was cast by Gene Roddenberry to create Chief Communications Officer Lt. Uhura, fourth in command of the Starship Enterprise, in his legendary TV series Star Trek – in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King – “The first non-stereotypical role portrayed by a black woman in television history.”

JAMES FRAIN

James Frain is one of Hollywood’s most versatile and respected actors who has a reputation for bold, intelligent performances in a diverse body of work in which he’s collaborated with some of the finest actors and directors working today. He has appeared as character actor and leading man in 28 feature films, and in 47 TV shows, including: True Blood, The Tudors, 24, and The White Queen.

JON HEDER

Jonathan Joseph “Jon” Heder (born October 26, 1977) is an American actor and producer. His feature film debut came in 2004 as the title character of the comedy film Napoleon Dynamite. He has also acted in the films Ghost Team, Walt Before Mickey as Roy Disney, The Benchwarmers, School for Scoundrels, Blades of Glory, Mama’s Boy, and When in Rome, and provided voice talents in the animated films Monster House, and Surf’s Up, as well as Pickle and Peanut,  Star vs. the Forces of Evil, and the Napoleon Dynamite animated series.

 

JAMES MARSTERS

AMERICAN actor, singer and songwriter James Marsters first found international fame playing punk-goth Brit vampire Spike in the critically acclaimed American TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the equally popular spin-off Angel. Film roles include live action film Dragon Ball, romantic love story P.S. I Love You with Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler and Kathy Bates, USA Original true-crime film Cool Money, independent thriller Shadow Puppets, Winding Roads, The House On Haunted Hill and Chance with Buffy co-star Amber Benson.

HOLLY MARIE COMBS

Holly Marie Combs is an American actress and television producer. She is known for her roles as Kimberly Brock in the CBS series Picket Fences, Piper Halliwell in The WB series Charmed, and Ella Montgomery in the Freeform series Pretty Little Liars.

THOMAS IAN NICHOLAS

Thomas Ian Nicholas is an American film actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and writer. Nicholas is best known for playing Henry Rowengartner in Rookie of the Year, Walt Disney in Walt Before Mickey and Kevin Myers in the American Pie film series.

And there are many many more guests! Check back here at We Are Movie Geeks for more coverage of this year’s Wizard World!

 

STAN LEE Joins the Guest List for Wizard World Comic Con in St. Louis


Wizard World Comic Con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, cosplay, comics, television, sci-fi, toys, video gaming, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. St. Louis show hours are Friday, February 2nd, 3-8 p.m.; Saturday, February 3rd, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday,February 4th, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Stan Lee , the legendary comic book writer, editor, actor, producer and publisher, announced that he will attend Wizard World Comic Con St. Louis, February 3-4, The iconic Lee, a member of both the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame, will greet fans, pose for photo ops, sign autographs and conduct interactive Q&A sessions in Saturday and Sunday.

Known to millions as the man whose superheroes propelled Marvel to its preeminent position in the comic book industry, Stan’s co-creations include Spider-Man™, The Incredible Hulk™, X-Men™, The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and hundreds of others. He introduced Spider-Man™ as a newspaper strip which became the most successful of all syndicated adventure strips having appeared in more than 500 newspapers worldwide. Stan currently remains Chairman Emeritus of Marvel, as well as a member of the Editorial Board of Marvel Comics.

“There is no bigger name in the comics world than Stan Lee, and we couldn’t be happier to have him back at two of our upcoming shows,” said John D. Maatta, Wizard World CEO. “It is truly an experience for fans to meet this legend who has made everything in the industry possible.”

Wizard World Comic Con is also the place for cosplay, with fans young and old showing off their best costumes throughout the event. Fans dressed as every imaginable character – and some never before dreamed – will roam the convention floor and participate in the famed Wizard World Costume Contest on Saturday evening.

For more on the 2018 Wizard World St. Louis, visit http://wizd.me/StLouisPR

Stan Lee will be joining these other great guests in St. Louis:

SEBASTIAN STAN

Sebastian Stan is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s most sought after young actors.  Stan was last seen on USA Network’s buzzed about mini-series Political Animals. Stan also appeared on ABC’s hit fantasy series Once Upon A Time with for a seven-episode arc. On the big screen, Stan is best known for his role as Bucky Barnes in Marvel’s box office smash Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Other film credits include Summit Entertainment’s Gone, Darren Aranofsky’s Black Swan, Rachel Getting Married, Spread, Hot Tub Time Machine, The Education of Charlie Banks, The Architect and The Covenant.

SEAN BEAN

Sean Bean is an English actor with a long and varied career.  After graduating from RADA he made his professional debut in a theatre production of Romeo and Juliet in 1983 and after leading roles at the royal Shakespeare company, he found his first mainstream success for his portrayal of Richard Sharpe in the ITV series Sharpe.    He has since garnered further recognition for his performances as Ned Stark in the critically acclaimed HBO series Game of Thrones, as well as roles in the BBC anthology series Accused and the award winning BBC drama BROKEN.  Perhaps his most prominent film roles is Boromir in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.   He has starred in such films as GoldenEye, Troy, Patriot Games, Ronin, National Treasure, North Country  and many more.

BILLY BOYD

When he was 17 he left school and went to work in a book-binding workshop. Ironically, during the years he worked at the book-binders, the Lord of the Rings trilogy was printed and bound there, many copies bound by his hands. Billy planned on going to America for a year, but before he went he called the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and asked about applying for when he got back. But it so happened that they still had space for this year and they asked him if he wanted to apply and he did. He was at the drama school in a 3-year course for his bachelor of arts degree, meanwhile studying everything from Shakespeare to puppet-making. During this time Billy had a few small roles in TV series such as Down Amongst The Boys and Taggart. After graduating he performed in many plays like The Slab Boys, The Diary of Adrian Mole etc. at The St. Andrews theatre which were his first paying roles. He then received a call from his agent about the Lord of the Rings movies and if he would like to audition for them. He went along not expecting much, but within a few months Peter Jackson came out to Scotland to meet him and to audition him personally. While rehearsing for a show he received a call from his agent who said that the part of Pippin had been offered to him – if he wanted it.

SEAN ASTIN

Sean Astin (born February 25, 1971) is an American film actor, director, voice artist, and producer best known for his film roles as Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Mikey Walsh in The Goonies, and the title character of Rudy. In television, he appeared as Lynn McGill in the fifth season of 24 and currently voices Raphael in the 2012 Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series.

MICHAEL ROSENBAUM

Michael Rosenbaum has worked with everyone from Bradley Cooper and Kevin Spacey to Christopher Walken and Clint Eastwood. The diverse actor has worked in over twenty films, such as Hit and Run, Urban Legend, Sweet November, Bringing Down The House, Pool Hall Junkies and Sorority Boys. He portrayed Lex Luthor on the smash hit Smallville for seven years and voiced The Flash on the hit animated series The Justice League. Currently, Rosenbaum is starring as the lead actor and Executive Producer in the second season of the dark comedy series IMPASTOR for TVLAND that is a hit with critics and recently finished filming the feature film The LAST DAYS OF SUMMER with Bill Fichtenor.

LUCY DAVIS

Lucy’s first job as an actress was at the age of 20, when she played Maria Lucas in the BBC/A&E adaptation of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.  A few years later, she starred in the Golden Globe winning BBC comedy THE OFFICE, playing DAWN TINSLEY. Shortly after this she played DIANNE in Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright’s zombie movie SHAUN OF THE DEAD.She is also part of Pamela Adlon and Louis CK’s comedy drama BETTER THINGS on FX. And more recently, she can be seen in the new DC movie WONDER WOMAN, where she plays Wonder Woman’s friend and Steve Trevor’s secretary – ETTA CANDY.

JOHN BARROWMAN

John Barrowman is an Entertainer with a capital E. He sings, he dances, he acts, he presents, he judges – he is a unique talent in the entertainment industry on both sides of the Atlantic. John can currently be seen in the regular role of Malcolm Merlyn (aka The Dark Archer) in the hit American drama series Arrow, based on the Green Arrow comic books. The show has been a huge success all over the world, and is aired in the UK on Sky 1 and on the CW network in the USA. He has appeared in all four series of the show. He subsequently guested as Malcolm Merlyn in The Flash, and has also guested on the CW’s hit historical drama Reign. Having guested on the hit American political drama Scandal for the ABC network, he hosted a major new entertainment series for the network, Sing Your Face Off. In the UK on Channel 4 he hosted Superstar Dogs (a game show for dogs) and The Small Animal Hospital with John Barrowman, which followed the work of Glasgow University Veterinary Hospital. He hosted two series of the BBC1 game show Pressure Pad and has hosted The National Lottery Awards on BBC1 three times.

DAN FOGLER

Forging an exceptional transition from theater to film & television, Tony award-winning actor DAN FOGLER recently starred in Warner Bros. highly anticipated FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM. Written by JK Rowling, Dan helped launch the five-film franchise series alongside Eddie Redmayne and Katherine Waterston in 2016. He just wrapped production on the sequel FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD, coming to theaters everywhere Thanksgiving 2018. His credits include a starring role in Ang Lee’s TAKING WOODSTOCK, Relativity’s TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT, and LOVE HAPPENS opposite Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston. Dan is also well known for the cult classicsBALLS OF FURY for Focus and FANBOYS for Weinstein. On the TV side, Dan’s been featured in ABC’s SECRETS & LIES opposite Ryan Phillippe; and had recurring roles on both THE GOLDBERGS and HANNIBAL. In 2005, Dan won a Tony Award for his performance as ‘William Barfee’ in the Broadway production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Bee”.

BONNIE WRIGHT

Wright’s interest in directing springs from her experiences as an actor. From 2001 to 2011, she played Ginny Weasley in all eight films in the Harry Potter series and had the good fortune to work with Christopher Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell and David Yates. Subsequent acting roles include The Sea (2013) with Charlotte Rampling, After the Dark (2015) with James D’Arcy and most recently,The Highway is for Gamblers (2015), directed by Alexandra McGuinness.

NICHELLE NICHOLS

Nichelle Nichols began her professional singing and dancing career in her home town, Chicago, at the tender age of 14. As a teenager she was discovered by the great Duke Ellington, who hired her to choreograph and perform a ballet for one of his musical suites, and finished the tour as his lead singer. When Nichelle was cast by Gene Roddenberry to create Chief Communications Officer Lt. Uhura, fourth in command of the Starship Enterprise, in his legendary TV series Star Trek – in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King – “The first non-stereotypical role portrayed by a black woman in television history.”

JAMES FRAIN

James Frain is one of Hollywood’s most versatile and respected actors who has a reputation for bold, intelligent performances in a diverse body of work in which he’s collaborated with some of the finest actors and directors working today. He has appeared as character actor and leading man in 28 feature films, and in 47 TV shows, including: True Blood, The Tudors, 24, and The White Queen.

JON HEDER

Jonathan Joseph “Jon” Heder (born October 26, 1977) is an American actor and producer. His feature film debut came in 2004 as the title character of the comedy film Napoleon Dynamite. He has also acted in the films Ghost Team, Walt Before Mickey as Roy Disney, The Benchwarmers, School for Scoundrels, Blades of Glory, Mama’s Boy, and When in Rome, and provided voice talents in the animated films Monster House, and Surf’s Up, as well as Pickle and Peanut,  Star vs. the Forces of Evil, and the Napoleon Dynamite animated series.

 

JAMES MARSTERS

AMERICAN actor, singer and songwriter James Marsters first found international fame playing punk-goth Brit vampire Spike in the critically acclaimed American TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the equally popular spin-off Angel. Film roles include live action film Dragon Ball, romantic love story P.S. I Love You with Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler and Kathy Bates, USA Original true-crime film Cool Money, independent thriller Shadow Puppets, Winding Roads, The House On Haunted Hill and Chance with Buffy co-star Amber Benson.

HOLLY MARIE COMBS

Holly Marie Combs is an American actress and television producer. She is known for her roles as Kimberly Brock in the CBS series Picket Fences, Piper Halliwell in The WB series Charmed, and Ella Montgomery in the Freeform series Pretty Little Liars.

THOMAS IAN NICHOLAS

Thomas Ian Nicholas is an American film actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and writer. Nicholas is best known for playing Henry Rowengartner in Rookie of the Year, Walt Disney in Walt Before Mickey and Kevin Myers in the American Pie film series.

And there are many many more guests! Check back here at We Are Movie Geeks for more coverage of this year’s Wizard World!

 

WITH GREAT POWER: THE STAN LEE STORY Returns to Digital & DVD Today!


Arguably the most recognized name in comics, the legendary Stan Lee has co-created over 500 iconic pop culture characters including Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk and many more and his name appears on more than one billion comics in 75 nations in 25 languages. WITH GREAT POWER: THE STAN LEE STORY, a feature-length documentary exploring the vivid life and imagination of Stan Lee from his depression era upbringing though the Marvel Age of comics and beyond, returns to digital and DVD July 18 from Well Go USA Entertainment. The film uncovers original footage, photographs, documents and stories of Lee’s fascinating journey from his early years at Timely Comics, his service in WWII, the rise of the Marvel bullpen, the comic book industry’s censorship battle of the 1950’s through the dawn and explosion of Lee’s legendary co-creations.

WITH GREAT POWER: THE STAN LEE STORY explores the vivid life and imagination of Stan Lee, the 91-year-old comic book legend who co-created over 500 legendary pop culture characters including Spider-Man, Iron Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Thor and The Hulk. Featuring interviews with both Stan Lee and colleagues including Kevin Smith, Patrick Stewart, Samuel L. Jackson, and Eva Mendes. The film is the tale of one man’s determination to tell incredible stories that have enchanted the world for over 40 years.

Here’s a trailer for the Stan Lee Doc:

Bonus Content Includes:

  • Filmmaker Commentary
  • Over 90 minutes of Featurettes
  • Extended Interviews
  • Galleries of over 500 Characters Stan Lee co-created


WITH GREAT POWER … THE STAN LEE STORY has a runtime of approximately 80 minutes and is not rated.

DOCTOR STRANGE – Review

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When we last left the Marvel “movie-verse” (it might be six months on the nose), the alliance of heroes was nearly destroyed in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR. The rift will take a while to repair, so perhaps some new blood is needed. Time to introduce another iconic character from the Marvel Comics pantheon. This champion against evil  belongs to a special superhero subset, one we’ve not seen in these last few big screen blockbusters. Let’s see, there are the “super-monsters” like the Hulk and the Fantastic Four’s the Thing. And there’s the “super-weaponists” like archers the Green Arrow and Hawkeye. This new movie subject belongs in the realm of the “super-magician”. Their roots go back to Houdini and his rivals who inspired radio’s “Chandu” and “Mandrake” from the newspapers’ comic strip pages. Of course, the comic books jumped on board with Dr. Fate, Ibis, Zatara, and others. It was inevitable that Stan Lee would want his own version for Marvel’s expanding line of heroes (this guy’s only the sixth new Marvel character, dating back to 1963), and so, combined with the storytelling skills of the astounding artist Steve Ditko,  DOCTOR STRANGE arrived in “Strange Tales” issue 110. Now, over 50 years later, this is his feature film debut. And it is one strange trip, man!

After an opening scene of a supernatural theft and murder, the film takes us to an elite New York City hospital where we meet superstar surgeon, Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). This guy’s so confident (okay, cocky’s the better phrase), he’s playing “Name That Tune” while finishing up a brain operation (I was so hoping that Steve Martin would drop in as Dr. Hfuhruhurr from the 1983 comedy classic THE MAN WITH TWO BRAINS). After a bit of flirty banter with “off again, on again” girlfriend, Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), word of a delicate operation about to be botched by the “butcher” Dr. Nick West (Michael Stuhlbarg), diverts them back to the “OR”. Strange then invites Palmer to be his date for a swanky banquet, but she declines. He then pops into his opulent home for a quick change into a tux, then speeds away in his pricey sports car. But a momentary distraction on a rain-soaked mountain road results in a horrific accident. Strange is soon a patient in his own hospital, being wheeled in for emergency surgery. Waking up, hours later he is horrified to see pins and wires in his gifted hands. After another operation, Strange knows his surgery career may be done. His twitching hands can’t hold a shaving razor, let alone a scalpel. But he gets new hope after his rehab therapist tells of a patient who somehow regained the use of his limbs without surgery. Strange finds him, and after much pleading the cured man tells him of a mysterious temple in Nepal. Stephen find the hidden place, and is soon learning the ways of the mystic arts from the main aide of the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor). He devours that magical books cared for by librarian Wong (Benedict Wong). Strange’s new knowledge and skills will be put to use when the temple is attacked by an army of sorcery assassins led by the fanatical Kaecillus (Mads Mikkelsen). The untested Doctor Strange may be mankind’s only hope against an other-dimensional menace.

With this role Cumberbatch should finally achieve a level of screen stardom to match his incredible TV success as the modern-day “Sherlock”. That role and Strange demands an aura of intelligence which the actor definitely projects. Well, that along with a sizable ego. Holmes is confidant ,but not boastful of his skills. Happily Watson is there to temper him. Stephen Strange, in the first act, is arrogant and obnoxious, but pays little heed to Christine when she attempts to pop his balloon. Even after the accident, his self-importance explodes at all, he fights his comeuppance, even more than Tony Stark did. It’s a compliment to Cumberbatch’s talent, that the audience does’nt completely turn on him. These scenes add great heft to Strange’s first encounter with magic. He’s found a new way to direct his considerable brain, as his mind is truly blown (perhaps to make room for his new skills). We see the panic in his eyes when the dark forces surround him, but there’s a spark there as he formulates a plan of defense. Now that Strange knows what he’s capable of, it’ll be interesting to see Cumberbatch in full hero mode in future films.

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There’s a terrific chemistry between McAdams and Cumberbatch that’s quite charming in their introductory scenes. She also projects intelligence along with a playful sultry vibe. We want to grab Strange by the shoulders and push him toward her. But McAdams also shows us her pain when he verbally lashes out at her. And her great comic timing shines when she finally meets up with Strange in his full sorcerer trappings. The other female lead, Swinton, also attempts to deal with Stephen’s ego, but her take on the Ancient One will not suffer fools. She ‘s more than a riff on Yoda, she is focused, but not without a sense of humor especially when she sends Strange into the wild unknown. Swinton is teacher and earth (and all dimensions) mother. Ejifor is a tough taskmaster as Mordo, but he’s often more of a teasing big brother to the “newbie”. But there’s a darkness there, that’s barely being kept in check when many of his beliefs are tested. The talented Eijofor conveys this in his body language and speaks volumes with just a quizzical look at his comrades. Benedict Wong as the gruff keeper of the tomes is a formidable warrior while also providing some comic relief as does Stuhlbarg as Strange’s dim rival. And with his silky smooth line delivery, Mikkelsen just oozes evil as the ruthless renegade wizard.

Director Scott Derrickson, after helming the modestly budgeted scare shows SINISTER and DELIVER US FROM EVIL, proves his film making prowess as he works on a much bigger canvas. Though the film is often visually dense with fantastic imagery, he never loses track of the human beings at the center of it all. The hospital opening scenes are just as interesting as the flights of fancy in the final act. More importantly, Derrickson leaves us wanting to spend more time in the doctor’s new world. His script, co-authored with Jon Spaihts and C. Robert Cargill, expertly juggles humor, drama, and lots of  (literally) spellbinding “mumbo jumbo”. The lush cinematography from Ben Davis perfectly sets the mood for each local. Somber, overcast for NYC, and when Strange learns the secrets of magic, the colors pop and burst with energy. And what really sets the mood is the sweeping score from the great Michael Giacchino which conveys the eerie beauty of these new realms using themes that might have felt right at home in a 1960’s Hammer thriller. Big kudos to the special effects teams who give the doctor a playground just as visually engaging as Thor’s Asgard or the Guardians’ galaxy. While the ads have shown off the kaleidoscope like twirling cityscapes (a vertigo variant of INCEPTION), they’ve also captured the organic, psychedelic designs of Ditko’s comic panels. Perhaps the most endearing effect may be the doctor’s “cloak of levitation”, the most charming bit of cloth since Aladdin’s magic carpet. There was a lot of talk that this character’s exploits might be too cerebral for movie audiences used to muscled men and armored avengers destroying city blocks with a swipe, Derrickson and company prove them very wrong with a most engaging entertaining adventure. Oh, try to catch it in 3D if at all possible. So, if the Autumn blues are bringin’ you down, go visit the doctor, DOCTOR STRANGE! Stat!

4.5 Out of 5

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Top Ten Facts About DOCTOR STRANGE

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Face front, true believers! Class is in session! Let’s call this “Doctor Strange 101”, an introduction to the newest member of the “Marvel movie-verse”, although, as you’ll soon learn, the sorcerer supreme is one of the oldest heroes. So, to get you up to speed before heading to the multiplex, we’re giving you a top ten list of facts about the “master of mystic arts”. First, a look at his lineage….

1. DOCTOR STRANGE HAS LOTS OF “MAGIC HERO” PREDECESSORS
Let’s go back over a 100 years, when magicians where a popular part of live entertainment. Many real-life stage performers like Houdini and Blackstone branched out into the printed page, starring in fictional exploits via booklets called “penny dreadfuls” which became the lurid pulp novels. In 1931 a radio show presented the adventures of the mysterious “Chandu the Magician” (one big fan was young Stan Lee). Edmund Lowe battled master criminal Bela Lugosi in 1932’s CHANDU THE MAGICIAN feature film from Fox studios. Two years later Lugosi would switch places, playing the hero in a movie serial.

chandu

The greatest “slight-of-hand” hero sprang from the newspaper funny pages in 1934 when Lee Falk and Phil Davis created the comic strip sensation “Mandrake the Magician”. Writer Falk would score again a few years later with the first “costumed hero”, The Phantom. Mandrake would have his own radio program along with a movie serial.

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Comic books quickly emulated the hero with countless magic men. Before striking gold with the “man of steel” Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster launched “Dr. Occult”. “Zatara the Magician” was part of the landmark “Action Comics” issue one (his daughter Zatanna would be one of the first magic super-heroines). Fawcett comics, home of Captain Marvel, had “Ibis the Invincible”. The golden helmeted “Dr. Fate” was a founding member of DC comics’ Justice Society of America. There was even a “Doc Strange” in the 1940’s, though he was closer in spirit to the pulps’ “Doc Savage”, throwing punches rather than casting spells.

2. DOCTOR STRANGE WAS CREATED BY THE SPIDER-MAN TEAM

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That duo being editor/writer Stan Lee and artist, co-plotter Steve Ditko (the reclusive talent who is a real man of mystery, check out the excellent Jonathan Ross BBC doc “Searching for Steve Ditko” on YouTube). And, as mentioned above, the good doctor is part of that first wave of Marvel heroes. When the “Fantastic Four”  was a news stand smash, the floundering Atlas comics became Marvel, and Lee and his artists soon unleashed several follow-up hero books. “The Incredible Hulk”, “Ant Man and the Wasp”, “The Amazing Spider-Man”, “The Invincible Iron Man”, and “The Mighty Thor” preceded Strange with “The Avengers”, “Daredevil”, and “The X-Men” soon following. And speaking of Spidey….

3. DOCTOR STRANGE CO-STARRED WITH SPIDER-MAN ON A RECORD ALBUM

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Actually (as you see in this pic above) in a “rockcomic”, an LP album from Buddha records in 1972, its full title “Spider-Man: From Beyond the Grave”. With brand new rock songs for chapter stops, it tells an original tale of the “webhead” getting help from Dr. Strange as he rescues the ever-frail Aunt May from the clutches of the Kingpin. The Album opened up to showcase story illustrations by then current Spider-man artist John Romita. Let’s take a listen…

4. DOCTOR STRANGE SHARED A COMIC BOOK WITH THE HUMAN TORCH AND NICK FURY

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And strangely enough, it was “Strange Tales”. Pictured above is issue 110 featuring the doctor’s first appearance…and he’s not even on the cover!! Back in 1963, Marvel was limited by their retail distributor. They could only put out a dozen or so monthly books. And so they converted their fantasy, monster, and science fiction anthologies into super-hero pairings, splitting the page count. “Tales of Suspense” had a ten page lead “Iron Man” story, followed by a ten page “Captain America” tale. “The Incredible Hulk” shared “Tales to Astonish” with “Ant-Man/ Giant-Man” (until he was replaced with “Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner”). “The Human Torch” seemed to be the break-out star of the “Fantastic Four” comic, so Stan Lee decided he should star in solo stores in “Strange Tales” (Ben Grimm AKA “The Thing” would join the Torch). Doctor Strange would take up the back pages. Oddly, readers wouldn’t get to read his origin story until issue 115. When the TV and movie spy craze hit, the Torch was replaced by all new modern-day adventures of Nick Fury (the star of a WWII-set comic “Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos”), now the director of a high-tech super espionage outfit known as S.H.I.E.L.D. (no doubt inspired by the TV smash “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”). Near the end of the 60’s Marvel changed distributors and was able to expand their line giving solo books to all their heroes, including the doctor.

5. FOR A SHORT TIME DOCTOR STRANGE WORE A MASK

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Yes, that’s him underneath the blue face mask. In response to sagging sales, the powers at Marvel decided that Strange should look more like your standard super-hero, hence the “cover-up” on this 1969 issue along with a tight-fitting body leotard hinting that his”sanctum santorium” has a pretty great weight room. Happily the change didn’t take, and readers were able to gaze into his dark, brooding eyes and be dazzled by his many facial hair experiments (pencil-thin ‘stashe, droopy “Fu-Manchu”, “Van Dyke” goatee, etc.) once more.

6. DOCTOR STRANGE LED HIS OWN “SUPER-TEAM”

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And there’s the first appearance of that team in the 1971 “try-out” book “Marvel Feature” issue one, “The Defenders”. For the first three issues of that book, and the first few issues of their solo title, the Defenders were Strange, the Incredible Hulk, and Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner. Their ever-expanding membership roster would include the Silver Surfer, Valkyrie, Nighthawk, Gargoyle, and Luke Cage, along with many others. Two years later they would go head to head with Marvel’s premiere hero team in “The Avengers/Defenders War” crossover story. Recently they were animated on “The Super Hero Squad Show”. And there’s a live action Defenders mini-series in the works for the Netflix streaming service, however the doctor will not be a part of it. This new show will unite the Marvel Netflix series stars: Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Daredevil.

7. DOCTOR STRANGE FIRST STARRED IN A MOVIE 38 YEARS AGO

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A 2 hour movie for television actually. In the mid 1970’s Marvel licensed several of their characters to Universal Studios for possible new TV shows on the CBS network. Thor, Iron Man, the Sub Mariner, and the Human Torch never made it into production (this deal may be the reason that the 1970’s NBC animated Fantastic Four Saturday morning show features “Herbie the Robot” rather than the Torch). One huge hit did come of this venture: producer Kenneth (“V”) Johnson’s  version of “The Incredible Hulk” starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferringo spawned a couple of 2-hour TV movies that lead to a weekly series that lasted 5 years and would inspire three 2-hour reunion TV movies for NBC in the late 80’s, early 90’s. There were a couple of 2-hour Captain America movies starring Reb Brown that aired, though no series followed. But Strange only got one shot. The pilot film written and directed by Phillip DuGuere, Jr. (“Simon & Simon”) and aired but once in 1978 when it was clobbered in the ratings by ABC’s “Roots” miniseries. It starred relative unknown Peter Hooten as psychiatry resident Stephen Strange who is trained by Thomas Lindmer (Oscar-winner Sir John Mills in a riff on the comics’ Ancient One) and aide Wong (Clyde Kusatsu) in order  to thwart the evil plans of immortal sorceress Morgan Lefay (“Arrested Development’s Lucille Bluth, Jessica Walter, in a slinky, sultry role). Oddly, Strange was given a costume more garish than the classic garments of the Marvel books. Here’s a bit of it…

8. DOCTOR STRANGE HAS BEEN ANIMATED FOR 35 YEARS

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And wouldn’t you know it, Spidey introduced the doctor to cartoon audiences way back in 1981 on his hit NBC Saturday morning program “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends”. The particular episode was titled “7 Little Superheroes” and was a take-off of the Agatha Christie whodunit “…And Then There Were None”. In the story, Spidey and those AFs Iceman and Firestar are invited to a secluded estate. There they meet the other four superheroes, Captain America, the Sub-Mariner, Shanna the She-Devil (a jungle heroine) and Doctor Strange. One by one they disappear, thanks to the Chameleon (voiced by the fabulous Hans Conried).

Over the next few decades Strange would pop up in nearly all the animated Marvel TV shows, from the X-Men to “Avengers Assemble”. He would eventually star in his own straight-to-home-video animated feature “Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme” in 2007.

9 DOCTOR STRANGE BATTLED DRACULA

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No fooling, there’s the pic to prove it. In the early 1970’s the restrictive Comics Code Authority finally loosened their rules and regulations and permitted supernatural characters “presented in the classic style”. Marvel, responding to the renewed interest in horror movies and TV shows, jumped in, publishing a comic based on the now public domain Bram Stoker’s Dracula, “The Tomb of Dracula”. It was soon established that Drac and his cast (including future film star Blade) were part of “the Marvel Universe”. The Count fought the other Marvel monsters (the “Werewolf by Night”, etc.) and almost bumped into Spider-Man on a cruise ship. It was inevitable that he would face down the “Master of the Mystic Arts”, and he did so in a crossover from his own book (issue 44) and Doctor Strange issue 14, both drawn by the incomparable Gene Colan (the regular artist on both titles). In a much later story, Strange would cast a spell that banished vampires from the Earth (of course it wouldn’t last).

10. DOCTOR STRANGE WAS A  1960’s COUNTER-CULTURE ICON

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The Marvel heroes were extremely popular with the 60’s college students, but Strange struck a chord with those, ahem, experimenting. The offices of the NYC Marvel bullpen were bombarded with letters wondering just which “substances” were inspiring these flights into other dimensions. Stan Lee always insisted that he never indulged in anything stronger than a martini. This notion was further fueled by Thomas Wolfe’s 1968 book “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test”. Wolfe mentioned that author Ken Kesey (“One Flew Over the Cukoo’s Nest) and his merry band of LSD-fueled pranksters were huge fans of the doctor’s comic book adventures.

There ya’ go! Oh alright, here’s a bonus: Strange was named checked in another Marvel Studios movie. In 2014’s CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER, when SHIELD agent Jasper Sitwell  is confronted by Cap, Black Widow, and the Falcon about potential Hydra targets, he rattles off a list that includes,”…Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange..”.

And that’s really it! You should be all set to grab a big tub of popcorn (or any snack), plop down in a plush, reclining seat, slip on those 3-D specs and witness the feature film debut of that superior spellcaster. Who says this isn’t the Marvel Studios era of titanic, terrific top ten lists? Excelsior!

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THE GEEKIE AWARDS: Created For Geeks, By Geeks – With Seth Green Presenting Stan Lee an Award On 8/18

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The Geekie Awards are created for Geeks, by Geeks, with Seth Green Presenting the Lifetime Achievement Award to Mr. Stan “The Man” Lee on August 18th. This is the first live broadcast geek-genre awards show supporting indie artists and creators.

The Geekie Awards was created by über geek girl, Kristen Nedopak, in order to celebrate the most talented independent creators, artists, and filmmakers in the geek genre.  This awards show stands alone as one that will showcase the multitude of genres within the geek world to an international audience of industry leaders and fans who may not otherwise discover it, via a live broadcast event.

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Presenters confirmed to date include: Richard Hatch (Battlestar Galactica), Grant Imahara (Mythbusters), Brea Grant (Dexter, Heroes), Kevin Shinick (MAD, Robot Chicken), Andrew Bowen (Rock Jocks, MAD), Winner Twins (award winning sci-fi authors), Ashley Esqueda (host of Techfoolery), Bonnie Burton (Star Wars Craft, Geek DIY), and Stephanie Thorpe (ElfQuest).With only a month away until the award show, The Geekies team (http://www.thegeekieawards.com/team), presenters (http://www.thegeekieawards.com/presenters), judges (http://www.thegeekieawards.com/judges), and award nominees (http://www.thegeekieawards.com/2013-nominees) have been gearing up to make this first annual ceremony the best and most fun event in the independent industry.

To get an idea of what people would like to see at “The Geekie Awards”, many of the Geekies representatives have been traveling to various conventions this last year, asking fans and celebrities a-like, “What #RUGeekie for?” Following the requests of fans and head geeks, the Geekies will be a combination of Hollywood pizzazz with the geekieness of a comic convention in a classy-yet-fun way. The night will include artists walking around in award-winning costumes to show attendees gifted with a badge that activates a mobile sci-fi video game (developed by Neon Roots).  A brand new statue, a sci-fi inspired ray gun in Geekie blue (designed by Soulcake), was unveiled today and will be presented to Stan Lee and the award winners on August 18th.

Giving the Geekies a few words of wisdom, the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, POW! Entertainment’s Stan Lee (http://therealstanlee.com/) adds, “I am excited to be honored with the first ever Lifetime Achievement Award by The Geekie Awards. I guess one can say I have been known to be ‘geekie’ but to honor me with the first ever award is extraordinary! Thank you to Kristen Nedopak and her entire team for choosing me.”

Presenting Stan Lee with his Lifetime Achievement Award on August 18th will be Actor/Writer/Comedian, and all-around-geek creator, Seth Green (http://www.sethgreenonline.com/).  Green has starred in numerous films and television series including all three Austin Powers films, The Italian Job,Party Monster, Without a Paddle, Can’t Hardly Wait, Old Dogs and dozens more. Green also stars in the upcoming 20th/Fox live action series Dads as Eli, a manboy with a successful video business whose nightmare absentee dad (Peter Riegert) unexpectedly moves in with him and wreaks havoc. The show extends his relationship with Family Guy boss Seth MacFarlane, where Green has voiced Chris Griffin since the series’ inception. In addition, Green voices A-Bomb on Disney XD’s upcoming Marvel’s Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. Green is the creator/executive producer/writer/director/ primary voice talent for Robot Chicken, which won the 2010 Emmy for Outstanding Short Format Animation series. The series and three Robot Chicken: Star Wars specials have all earned Emmy nominations and Green has been singled out for many voice-over nominations and is currently nominated again for both voice-over and Outstanding Animation Series Short Format.

“This is a show for geeks, by geeks and a true celebration of up-and-coming, talented artists. As an independent creator, I know all about hard work, sleepless nights, and the rejection artists deal with to get their careers off the ground. This show is a perfect example of that. A year ago it was a concept in my head, but with passion, determination and the help of an amazing team of people, sponsors who are willing to take the risk and support the vision, and all of our loving fans and nominees, we’re going to pull off the biggest first year award show ever. Our judges and presenters are coming on board as established creators, talent and geeks. They stand for everything our award nominees and audience look up to, and I can’t thank them enough for their faith and participation in this inaugural event. Of course, we are so excited to give Stan Lee our very first Lifetime Achievement Award too! He’s has been and always will be a huge inspiration to so many creators, and he deserves the highest honor we can give. We are creating something epic here, and it makes me giddy to see how excited everyone is to take part of history in the making,” explains Kristen Nedopak, Executive Producer and show concept creator.

Even bigger discounts were announced to those Geeks who attended the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con. For those who did not attend SDCC13, you can still pick up Geekie postcards with discount codes at the following sponsor stores in Los Angeles: Whimsic Alley, Clockwork Couture, Romancing the Bean, Mindfullnest, Pricilla’s Café, and Dark Delicacies.  To receive your discount, all tickets must be purchased by Friday, July 26th.

The Geekie Awards, in association with Nedopak Productions LLC, would like to acknowledge some of the sponsors for the first annual award show in Hollywood, CA: The Avalon Hollywood, Seagate, Soulcake, Neon Roots, ZAGG, WebMovement LLC, Sci-Fi Alliance, Camadeus, Comikaze, WeWork, Ta’Varen Tees, Hachitan Entertainment, Whimsic Alley, Showbiz Store & Café, Full Moon Events, and W1N Digital Studios.

About The Avalon Hollywood:
In 2002 the original Hollywood Playhouse was transformed by a state-of-the-art facelift; orchestrated at the hands of owner John Lyons.  Without compromising the Spanish Colonial architecture of this historic space, Avalon was born and has grown into one of the most prestigious venues for live performances & events including The Beatles’ first west coast performance, first broadcast of the American Music Awards, The Rolling Stones, Nirvana, Madonna, Jerry Lewis, James Brown, Frank Sinatra, Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake and the Black Eyed Peas, to name a few.

Additional information about The Avalon Hollywood is available at: http://avalonhollywood.com/

About The Geekie Awards:
The 2013 Geekie Awards presents the first-ever live streamed geek-genre award show featuring the best indie-created short films, web series, comic books, artists, designers, toy/game makers and more across 9 major categories. The multi-camera live streaming / online broadcast will reach an international audience of millions and celebrate any and every genre from Sci-Fi to Fantasy to Steampunk, Horror, Anime, and more. ‘The Geekie Awards’ is a registered trademark of Nedopak Productions, LLC.

Additional information about The Geekie Awards is available at: www.TheGeekieAwards.com

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Win Prizes From THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: T-Shirt & Signed Poster By Mark Webb/Stan Lee

One of the most beloved and iconic super heroes of all time reemerges in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, available now on Blu-ray™/DVD Combo Pack, Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, DVD, and a Limited Edition Gift Set with collectible Spider-Man and Lizard figurines, all with UltraViolet™ from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Presented for the first time in at-home 3D, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN tells the story of teenage Peter Parker, who grapples with both high school and amazing super-human crises as his alter-ego Spider-Man battles the Lizard. Read Jim Batts’ review HERE.

Before you grab your popcorn and settle in at home to watch THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, WAMG invites you to enter your name and email in our comments section below to win these two AMAZING prizes from the movie!

1 ASM t-shirt
1 Poster signed by Mark Webb/Stan Lee (with certificate of authenticity)

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. PRIZE WILL ONLY BE SHIPPED TO US ADDRESSES. NO P.O. BOXES.

2. WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PRIZES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN™ is the story of Peter Parker (Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Sheen) and Aunt May (Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. When Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents’ disappearance – leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans), his father’s former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors’ alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.

Based on the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN was directed by Marc Webb from the screenplay by James Vanderbilt and Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves, and a story by James Vanderbilt. Stan Lee, Kevin Feige and Michael Grillo served as executive producers, with Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach as producers.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN is available on Blu-ray and DVD now.

http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/theamazingspiderman/