Chris Hemsworth: Baby eating in the Canaries

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1VCN_qmAQ8fi_2r8oIQaXP-7PxJ4gGUyd2hLzTvaAO9ZK1gfFvlQrGS0Y-DZTIdqPiHiGA6LJbdhr88dwSoy9nWiaN0LDWKIBYNTZrB15rYDCUzuzhz4uW14WON6IFwdu3ohR1m5Zes/s1600/Chris+Hemsworth+Baby+eating+in+the+Canaries.jpg" /></div><br />Another portion of emotion from the mighty Thor Chris Hemsworth's waiting for you under the cut! -) <br /><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><!-- biner3 --><ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:468px;height:60px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-8441125172513237" data-ad-slot="7346003106"></ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script><br />Australian, married to a Spaniard, Elsa Pataky, you know, she brought with her a couple of nice cat-daughter India, which is now 18 months. And just like the hero of our previous News - Megan Fox's son Noah - India soon will be in the family elder, as her beauty-mom expecting her second baby. Elsa's stomach until it is too obvious, but it is still now the fourth month of the beginning of his spacious drape clothes. <br /><br />Together with the little India, husband and his parents Craig and Leonie Elsa resting on one of the Canary Islands - La Homer. Photographers caught the entire company for a walk and found that they showed up competitor - himself, Chris, who did "paparazzi", taking my daughter to the camera. She hesitated at first, but after "Thor" has promised to eat it for lunch (and even almost completed "threat" -)), began to pose willingly.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRjgyC0grk25Oh-7Io2c7jrdR1kpD6Axtd0PqyFKoV0Ot_SgOhKzpVKDaLWI6mMyL1tWtQn9omm-g0ocz8vdUgfP07_i1LibH8wtAZs0zOnIOk8rnzhE7Jsy2hVRMlqo-KpmRsr6cqdA/s1600/Chris+Hemsworth+1.jpg" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpgdHD_7P64UwcOmLOijyyn6-p6vNGx60eISnNkQSKeSN_mDK_4joTQtg_8zZqiqBl2F5ftu3I3vFF3GC27lYqz8A6P6Ej2mjSIShZaJBQ_egduToHeM1L9s-J6YqoHDcwoi4LwT41O2g/s1600/Chris+Hemsworth+2.jpg" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQzrh_D-kLw54c9LhKswswqrFPuDUFEHyC49yANPQqJb3yI5VxwfVmnwVY_wXsN3hhnUhNo46scqYZighCRJwNPzL7wg9zWFajoIkR9LwXjElyQ4pNCkYd4jeqGtaqYa-_zdpGigWitM/s1600/Chris+Hemsworth+4.jpg" width="224" /><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbtzRs1IZIcxHh371wMntuhGrCwmSpnt7aU0-iKVM-ithwfa-Pj96LCd6MVeVL-lOzJRLl9EDilGqfglg_CpGH4nOzSDZfT6gSicwbo3jtFuAJrYonHAhGIHr9mSyY8OaDJ1CXXI5PCA/s1600/Chris+Hemsworth+3.jpg" width="224" /></div><br /><center><script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "ca-pub-8441125172513237"; /* bleu 280 */ google_ad_slot = "8164661108"; google_ad_width = 336; google_ad_height = 280; //--></script><script type="text/javascript" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script></center><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmUcq2C4GKWk9j_t99_35sG2fAkEv8T58dgnUUnthrsoskiKGZh5mZkmaGZI3uFx3eJxzOQGGlfMJZWRXV6so-u_oh2eaFsj4k5Flp7-POCouBqyQ3Trx09BdKZUdAsg5TQMaUi3clKU/s1600/Chris+Hemsworth+5.jpg" /></div> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqwMOPWf6JFW7LyG6vhEHUlAHznN2U61KDmzAlhJHm0ZPmVrciQhzGc0EfArgQ-YaizyZ-8PraRXArxYjz4BasGFmRwEOZW_uJOt6S55Ff4k1oi3vzLNdBU81rjLrFfpHaSfdhfCMRgA/s1600/Chris+Hemsworth+6.jpg" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1ntCMEV0Xh8Y8K2FC0xy3nlzZ5o_3V_ULzsMAhNG_5JhgmrUxK_AZ_utHtBHUeJZEJyEKGqHOs3kjIal0qTILUFgRQivP-MvnJ5fhwzWLKxFXXIyKCQxqDSy4D9DR4OYb8ok4QLG53s/s1600/Chris+Hemsworth+7.jpg" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNcf18G87hPi2xNkZsh3WtvjNgZd7ke7AjmoKkFauiu0r5D4o6I0YHDgyYZ_XF6iJ5rbP3PgipmOfwX6CRHurRi-TZcYAwDljCwf1YsDWmRzP_by-cOKYNbrxnvM1RbQSv11198KcMlsU/s1600/Chris+Hemsworth+8.jpg" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3wxpAN8TfqrLP91sPIy5WCMGiHjIZ_FAZZzvnSL840urGNkBk4fHZH4VcD40rU-2ZsBUdRM9H0-3AWoVG75PPHNXhC7GFOc1yskVhialp4x7B8dmMn5vIkB1NCYFRmRAFb1yHXtCHbE/s1600/Chris+Hemsworth+10.jpg" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglMwv7E1yKWXILaxuFpPHeT3tL3TyYALAQfAhHGmZxwN9yO7sHz-5SJtldRGr3ef3u7zl2CTvaOgM-SuUyjpmAL1LVDqSpJhguMk_cAwiHGNUUejzb6h1Yl7_HH8YkDpGqCfyOYK2syps/s1600/Chris+Hemsworth+11.jpg" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJBmItThk4M6t4Or8_JQ6KJk7o_FPFLYozPbAOorY24obl_SvT4AgpaNomwVsoW9z7wfaBdhSLTau1lvN69cDD3wT6XduQooWGMgdRiIQ_YsmwJacyplAxuIB1XVR7m5_E9JoN49kFoE/s1600/Chris+Hemsworth+12.jpg" /></div><br /><br />

Chris Hemsworth paparazzi Chris Hemsworth: Baby eating in the Canaries

Another portion of emotion from the mighty Thor Chris Hemsworth's waiting for you under the cut! -) Australian, married to a Spaniard, E...

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Thor, The Dark World: Another rich superhero soufflé

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><b><i>Thor: The Dark World</i> </b></span></span></span></span></span></span><b>(2013) • <a href="http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/marvel/thorthedarkworld/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">View trailer</a></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><b> </b><br /><b>Four stars. Rating: PG-13, for rather grim action violence</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a> • </b></span>Originally published in <i><a href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">The Davis Enterprise</a></i>, 11.8.13</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One must give considerable credit to the master planners behind the current Marvel Comics movie franchise.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITCeOeGLJRi7yMWZ56CGUwitgTJFlUvhmyrI5OsTqr4iQt754WgFFGEY4EyQvHLecmgU1pmYXeObQ-jSFdfLbQwiE7SgtJk3-kDMMKK0k9WF8CaSKKJf1zIiN8Vr7_k7LxfsX4D5PNxk/s1600/Thor+2+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITCeOeGLJRi7yMWZ56CGUwitgTJFlUvhmyrI5OsTqr4iQt754WgFFGEY4EyQvHLecmgU1pmYXeObQ-jSFdfLbQwiE7SgtJk3-kDMMKK0k9WF8CaSKKJf1zIiN8Vr7_k7LxfsX4D5PNxk/s400/Thor+2+blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">After Thor (Chris Hemsworth, right) reluctantly frees Loki (Tom Hiddleston) from his<br />Asgardian cell, Jane (Natalie Portman, foreground center) angrily warns the "god of<br />lies" that she'll go postal on him, if he even thinks of betraying the good guys. The<br />Asgardian warrior Sif (Jaimie Alexander), carrying a long-term torch for Thor, keeps<br />her own wary eye on Loki.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Starting with 2008’s <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2008/05/iron-man-plenty-of-mettle.html">Iron Man</a></i>, and with no missteps, they’ve delivered a consistently entertaining blend of action, light humor and engaging character drama: no small feat, given the supplementary requirement of making these films accessible both to longtime comic book geeks and “regular folks.” Some films have slipped a little; others — notably <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2012/05/avengers-well-assembled.html">The Avengers </a></i>— have been excellent. All things considered, we’ve been having a rollicking good time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(The <i>X-Men</i> and <i>Spider-Man</i> series have been equally well mounted, and kudos to them, as well. But — thus far — they’ve not been integrated into the current tapestry that showcases Thor, Captain America, the Hulk, the Avengers and SHIELD.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Credit a blend of savvy directors, carefully calibrated scripts and strong casts, with equal attention paid to the all-essential supporting characters. It’s not easy to construct action epics this massive — with an ever-expanding back-story — while also penning droll, slightly mocking one-liners that demonstrate a willingness not to take things <i>too</i> seriously. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I haven’t seen that formula applied so capably since Sean Connery’s early James Bond escapades.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All of which brings us to <i>Thor: The Dark World</i>, which benefits from equally suitable acting talent. Broad-shouldered Chris Hemsworth is every inch the Asgardian warrior, absolutely fit to wield that marvelous magic hammer, and he also manages to look imperial — rather than silly — in that ridiculously ornate outfit. Anthony Hopkins brings regal Shakespearean sincerity to the florid dialogue we expect from Odin, ruler of Asgard; and Natalie Portman is a refreshingly brave, intelligent and resourceful human sidekick ... anything <i>but</i> a stock “girl in trouble.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And as also was the case with <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2011/05/thor-smashing-good-time.html">Thor</a></i> and <i>The Avengers</i>, this film is darn near stolen by Tom Hiddleston, so <i>perfectly</i> cast as the villainous, duplicitous trickster god, Loki. Speaking of the Bard, Shakespearean actors have long known that the bad guys have the best parts and get all the grand lines, and Hiddleston’s Loki has become the modern template against which all future fantasy baddies will be judged. He’s simply marvelous.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><a name='more'></a><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rarely have so many smug remarks and scathing denouncements been delivered with such brio. It becomes necessary to watch these films at least twice — no real punishment, that — in order to better savor the subtleties of Hiddleston’s body language: the frustrated fire he gives Loki’s gaze, the condescending set to his stance, the contemptuous sweep of an arm.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Loki dismisses Earth’s inhabitants as being no more significant than ants, we can’t help believing that it’s true.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All this said, Thor’s longtime comic book escapades don’t usually engage me as much as those experienced by other heroic denizens in Marvel’s universe. The scales are simply too large, the premise too celestial. Essentially invulnerable gods inevitably call on all sorts of <i>deus ex machina</i> powers whenever the chips are down; this necessitates enemies who are, somehow, stronger still — and sufficiently threatening — in order to deliver a satisfyingly challenging conflict.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blending Thor’s realm with the Earth-bound moxie of human characters such as Portman’s Jane Foster helps a great deal, of course, and this film plays that card as often as possible. But this story’s universe-threatening menace — or twin menaces, really — is vaguely defined and rather too reminiscent of Tolkien’s <i>Lord of the Rings</i> saga (with spaceships and laser cannons tossed into the mix).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hiddleston’s Loki is a far more interesting character, throughout, than Christopher Eccleston’s pouty Malekith, who — despite his power and ferocity — has no more dramatic substance than the massive stone creature Thor dispatches during an early skirmish. In a word, Malekith isn’t very interesting, and Eccleston does little to make him so.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this respect, then, the film’s five credited writers — Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Don Payne and Robert Rodat — have stumbled a bit. Granted, it’s hard to emote beneath all the makeup that Eccleston is forced to wear, but his character certainly could have displayed more of the feral cunning that makes Loki so fascinating. Our writers have no excuse, really, since Malekith is a long-running “Thor villain” dating back to 1984. Surely, that much published material should have yielded <i>some</i> juicy, deliciously malevolent fruit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Instead, by way of explanation, we get a prologue — narrated by Hopkins’ off-camera Odin, and also reminiscent of <i>Lord of the Rings</i> — that explains how, back in the day, Malekith and his fellow dark elf inhabitants of Svartalfheim, one of the “nine realms” of Norse myth, were defeated while trying to plunge the entire universe into darkness with the help of a roiling black mist dubbed the “aether.” Somehow, this corporeal octopus ink imbues its “host” with even greater dark powers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although believed dead, Malekith actually put himself and his surviving dark elves into hibernation, against a future time when celestial events would grant them an advantage. The Asgardians, meanwhile, were unable to destroy the aether ... just because. So they concealed it where it never, ever, <i>ever</i> would be found. (Yeah, right.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(In passing, I must confess that I’ve never understood the motivations assigned to villains such as Malekith. OK, say he’s successful; he plunges all of Norse mythology’s “nine realms” into darkness, destroying everything and killing everybody. What’s left to do <i>after</i>lunch? Aren’t things, moving forward, apt to be a bit ... boring? Kinda dull? I can only conclude that such baddies aren’t very good at big-picture planning.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(But I digress.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two years have passed since poor Jane last saw her blond, buff boyfriend; we catch her as she tries, reluctantly, to move on by agreeing to a first date with a nice-guy type (Chris O’Dowd, in a cute cameo). That goes awry when Jane’s assistant, Darcy (tart-tongued Kat Dennings, in a welcome return), pops up and jabbers excitedly about some weird readings on one of their quantum physics gizmos.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jane, Darcy and a new intern named Ian (Jonathan Howard) track this disturbance; elsewhere, Jane’s astrophysicist mentor, Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård), has noticed equally odd phenomena ... but nobody is paying attention to him, because the poor guy’s still off his nut after being possessed by Loki in a previous adventure.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jane’s investigations lead to serious trouble when she “warps” into the precise cavern where the aether has been buried. (See? I <i>told</i> you they didn’t hide it well enough!) Worse yet, this ectoplasmic glop swirls into her body and, well, all sorts of bad things follow. Even from his galaxy far, far away, Thor can’t help but notice, and so — with some assistance from the Asgardian sentinel Heimdall (Idris Elba, also a familiar face) — he brings Jane to Asgard. Much to the displeasure of his father, Odin.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cue Malekith’s revival and invasion of Asgard, in order to obtain the aether, and so forth, and so forth. Subsequent skirmishes play out on Svartalfheim and Midgard (Earth), as Malekith anticipates a once-every-five-thousand-year convergence of the nine realms. None of this cosmic nonsense really matters much, except that Thor is forced to accept help from his detested adopted brother, Loki. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which is when the fun <i>really</i>begins.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The broad action canvas allows some crucial participation by Thor’s longtime comrades, the “Warriors Three”: Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Fandral (Zachary Levi) and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano). Jaimie Alexander also returns as the Asgardian warrior Sif, who in Odin’s view is Thor’s perfect match; the scripters missed a bet by not playing up this awkward romantic triangle, and amping up the tension between Sif and Jane.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rene Russo’s Frigga, Odin’s wife, plays a much larger role this time, the actress deftly delivering the proper blend of regal bearing and motherly angst (Loki having become <i>such</i> a disappointment).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Director Alan Taylor displays just the right touch with this bombastic material, and no surprise; he’s a veteran of tough-edged TV shows such as <i>The Sopranos</i>, <i>Boardwalk Empire</i> and <i>Game of Thrones</i>. He and editors Dan Lebental and Wyatt Smith choreograph all the requisite battles with landscape-altering ferocity, but Taylor doesn’t overlook the all-important quieter, character-building moments. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We also can’t help being impressed by the world-building involved, not to mention the intricate opulence of Asgard’s majestic structures: Take a bow, production designer Charles Wood and special effects supervisor Paul Corbould.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Indeed, all the production elements are first-rate, as is typical of these recent Marvel Comics adaptations. Kramer Morgenthau’s cinematography is suitably lavish when on Asgard, and we can feel the grit between our teeth when the scene shifts to rubble-strewn Svartalfheim. Composer Brian Tyler keeps our pulses racing with a suitably heroic score.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everything builds to a grand climax that involves clever and quite amusing use of realm-spanning portals. I’m not quite sure how (or even if) the aether is actually defeated, but then that’s the script’s weak link anyway. At one point, much is made of Jane’s mortal body being unable to contain this gloppy invader’s energy, but somehow that little problem just sorta vanishes. Script-by-committee does tend to leave such plot holes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Comic book geeks will delight in the usual cameo by Marvel guru Stan Lee, and I got a kick out of an unexpected cameo by Chris Evans’ Captain America. And, as usual, you’ll want to remain in your seats for some closing-credits hints of Things To Come.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the final analysis, Thor’s sophomore outing is a bit, ah, casual with some core plot details ... but you’re unlikely to mind, since Taylor builds up plenty of good will while bringing in his film at a fast-paced 112 minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <!--EndFragment--><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looks like it’s another job well done, and full speed ahead for next spring’s <i>Captain America: The Winter Soldier</i>.</span></span></div>

2013 Anthony Hopkins Chris Hemsworth Christopher eccleston fantasy Four Star Films Idris Elba Kat Dennings Marvel Comics Natalie Portman Rene Russo Sequel Series superhero Tom Hiddleston Thor, The Dark World: Another rich superhero soufflé

Thor: The Dark World   (2013) •  View trailer   Four stars. Rating: PG-13, for rather grim action violence By  Derrick Bang  •  Originally p...

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Chris Hemsworth loses weight for new film

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3VfjYFSs4L304LRkU14ggnvWkvOxQN109SV-bMK_sC5Dt6woRKVSYqP6BpC2PdmS6NkMLVCxLEPpK8J1RxUdSLpHTnsHKpUJRIJAxbXSMI9T0zITro-22fD46fLb-rJ5XsvHsumo9EiA/s1600/Chris+Hemsworth+loses+weight+for+new+film.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3VfjYFSs4L304LRkU14ggnvWkvOxQN109SV-bMK_sC5Dt6woRKVSYqP6BpC2PdmS6NkMLVCxLEPpK8J1RxUdSLpHTnsHKpUJRIJAxbXSMI9T0zITro-22fD46fLb-rJ5XsvHsumo9EiA/s1600/Chris+Hemsworth+loses+weight+for+new+film.jpg" /></a></div><br />For his last project, "Thor: The kingdom of darkness" Chris Hemsworth gained about nine pounds of muscle mass, but stay in the image of the hero of his brawny actor was to short. Hemsworth is now busy filming a new movie, "In the Heart of the Sea", for which he has to sit on a strict diet. <br /> <br /> 30-year-old actor went on a TV show Jimmy Kimmel Live, where he spoke about the project director Ron Howard and his endeavors<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"> This is a film based on the true story that inspired Herman Melville to write the novel "Moby Dick." Whaler crashed after the whale attack. The ship's crew rescued on small rafts, which is drifting for 90 days. In general, they are on the verge of death, start eating each other ... Such is the romantic comedy! </blockquote><br /> To be like suffering from hunger, had to throw off the weight not only Hemsworth, but the other actors: <br /> <br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"> We have to be very thin, so we have to use 500-600 calories per day. It's very funny: 15 healthy guys playing sailors sit and talk about counting calories and the fact that you can eat and what is not.</blockquote>According to Chris, the hunger strike is given to him is not easy: <br /> <br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"> What is 600 calories? This may be a milkshake. So sometimes has to do a couple of salads, a small amount of protein and go to bed hungry. Then began a period of complete starvation, when you do not eat anything 15 hours before you start to eat several times a day in small portions.</blockquote>However, as with all slimming happen at the actor and "failures." On the show, he admitted: <br /> <br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"> Now I'm in a great mood. Just a bite of pizza, ate only some ten pieces. But it happens only once a week, and then comes the guilt.</blockquote>It cost if the result of such suffering - will know when the film will be released. The date of its premiere has not been announced, but we already know that in addition to Hemsworth in the film are shot Ben Whishaw and Cillian Murphy.<br /><br /><center><script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "ca-pub-8441125172513237"; /* news-these-days.blogspot.com_bottom-sidebar_AdSense1_336x280_as */ google_ad_slot = "4510619108"; google_ad_width = 336; google_ad_height = 280; //--></script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script></center><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrusXYIm2Z4fRRb3GJiqAvwOlpdPOQPN89uL0LLcrQdvWHFgUjh4t_jx10SK8CzVY_tQBva-dOIR1H-kjCBHDaV5qmAXRh_ZR0d4eBezzMjhVazvLAPDz8_bRxaNBVtlVdTsEPGcbYJA/s1600/Chris+Hemsworth+loses+weight+for+new+film+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrusXYIm2Z4fRRb3GJiqAvwOlpdPOQPN89uL0LLcrQdvWHFgUjh4t_jx10SK8CzVY_tQBva-dOIR1H-kjCBHDaV5qmAXRh_ZR0d4eBezzMjhVazvLAPDz8_bRxaNBVtlVdTsEPGcbYJA/s1600/Chris+Hemsworth+loses+weight+for+new+film+3.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wMuzCY_DU4iD3XBsP2Kofcw_s9viJ9Ix8MYIwVVI5kSBtHt27d1xCa_9sAQtGD2UZQv2Qa1v8rypK9pdPIu1MrXbeK3TeObR20lstcxk3_fdMqpMCdvQNF7ExWehAhKMZQyYL3UTb_0/s1600/Chris+Hemsworth+loses+weight+for+new+film+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wMuzCY_DU4iD3XBsP2Kofcw_s9viJ9Ix8MYIwVVI5kSBtHt27d1xCa_9sAQtGD2UZQv2Qa1v8rypK9pdPIu1MrXbeK3TeObR20lstcxk3_fdMqpMCdvQNF7ExWehAhKMZQyYL3UTb_0/s1600/Chris+Hemsworth+loses+weight+for+new+film+2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "ca-pub-8441125172513237"; /* boton */ google_ad_slot = "4392536701"; google_ad_width = 200; google_ad_height = 90; //--></script><script type="text/javascript" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script>

Chris Hemsworth Chris Hemsworth loses weight film Chris Hemsworth loses weight for new film

For his last project, "Thor: The kingdom of darkness" Chris Hemsworth gained about nine pounds of muscle mass, but stay in the im...

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Rush: Quite a ride

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><b><i>Rush</i> </b></span></span></span></span></span></span><b>(2013) • <a href="http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/universal/rush/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">View trailer</a></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><b> </b><br /><b>Four stars. Rating: R, for profanity, nudity, sexual content, brief drug use and disturbing images</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a> • </b></span>Originally published in <i><a href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">The Davis Enterprise</a></i>, 9.27.13</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Friends tell you what you want to hear. Enemies tell you what you need to know.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Director Ron Howard’s <i>Rush</i> isn’t merely the fact-based account of an intriguing sports rivalry; it’s also the most exciting auto racing movie to roar into theaters since 1971’s <i>Le Mans</i> ... which, given Steve McQueen’s passion for authenticity and the superb efforts of cinematographers René Guissart Jr. and Robert B. Hauser — not to mention a team of five (!) editors — is high praise indeed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8tvAbKddeXMFrNvFtjRheetm7NkF_rv5Hi2NSrnh43ydqaADolzc0tPs9z4-AjRgM11TLk2aDBNGX7ygzD6C_4jFI5Fz0qdnPKt4mx_qOK1rhqTNUI7Gd_09waWDzhX8GkjGnhU5Khc/s1600/Rush+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8tvAbKddeXMFrNvFtjRheetm7NkF_rv5Hi2NSrnh43ydqaADolzc0tPs9z4-AjRgM11TLk2aDBNGX7ygzD6C_4jFI5Fz0qdnPKt4mx_qOK1rhqTNUI7Gd_09waWDzhX8GkjGnhU5Khc/s400/Rush+blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">The calm before the storm: No love is lost between rival racers James Hunt (Chris<br />Hemsworth, foreground left) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl), each determined to<br />out-drive the other en route to a Formula 1 World Championship. But that isn't the<br />whole story by any means: Their saga is the stuff of sports legend.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No matter. Howard’s collaborators — cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle and editors Daniel P. Hanley and Mike Hill — are up for the challenge. They’re also given a sensational assist by sound designers Danny Hambrook and Markus Stemler, whose ear-splitting attention to detail delivers everything except the pungent, eye-watering stench of high-octane fuel. Which you’ll probably imagine anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But while the visceral exhilaration is palpable, it’s mere backdrop; this film gets its emotional heft from the fascinating narrative crafted by British scripter Peter Morgan, whose well-deserved Academy Award nominations for <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2009/01/frostnixon-battle-royale.html">Frost/Nixon</a></i> and <i>The Queen</i> — not to mention his work on <i>The Last King of Scotland</i>, <i>The Damned United</i> and quite a few others — demonstrate considerable skill when it comes to sketching characters through well-composed dialogue.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">James Simon Wallis Hunt (played by Chris Hemsworth), British to the core, and Austrian Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) meet — and immediately clash — as ambitious Formula 3 drivers. They couldn’t be more different: Hunt is a womanizing, hedonistic toff who wears flamboyant aristocratic superiority like a cloak, while Lauda is solemn, remote and blunt to the point of insolence. Hunt is the pluperfect London playboy, Lauda the Teutonic precision; neither apologizes for his behavior, or would think of doing so.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hunt loves the champagne-hazed thrill of victory, and is happiest when posing for photographs as he clutches an award. Lauda quite famously gave his trophies to a local garage, as “payment” for having his car washed and serviced.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But they both take racing seriously, albeit from different sensibilities. Hunt is as bold and reckless on the track as in real life, embracing the challenge for its romantic, death-defying aura; Lauda, meticulous to a fault, calculates odds and works them to his favor. Hunt relies on the largess of sponsors he can impress; Lauda drives mechanics crazy by ordering design changes ... which inevitably prove advantageous.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a result, Morgan’s script focuses on the <i>attitude</i> of racing, as much as the sport itself. At a time when drivers were expected to die every season — as Brühl’s Lauda informs us, in his dryly ironic, off-camera narration — professional racers truly were a breed apart. (It could be argued that NASCAR, with its ever-safer vehicles and protective body gear, has stripped some of the rogue spirit from auto racing.)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><a name='more'></a><br /> <div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Casting director Nina Gold did a sensational job, as both Hemsworth and Brühl look, sound and move very much like the real Hunt and Lauda. The physical similarities are truly striking, but of course it’s deeper than that. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anybody who thus far has dismissed Hemsworth as little more than a pretty face, based on bombastic fluff such as <i>Snow White and the Huntsman</i> and his ongoing role as the Asgardian Thor, needs to reassess; Hemsworth nails the blithe insolence of, say, Peter O’Toole in his prime. This portrayal of Hunt is charismatic to the point of bewitchery; we can’t help admiring the man despite his obvious superficiality.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And yet there’s fire in his eyes, as well. The glad-handing Hunt seems incapable of anything as boorish as genuine temper, and yet we suspect, based on the steel that Hemsworth's performance doesn’t quite conceal, that this guy’s fury would be breathtaking.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rest assured, Morgan allows us a highly satisfying glimpse.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Spanish-born Brühl is unlikely to be recognized on these shores, aside from his supporting performance in 2007’s <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2009/09/inglourious-basterds-paths-of-gloury.html">Inglourious Basterds</a></i>, but I suspect that’s about to change. His Lauda displays his ferret-faced features proudly, even defiantly, no doubt operating from the belief that one cannot be teased or humiliated by others, if you pre-emptively remove their ammunition. Lauda is chill psychology and intellectual arrogance, an attitude that Brühl conveys <i>perfectly</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a result, although Lauda is equally hard to like, he emerges here as the underdog ... even though, as the two men graduate to Formula 1 racing and engage in the very public antagonism that fueled press coverage during the early 1970s, he certainly doesn’t need the sympathy. When Lauda blasts past Hunt in order to win the 1975 World Championship, it seems a triumph of intellect over emotion. But of course Hunt, finishing fourth, isn’t about to slink off quietly. There’s always another season.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The rich fascination of Morgan’s script, and the marvelous subtlety of Hemsworth and Brühl’s performances, are best defined by our dawning realization that — somewhere along the line, almost without our awareness — enmity blossoms into respect. As the 1976 season begins, the two men still don’t like each other, but their mutual regard has shifted. Glances toward each other become more reflective, less hostile; clipped conversations are less contemptuous, more ... well ... collaborative.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Racing fans well remember what happened during that tempestuous 1976 season, and I’ll not spoil the suspense here, for the benefit of viewers lucky enough to come to this story cold. But that’ll be a difficult feat, since Lauda has been highly visible for the past month, and likely will remain so between now and Oscar season. Hunt, sadly if perhaps predictably, died from a heart attack in 1993, at the age of 45.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The supporting performances are equally strong, starting with this saga's significant women. Olivia Wilde, whose smoldering, come-hither sensuality literally drips off the screen, is well cast as free-spirited professional model Suzy Miller, whose jaw-dropping 1974 marriage to Hunt made headlines around the world. We’re certainly not surprised when this relationship doesn’t last, although Miller’s subsequent husband will raise your eyebrows.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite this, Wilde shades Miller generously, suggesting that she feels deep affection for Hunt, his glaring flaws notwithstanding.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Romanian-born Alexandra Maria Lara is even more engaging as Marlene, the woman who catches Lauda’s eye during a meet-cute sequence that Howard stages for maximum amusement. If it truly happened this way, you couldn’t imagine a better first encounter; either way, it’s a great movie moment. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lara gets considerable screen time, and Marlene’s presence clearly changes Lauda. Their most powerful conversation also is the calmest, as Lauda reflectively confesses that happiness may have crippled him; henceforth, every time he squeezes into a race car, he’ll know that he has something to lose. The expression on Lara’s face, at this moment, is heartbreaking; we understand that Marlene suddenly wonders if loving her new husband is such a good thing after all.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Christian McKay is memorable as Lord Hesketh, the colorful racing enthusiast who bankrolls Hunt’s early career with a large inheritance. (Hesketh later became chief whip in the House of Lords, for John Major’s government.) Julian Rhind-Tutt is wholly convincing in his small role as Anthony “Bubbles” Horsley, Hunt’s chief mechanic; Pierfrancesco Favino delivers an engaging blend of admiration and frustration as Lauda’s Ferrari teammate, Clay Regazzoni.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cinematographer Dod Mantle won an Oscar for <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2008/12/slumdog-millionaire-it-is-written.html">Slumdog Millionaire</a></i>, and his camerawork here is sensational. Quite inventive, as well, with cameras fastened to racers’ helmets, in order to place us, quite literally, in the drivers’ seats. Mantle also cross-cuts between dozens of camera set-ups, in order to convey the raw intensity of the racetrack footage; Howard, in turn, blends these many images for maximum excitement.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Howard has a gift for tackling well-known factual events that lose none of their suspense in his hands, despite our knowledge of what’s coming. I can think of no greater compliment, than the fact that he sends us from the theater wanting to know more about these subjects: the Apollo 13 miracle, John Nash in <i>A Beautiful Mind</i>, James Braddock in <i>Cinderella Man</i> and now this engaging rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. (Lauda has written five books, and I suspect his sales figures are about to climb.)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Rush</i> is a solid sports drama about two genuinely fascinating road warriors. Monday evening’s preview screening drew applause as the closing credits appeared, and I’m not the slightest bit surprised.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><!--EndFragment-->

2013 Alexandra Maria Lara Chris Hemsworth Christian McCay Daniel Bruhl Four Star Films Julian Rhind-Tutt Olivia Wilde Pierfrancesco Favino Sports films Rush: Quite a ride

Rush   (2013) •  View trailer   Four stars. Rating: R, for profanity, nudity, sexual content, brief drug use and disturbing images By  Derri...

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