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TO THE HASHI: The Problem With Invulnerable Heroes
I have a problem with invulnerable heroes. And I prefer Batman to Superman. Let’s go ahead and get that out of the way.
My reason, on the surface, is a simple one. But when we lay it out on the table, it’s much more existentially complex. The knowledge that a character can be harmed bears a direct relationship to how compelling their battles are. And even though we know, like in the case of Batman, that the hero likely will not die during the proceedings of the story, the foundation of their heroics can be measured by the quality of their risks. Put another way, we know they won’t die but we never question whether they can die, or whether they can be harmed in the process of not dying.
On the other hand, a hero that does not risk much, let alone his or her mortality, to do what she does will fall short in the departments of dramatic heft and empathy.
Let’s look at some of the film offerings of recent years and at what they have to say on the topic. On what they have to say about heroic archetypes in general. We’ll allow the definition of “hero” to extend to protagonist, or, in some, the human foil to the stories’ central characters. Take Transformers: Age of Extinction on the latter distinction, wherein we’re given a new set of human characters through which to experience the battle between the honorable Autobots and the duplicitous Decepticons. Where the Transformers themselves are concerned (since most of them, anyway, are treated as little more than busy sentient props), we’ve become intimately accustomed to their physical limitations and vulnerabilities. We see them die left and right in ways that would make even the most carnage-weary of human war veterans blush. But what about their human counterparts? Tour Lebouf in the first three films made a culture of ridiculous survivals, but while the soft reboot might have indeed kept its promise to up the robot drama, it evolved its handling of the human characters in stark contrast. Make no mistake; a guy gets incinerated in the film. But for the most part, the world of Transformers 4 can’t decide whether the human body is made of flesh and bone or Nerf foam and rubber.
Just take a gander at the scene where Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg)’s daughter, Tessa (Nicola Peltz), is fleeing from Galvatron with Optimus Prime. Not only does she go flying from a semi moving at breakneck speed, she also goes on a roll race with Prime on concrete as a wrestling match between two giant robots unfolds directly on top of her. Cade himself moments later drops onto his ass from a fall no less than 60 feet without even pulling a hamstring. (Full disclosure: I might have forgiven the scene if he’d at least pulled a goddamn hamstring.)
So at this point we have the problem of credibility in risk. We’re confused over whether we can really fear for the lives of the human protagonist set. When we see the autobots Globetrotting the humans around like basketballs during the fight scenes, the element of risk becomes….problematic. The same problem was presented, albeit to a lesser extent, in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live action reboot. At one point the intrepid reporter April O’Neal magically becomes Spider-Man when the script needs her to survive a fall off of a skyscraper, and in another she and her colleague survive their own bout with a semi that, if he saw it, would presumably make Optimus Prime spill his energon. These scenes didn’t ruin the film, but they did dilute the impact of the characters’ survival. And the empathy felt for them.
Even though the robot physics are off, the human characters in 2013’s Pacific Rim are presented in believable danger. Also, none of them inexplicably float during hand to hand fights –so that’s a plus. (More on that later.)
Riddle me this. What’s the difference between the heroics on display in a great superhero film and an excellent martial arts actioner? In terms of the risk factor, not much. The Raid 2, sequel to Gareth Evans’ 2011 martial arts extravaganza, The Raid: Redemption, gave us a display of martial arts fighters skilled with abilities that, while essentially grounded in realism, pushed the boundaries of fighting prowess to near superhuman dimensions. However, the characters all experienced worlds of hurt that set the audience dancing in cringes. We felt every cut, punch, kick, body slam, and fall. We felt the characters’ mortality. And even though we were quite sure that the main protagonist would survive the movie, the experience of watching him get there was wrought with the adrenaline rush of vicarious risk.
In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, we take the journey with Steve Rodgers, a super soldier that is armed with abilities that make his fight prowess strong in comic book proportions and his body freakishly durable, and yet the heroics remain tempered by compatible augments in the risk factors he is surrounded by. We know he can still die, can get stabbed, shot –killed. And more importantly, he knows this as well and shows it.
John Wick, another action film from 2014, starred Keanu Reeves as the titular character, a retired elite assassin brought out of hibernation to exact righteous revenge on a crew of thugs. He is just a man, to be sure. But as the protagonist in an action film, his fight prowess and handgun marksmanship make him a character that could believably exist in the same universe as Captain America, and yet what he does in the film, or the world in which he does it, never traipses over into comic book movie conventions. We know that he can die (if he does, he will stay dead!), and at the beginning of the film it is even hinted that he just might. He gets stabbed, shot, beaten to a pulp. All credible and compelling, never sacrificing the empathy quotient.
Compare that to Tom Cruise in John Woo’s Mission: Impossible 2, where we’re essentially back on Cybertron: Land of Pliable Humans. The fights are cartoonish, the physics would piss off Thanos in the Marvel Universe, and Tom Cruise barely even messes his hair.
In Lucy (2014), the humans only use 10% of their brains trope is exploited as Scarlett Johansson grows into what can adequately be described as a living deity. Her powers include the awkward need of a gun toting human companion despite being able to freeze her enemies in time and make them float with her thoughts.
There’s that mention of floating again. Who remembers Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li? A show of hands. Well, that film is not unlike its ugly cousin, Dragonball: Evolution, in that it seemed to have been actively engaged in a grudge war with the martial arts genre. Neither of these count as wushu films, so there’s no excuse for the ridiculous floating. But both films give us cartoonish martial arts so silly looking that they bleed the scenes of their dramatic punch. The only danger the fighters are in is embarrassing themselves, so there is nothing to be gained from watching them survive and ultimately win. The further the element of realism is stretched, I think, the more important it is that a foundation of danger for the characters be stressed. If your villain can shoot energy blasts, you’d better have a hero that can be hurt by them.
I had a similar problem with 2003’s Daredevil. Admittedly, many of the fight and action scenes were sharp. And yes, the titular character is a superhero, one that exists in a universe with a guy that can kill a man by tossing a toothpick at him from across a room. But at no point are we ever provided evidence that a highly acrobatic blind man can feasibly throw himself into freefall from over a hundred feet and land down softly in a pounce like a cartoon cat without breaking some bones. Can’t we, like, get a cracked fibula?
There is a place for invulnerable heroes, however. Indeed, a story about one can provide for some interesting explorations in emotional conflict. But if we are to truly appreciate the physical dilemma of the archetype or experience explored, we need for there to be more at risk for him or her than a bad hair day and some dirty clothes.
Khalil Barnett is a martial arts practioner living in Florida, and is also a filmmaker, writer, producer and actor starring in the independent action drama series, The Way, still active in production. Visit the official Facebook page for more info.
Lead Photo: Hugh Jackman as Logan (a.k.a. Wolverine) in X2: X-Men United (2003) from 20th Century Fox



Is ZAMBO DENDE Bringing Aboard Larnell Stovall?
The actors are currently in Bogota, Colombia preparing for the film. Stovall previously shared the ring with Zaror for the stellar action sequences in Isaac Florentine’s 2010 MMA cult hit, Undisputed 3: Redemption, in addition to Mortal Kombat: Legacy for both respective seasons with Shahlavi and Lee. Gabrielli R may be relatively new for some as he is to me, the director is already known for his recent success with his 2012 thriller, La Lectora, as well as his latest film, 5. In lieu of this, the line-up here alone should provide confidence for another stellar cinematic hit in the months to come.
Marko Zaror Mentioned For Superhero Role In ZAMBO DENDE
Marko Zaror as ‘Dolor’ in Undisputed 3: Redemption (2010)
Prospects for martial arts action fans alike can’t be greater than they are now, specifically for fans of Chilean action hero Marko Zaror (Mandrill). In recent years, he’s been earning even more attention with other titles, namely Isaac Florentine’s Undisputed 3: Redemption and a small, notable role in Robert Rodriguez’s Machete Kills with Danny Trejo. And, in lieu of these and other projects and films still pending, we now have news of development for an upcoming film following a tweet by director Riccardo Gabrielli R which read the following:
@markozaror mañana nos vemos para otro gran proyecto! #ZamboDende
— Riccardo Gabrielli R (@riccafilm) October 18, 2014
“See you tomorrow for another great project.”
As so hashtagged, the name of the film would be called Zambo Dende, based on the work of comic-book creator Nicholas Rodriguez following an announcement late last year that Disney would be collaborating with a group of young Colombians for said film. The character is reportedly based on real life events with a story set in the fourteenth century about a child named Azuk who would rise from oppression to become a fighting force for the oppressed slaves of Latin America, ultimately foreseeing his royal destiny preset by the assassination of his mother. The film was previously titled The Games Maker and was set to release this year, but now looks like it will begin production sometime next year instead for a likely 2016 release, although further details are needed.
This wouldn’t be the first time Zaror has taken on a superhero likeness in some form or another, with vigilante roles in films like Kiltro and Mirage Man, the latter which was once on a path toward a higher quality 3D remake with former Jackie Chan fall guy-turned-director Andy Cheng before progress evidently floundered. Hopefully these developments will pan much better with more results following the Chilean rising superstar’s reunion with director Ernesto Diaz Espinoza for their latest 2014 Fall festival fave Redeemer. It’ll be a thing of beauty, I reckon.
After this, Zaror will be joining XYZ Films’ next, One Good Thing from Killers co-helmer Kimo Stamboel directing, and recurring The Raid franchise actor Yayan Ruhian co-starring.
Stay tuned for more info!
H/T: Twitchfilm
Photo w/ Marko from ‘Redeemer’ Set
Mortal Kombat Legacy's Peter Shinkoda Joins Netflix's DAREDEVIL
Blinded as a young boy but imbued with extraordinary senses, Matt Murdock fights against injustice by day as a lawyer, and by night as the super hero Daredevil in modern day Hell’s Kitchen, New York City.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER Comes Home On DVD & Blu-Ray This Summer
Marvel’s release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier back in April was one of the most celebrated, made prolific with its contribution to the titular cinematic universe as a spectacular lead-in to the current production of The Avengers: Age Of Ultron. The film also became widely known for its principle stuntwork with headlines featuring stunt performer and actor Chris Evans’s stunt double Sam Hargrave in CBS’s on-set coverage, in addition to our own Darren Bailey who sat down for Film Combat Syndicate’s first-ever YouTube-exclusive interview with Anthony Mackie’s stunt double, actor and stuntman Aaron Toney, and Sebastian Stan’s stunt double, James Young, who also choreographed the film’s exhilarating fight action.
If you haven’t seen the film in theaters, then you’re in luck this week. The film will finally be arriving in several home formats, including Digital 3D, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on August 19, as well as on Blu-ray, DVD, On Demand and on 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack on September 9, including bonus features like Making-of Featurettes, Audio Commentary, Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes, Bloopers and much more. And today, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is supplying the fans with a first look at the DVD and Blu-Ray box art, which you can check out below.
The film is directed by Joe and Anthony Russo who will return to the helm for Captain America 3, releasing in theaters on May 6, 2016 alongside Warner Bros. release of Batman V. Superman: The Dawn Of Justice. Director Joss Whedon’s The Avengers: Age Of Ultron will release a year earlier on May 1, 2015.
H/T: Comingsoon.net


Channing Tatum Officially Signs On For A 'Gambit' Project
Director Bryan Singer‘s new film, X-Men: Days Of Future Past is all the rage this month with fans pouring out for several star-studded red carpet premieres being held around as per the recently announced X-Men X-Perience which kicked off in New York last week. The film will make its way to theaters in the UK and North America next weekend as screenwriter Simon Kinberg continues to maintain the excitement over the previously announced 2016 installation of X-Men: Apocalypse, citing a “massive scale and scope” with respect to constructing that part of the story.
Bearing all this in mind, the forthcoming sequel might possibly include some of the original cast members from the 2000 movie and on (and that is only if the unconfirmed rumors from several public sources online are true), and that may include the appearance of Gambit, by way of 22 Jumpstreet star, actor Channing Tatum, who has already expressed much interest in playing the role since late last year. “I would like to play Gambit. Gambit’s my favorite,” he said. “I’m from New Orleans, around that area. My dad’s from New Orleans, and I like to do a Cajun accent. I could do it for real. No knock on Taylor Kitsch, though, ’cause I actually like his Gambit, but I’ve always lived around Cajun people. […] Gambit was always like the woman-loving, cigarette-smoking, drinking [guy]. He was the punk rock of all the superheroes. He’s a thief. He kind of rode the line.”.
The move is also strongly supported by franchise producer Lauren Schuler Donner who told Empire in January, “I’m dying to do a Gambit movie with Channing Tatum… That doesn’t have to be a great big movie. It’s a thief in New Orleans, it’s a whole different story. He’s on board, and I have to get the studio on board. How can anyone resist Channing? He’s such a sweetheart.”.
As of this week, reports confirm that Tatum has signed on for a project that will include the role of Gambit, previously played by actor Taylor Kitsch in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. What is not yet known is to what degree Tatum will get to play the role, be it in Apocalypse or a standalone feature. Rest assured, the G.I. Joe and White House Down actor is officially on board for a new action role that will no doubt cater to the hardcore fan base extending to the armada of Marvel moviegoers who may have been waiting to see him on screen fourteen years after Singer‘s X-Men.
Tatum will star alongside actress Mila Kunis in Warner Bros. July 18 theatrical release of the Wachowskis’ new intergalactic action adventure, Jupiter Ascending.
Stay tuned for more info!
H/T: CBM

One Woman Holds The Key To Our Salvation in The New Trailer For OYA: RISE OF THE ORISHA
The superhero genre has generated massive fanfare with the largely popular, commercial successes of Marvel and DC movies for decades now, especially with both entites gaining ground in their respective properties. But the one thing that does stand out for some people in a specific niche is the lack of prominent African lead actors and actresses in such films. Sure, we can highlight films like Spawn and, the Blade trilogy, and even several notable TV, film and online efforts over the last twenty years, although there still would not be a matching numerical comparison.
As such, the trend of developing lead African superhero characters in one form or another has seen a small spike in growth, in part, as previously reported on this site and several others. And this week, adding to that list is the latest crowdfunded shortfilm production for Oya: Rise Of The Orisha, which looks to blend genuine African culture and mythos with spectacular superheroine fanfare in the form of lead actress Ethosheia Hylton. Directed by VFX wizard Nosa Ignebideon, the project serves as a precursor to a hopeful feature film, and with today’s dazzling new trailer, superhero film fans alike are now given a new reason to expand their entertainment scope.
Watch the trailer and stay tuned for more info.
SYNOPSIS:
According to the Yoruba religion of Nigeria [West Africa] Orishas are a collective of charismatic deities with specialised supernatural gifts, powers and responsibilities. They are comparable to the gods of the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Roman civilisation. Tradition has it that these supernatural beings once walked the earth with humanity. The reverence and worship that was shown to them by the ordinary Yoruba people elevated their status and increased their power
》For centuries the doorway between the world of the Orishas and our world has remained closed, until now. Our hero, Ade, is one of the few people with a connection to one of the gods, Oya. She has been tasked with the job of protecting the innocent and that means keeping the door to the gods shut. If the doorway to the gods is opened, they will wreak chaos upon us as retribution for our abandonment of them. To keep the door shut, she must find ‘the key’, a young girl with the potential to open the doorway, and keep her safe.
The adventure unfolds with a host of memorable characters and a string of unexpected twists, Ade, goes in search of the key, battling against those who wish to open portal and unleashing a horde of forgotten gods and goddesses into the world, with powers and skills beyond our comprehensive and supernatural gifts which will change the course of history for mankind, forever.
H/T: Shadow And Act / Indiewire

Get Hooked On A Feeling And Watch The New Trailer For Marvel's GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
Lego fans can get their hands on three new construction sets attributed to Marvel’s upcoming release of Guardians Of The Galaxy which will hit store shelves beginning June 1, exactly two months before the forthcoming film hits theaters nationwide. And on that note, accompanying lead actor Chris Pratt‘s late Tuesday night interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live is this week’s new trailer with all our characters front-and-center.
Written and directed by James Gunn, Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy further expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe following last year’s release of Thor: The Dark World, with actor Benecio Del Toro expanding his role a little more in the new film as The Collector. Del Toro joins Knight Rider reboot candidate, actor Chris Pratt along with actor Dave Bautista, actress and Avatar saga co-star Zoe Saldana, with voice performances by actors Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper.
Watch the trailer at the bottom of the page and stay tuned for more info.
From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team—the Guardians of the Galaxy. An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits—Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand—with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.
Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which first appeared in comic books in Marvel Super-Heroes, Issue #18 (Jan. 1969), stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, featuring Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, with John C. Reilly, Glenn Close as Commander Rael and Benicio del Toro as The Collector.
James Gunn is the director of the film with Kevin Feige producing, and Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Jeremy Latcham, Alan Fine and Stan Lee serve as executive producers. The story is by Nicole Perlman and James Gunn, with screenplay by James Gunn. Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” releases in U.S. theaters on August 1, 2014.
Monsters Beware! Tokyo Has A New Defender In The New Trailer GAION SIGMA
Independent filmmaker and actor Bueno is set to air a bootleg version of Garage Hero’s long-awaited NSFW tokusatsu action adventure thrill ride, Gun Caliber, exclusively on Vimeo for a limited time beginning April 18. However, the rising cult independent suit action favorite is currently ramping promotional efforts for his second feature film with co-director Motoharu Takauji and Zen Pictures for the forthcoming release of Gaion Sigma.
The Future Of Vigilante Justice Has A New 'Face' In The Crowdfunder For Fantasy Action Thriller, WENDY!
In the not so distant future, on a cold English winter night, we find a dystopian vision of a post-industrial hell. Where for a time so called ‘Superheroes’ weren’t just confined to existing in comic books. Tonight is the 10-year anniversary of the mysterious and destructive event that claimed the life of Britain’s most famous vigilante ‘The Face’, society has descended into overpopulated desensitised squalor.
BATMAN/SUPERMAN Update: Gal Gadot Has Been Lifting…Bro.
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Paul Bettany To Become The 'Vision' Of THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
It’s been a busy month of February for developing news around Marvel’s current production of The Avengers: Age Of Ultron, with filming locations hinting at a gym in New York City, as well as locations in South Africa this month, in addition to reports that events in the preceding Captain America: The Winter Soldier will contribute to events in the new Avengers film which may or may not include Ms. Marvel. But while all other developments are being made to get the information straight, we can at least confirm one more role to be introduced in the form of Vision, to be played by Paul Bettany.
The character has a few shared origins in the Avengers canon, but it appears Marvel is going the route of the character’s creation by way of character Tony Stark’s creation of Ultron when Ultron goes rogue and hacks J.A.R.V.I.S. (Stark’s cyberbutler also voiced by Bettany in all three Iron Man films and The Avengers). As a result, we are introduced into Vision, an android with phsyical male human traits and remakable abilities Ultron uses to his advantage to try and defeat the Avengers until Vision learns the truth and teams up with Avengers against Ultron.
Bettany joins newly announced actress Elizabeth Olsen who plays Vision’s love interest, Scarlet Witch, and actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson who plays her twin brother, Quicksilver. The three are accompanied by returnung cast members Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders and Iron Man 2 and 3 actor Don Cheadle, with James Spader and Thomas Kretschmann rounding out the principal cast.
The film is written and directed by Joss Whedon and opens May 1, 2015 as per its pending release slate of films within the purview of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including director James Gunn’s August 1, 2014 release of Guardians Of The Galaxy and its pending 2016 sequel, the release of Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man on July 17, 2015, and the productions of Thor 3 and Captain America 3 as well.