Those were the immortal words of Zordon himself. Every kid of the 1990s knew that magical space wizard. He was the one who gave ordinary high school students the ability to transform into the karate-fighting, color-coded Power Rangers. Children everywhere in America embraced the phenomenon that was Power Rangers with absolute enthusiasm.
Audiences might experience that phenomenon again with the recent announcement from Lionsgate and Saban Brands that a reboot of the wildly popular 1990s children’s television series, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, could hit cinemas in the not-to-distant future. As of right now, no director or screenwriter has been announced to helm the picture.
This will mark the second time the Rangers have graced the big screen. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie premiered in theaters in 1995. It went on to gross $66 million at the box office worldwide. With a relatively small budget of $15 million, it was viewed as a financial success. It seems that Lionsgate wants to test if the Rangers still have the appeal that they did nearly 20 years ago.
I was a child of the ‘90s. We had the best cartoons and kid shows of any decade. That’s right ‘80s kids, I’m saying your Transformers and He-Man cartoons are nowhere near the quality of our cartoons and TV shows. I’ll see your G.I. Joe and 21 Jump Street, and raise you our Batman: The Animated Series and Boy Meets World any day of the week. I’m getting off track though. Let’s get back to the Power Ranger nostalgia.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was required viewing for any kid in elementary school back in my day. There was many an argument over who was the best Ranger. Was it Jason the Red Ranger, or Tommy the Green Ranger with his awesome ponytail? Those were some good times. You can’t help but see the impact that Power Rangers has had on pop culture since its debut in 1993. Just look at Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D! It’s practically Power Rangers with a bunch of 20-somethings. Oh, who am I kidding? Power Rangers has better acting, special effects and a more ethnically diverse cast than does Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Enough about poorly written kids shows produced by Joss Whedon. Let’s talk about this Power Rangers reboot.
How do I feel about this recent announcement? As much of fan as I was of the program throughout the ‘90s, I’m not really experiencing any feelings of righteous anger or love at the moment. Power Rangers, which recently premiered its 21st season in February on Nickelodeon, is a kid’s show. It’s not meant to appeal to adults. Do I have any feelings of nostalgia? I think I might feel a slight twinge in my cold-cynical heart. Hearing the iconic opening theme can probably get a smile to cross my face. That doesn’t mean that it’s Lionsgate’s job to appeal to me or those who also watched the series back in the ‘90s. It’s meant to appeal to the little kids of today. I don’t see any reason to get upset about that.
However, we have seen Hollywood’s attempts at revitalizing nostalgia-inducing franchises with mixed results before. Transformers, G.I. Joe and the soon-to-be released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot are recent examples. While the former two have done well financially, critical reception is another thing altogether.
Look, I’m not going to defend a show I watched when I was in grammar school. Did Mighty Morphin Power Rangers have bad dialogue, goofy villains and cheesy special effects? Absolutely. Was the show designed to sell toys and Halloween costumes? No question. What I can say is that it introduced me to the larger world of geek culture. I doubt I would have the same love for Star Wars, Godzilla and Batman that I do today without the Power Rangers. It was a stepping stone that opened up my mind to countless other properties. Power Rangers is the little 8-year-old kid of geek culture. Is that kid seriously any different than the 40-year-old geek that dresses up as Captain Kirk? I don’t think so.
There’s plenty to question about this film reboot. Who will it be geared to? What immortal foe will the Rangers face off against? Where will the product placement be shoehorned in!? So many unanswered questions. It’s in Lionsgate’s hands right now. If they produce a product that gives kids 2-hours of rainbow colored karate experts fighting against giant monsters, who am I to complain? Let the kids of today experience that good cheesy fun of the distant 1990s.
By the way, the Green Ranger is the best. Tommy Oliver for life!
Some things just go great together; Chocolate and Peanut Butter, DiCaprio and Scorcese, late night drinking and White Castle. May 10th 2014 has two awesome things coming together to make a beast of a program.
From the Ted Reeve Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Ring of Honor returns to iPPV and they will bring some company in the form of New Japan Pro Wrestling. The card is incredibly stacked and there should be many “Holy Sh*t” moments.
-“The Phenomenal” AJ Styles & “Machine Gun” Karl Anderson (The Bullet Club) vs IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada & Gedo
-Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero (Forever Hooligans) vs Kushida & Alex Shelley (Time Splitters) vs Nick & Matt Jackson (Young Bucks) for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
-Courtesy of ROH:
Michael Bennett w/ Maria Kanellis vs. ACH
Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish (reDRagon) vs Mark & Jay Briscoe vs BJ Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs (The Decade) with “TD” Tadarius Thomas
Roderick Strong vs. Cedric Alexander (The Decade banned from ringside)
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Matt Taven vs. Silas Young vs. Jay Lethal with Truth Martini for the ROH Television Championship
Kevin Steen vs. Adam Cole for the ROH World Championship
Though not advertised as intensely as a WWE or TNA pay-per-view event, there are still a few outlets that one can view the event (www.UStream.TV/RingofHonor).
Much like the GFW/AAA alliance and TNA’s working relationship with the Wrestle-1 promotion, this combination of talent on one show will not only tear the roof off of the arena, but could quite possibly be more ammo to show why WWE needs a working relationship with another promotion again (like it did with ECW in the mid-late 1990s) to help shake things up.
Welcome to the latest edition of the Pre-Weekend Recap, One of Us’ attempt to help you catch up with the features that debuted on the site this week. Our podcast hosts, writers, and bloggers have been diligently working to produce great content for your consumption and it would be a shame if you missed any of it, so the Recap is here to help prevent that.
Below you’ll a selection of some of the stuff we published this week, complete with description and links. All you have to do is kick back and enjoy the content! Let’s not waste any more time, check out what we have to offer!
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Infestation: Texas Frightmare Weekend and more from the Moontower Comedy Fest
Last week, we posted interviews with three of the comedians who attended the Moontower Comedy Festival. If you enjoyed Chris and Beau’s interviews with Andy Kindler, W. Kamau Bell, and Mike Lawrence, you’ll be happy to know that there are two more recordings you need to hear. Chris was fortunate enough to sit down with emerging stand-up Erik Charles Nielsen (who played Garrett on the sadly-defunct Community) while Beau interviewed veteran Austin-based comedian Matt Sadler about his own podcast and the Austin comedy scene.
Book Review – Salted: Life Isn’t Better Under The Sea
This week, One of Us posted its very first book review. The title in question is the first of the Salt series, Life Isn’t Better Under The Sea, written by Aaron Galvin. In this title, shape-shifting humans have the ability to transform into sea creatures. One of these creatures, a young Selkie named Lenny, is forced to hunt a runaway member of the community or lose his family. Chris Herman, the newest member of the INTERN-Net has finished this young adult novel and has all the information you need to know about it, so give his review a look and consider purchasing the book using our Amazon link!
Ash & Fern: Who is that guy in the hood?
As you probably know, the CW’s hottest program is Arrow, a show slightly based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow. The show can definitely count Fern among its faithful viewers. How, in her opinion, has the show avoided many of the pitfalls that come with CW programming? Check out her post about the factors that put Arrow above the rest of the shows populated by muscle-bound youth and share your thoughts about the adventures of Oliver Queen in the comments!
Star Wars: I Find Your Lack of Female Representation Disturbing
If the latest casting news about Star Wars: Episode VII is any indicator, it seems that the film will follow in the example of the other films and keep its female roster count low. The INTERN-Net’s Caitlin Turner is correct when she says there’s no excuse for this, especially in the 21st Century. She even does the studio a favor and recommends a whopping 21 actresses who could do well in a Star Wars film. Her post about the gender inequalities in this franchise, and the film industry as a whole, is an important read.
Highly Suspect Reviews – Locke and Neighbors
We’re sending you out with reviews for two movies. First, in the drama Locke, Tom Hardy plays a construction foreman with a kid on the way, but not with his wife. How well can he juggle the pressures coming from the mother, his wife, and his job as he drives up to London for the birth? Next, Seth Rogen fends for his family’s sanity against a loud and rowdy frat in Neighbors. Are these films worth your time? The Suspects will let you know right here and now.
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If you like what you’ve seen here, please be sure to share our stuff with others who might enjoy it. There’s always more internet to conquer, so help us on our quest to unite the internet under one banner! Have a great weekend!
Well, it’s finally come to this. After five seasons on air, the NBC comedy Community has been given the ax. We all thought it would happen sooner, but now all of our fears have come to fruition. “MY EMOTIONS!” are all over the place, as are those of most Community fans. But we shouldn’t dwell on this news sent straight from the darkest of timelines. Instead, let us look back on the show that we fell in love with.
Community was always on the fringes in terms of network television. It never really made the hugest splash among other shows in its usual NBC Thursday Night comedy lineup. While most audiences were laughing at the antics of Michael Scott on The Office, a small cult following of fans were laughing hysterically at the antics of Jeff Winger, Annie Edison, Abed Nadir, Troy Barnes, Britta Perry, Shirley Bennett, Pierece Hawthorne, Craig Pelton, Ben Chang and the endless number of students & teachers on the campus of Greendale Community College.
A show that reveled in being meta and making pop culture references that few others in primetime would make should have never really gone beyond its first season. Yet, Community did really benefit from timing. NBC over the past decade has been struggling to find comedies that would really make a splash like Friends, Fraiser and Seinfeld did for them in decades past. So, this time of uncertainty and struggle allowed for a show with small yet consistent ratings like Community to thrive, giving way to everything from an existential crisis told via stop motion animation to an entire subplot centered around My Dinner With Andre.
“My whole brain is crying!”
Realistically, I don’t blame NBC for this decision. They’ve given Community more chances then anyone really anticipated it would get and we should be grateful that we even got to a fifth season. We Community fans have braved the worst of times: the great October 19th scare, the dethroning of Dan Harmon, the exits of Donald Glover and Chevy Chase, etc. Yet, none of this ever got in the way of what we loved about Community: its desire to entertain us and develop its characters. We all laughed as Jeff snarked his way into our hearts. We all wept as Abed came to terms with his first true friendships. We all awkwardly sat there as we became privy to Dean Pelton’s bizarre gender confused proclivities. Even during the darkest times of a Harmon-less Season 4, Community still managed to get even the smallest of chuckles, thanks mostly to it’s game cast. It was always, at its core, this strange show that took the tropes of sitcoms and spun them on their head in ways no other network show really had done before, while also giving its characters room to grow and blossom.
“Greendale is the best school in the entire world.”
Is there still a chance we could get our long dreamed of “Six Seasons And A Movie”? Perhaps. Community is owned by Sony Television, which opens up the possibility that it could exist on a platform like Hulu, Netflix or the like in some near future and, as long as the cast & Dan Harmon are involved, I’m fully on board to see them give true closure to the story of this study group. But for the time being, this strange little show has reached it’s end. So, for now, we say goodbye to our Troy & Abed mornings, our paintball fights, our far too plentiful community college dances. Today we grow out our ponytails, as we’re all “going through some stuff right now” and are all desperately seeking the comfort of a Jeff Winger speech. Today, we wander the abandoned halls of Greendale in our Kick-Puncher costumes, hoping to find a friend that will share our love of this odd little show. It is a dark and confusing time and it feels like we’re all stuck in a towed off space simulator sponsored by KFC that will never truly reach its destination. However, in a world where one washed up lawyer can find true lasting friendship with a bunch of strangers in a Spanish 101 community college study group, we can all hopefully find light at the end of that pillow fort tunnel. Bon Troyage for now, Community. Bon Troyage.
Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael C. Williams are the stars of one of the biggest, most influential indie horror films of all time. But the cast of The Blair Witch Project haven’t been lauded with the same plaudits that went to a Peter Cushing or a Lon Chaney Jr. In a very frank and honest interview with Richard at Texas Frightmare Weekend, the trio talk about the perils and consequences of being caught in the celebrity spotlight. Trust us, you do not want to miss this one.
From arranging his own execution in Maniac to orchestrating the zombie hordes in Day of the Dead, if it can bleed, break, be eviscerated or decapitated, Tom Savini was the madman that designed the makeup effects. He chatted with Richard at Texas Frightmare Weekend about his career in mayhem: Surprise, there’s a lot more about Savini the actor than you’d expect.
What always strikes me about showcasing your work is the amount of passion you have for your craft. It’s uncompromising and entirely inspiring. Film writer Ismael Jr. Santos is no different and I recently interviewed him about his short student film “Memories From The Past”, his life and his work.
After the interview check out the short film “Memories From The Past” .
Born and raised in Miami … and have always been something of an odd child: growing up around here, in a place called Little Havana, where art and McDonald’s and Cubans go hand in hand. I’ve always been really attracted to literature and films that deal with odd balls and the outsiders: needless to say, I really got into film and literature because of the whole “Beat Generation” and guys like Kerouac and directors like Cronenberg, and ever since then, writing and making movies is the only way I want to live in this world.
There is something undoubtedly eccentric about Ismael, and it’s no secret that art attracts, no thrives on eccentricity.
When I was just getting into film, Fight Club by David Fincher and A Clockwork Orange/Dr. Strangelove by Kubrick just completely mesmerized me. Delving deeper into films, especially the past, I really like Griffith and Eisenstein’s editing methods, but the ones who hold the biggest sway over me are Akira Kurosawa and Orson Welles: the way they can say so much with cutting and juxtaposition of visuals is amazing to take in.
As always with these interview, I like to delve into the reasons of the how and why. Why is someone attracted to filmmaking and the arts. Possibly in the hope I’ll one day find the answer for myself.
I’m creative in the sense that I don’t have much of a filter on what’s traditionally done versus what’s expected: for most projects, I just throw caution to the wind and write and film what I want, and if people hate it or like it, that’s entirely up to them. It’s the creativity of the crazy, and I think it’s helped me get out of a comfort zone of not exploring new concepts and ideas.I always tend to explore death, dysfunction, and how convoluted/absurd the ways we react to such themes, and to each other, as a whole.
So what does Ismael do to unwind and ease the stress.
I sometimes like to watch old Netflix episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Parks and Recreation: funny enough for a laugh, but nothing really troubling for the soul to ponder over. At the same time, I just love watching movies: for the Miami International Film Festival that passed a while back (ended March 17th), I saw over seventeen films in ten days, and all for my movie review website, with my friend Danny Molina. The Wolves of Little Havana
Today, OneOfUs hosts his latest student film, which he co wrote and featured in ‘Memories from the Past’ which Ismael is very keen to obtain feedback on.
Like all the Showcases, I like to conclude the interview with reflecting with the artist on their project and allowing them to demonstrate their process.
Like a lot of things, it came down to a high school project: my creative writing teacher at the time, Mrs. Hortensia Cardona, gave the class a project to create an interpretation of Sartre’s No Exit. For the most part, people decided to make a play and perform it in front of the class.In short, I’m the most nervous and anxious man you’ll ever meet, at least this young, and I just knew I would screw up the lines if I had to do it in a play-format. Plus, I felt you could do a whole lot more in a short film concerning this situation/interpretation, and I wanted to try my hand at it. Thankfully, everyone in the group concurred and so we went off and completed the film a few days before it was due.
For the initial script process, I and the other costar (Mario Madriz) started writing it in class, and the third star (Glennda Campbell playing Luci) was involved in the process via text messages and emails(she was in another class, so scheduling it was tough from the start.) After the last writing session, which took place afters chool and was pretty fruitful(although I personally still feel I underwrote Luci at the time, and the character didn’t do much in the film. The person who played her, Glennda, gave her a Shakespearean villain quality that was all her own) and we started to try and schedule a way to gather together and shoot the thing. I had worked with the director previously, as we were both in TV/Film Production a year previously and had shot a quick film about bullying, and I felt he would be up for making a short film(Jacob Lopez). Shooting was done in about two days, with the bulk of the film being shot at Bayside and at Mario’s house, the last scene taking over six hours to complete, with different angles needed and only one camera to use. Jacob was the main man for editing, as well: he really edited all of that footage down to the best angles must have been a real pain, and with all of his classes to sift through(he was a year behind the rest of us, around that time a sophomore in Miami High, but he was/is a great director.I learned a lot from him.)
It’s interesting talking to someone so early in their creative career; I remember when I was still in high school, oblivious, and lacking any kind of creative vision or technique especially to get up and do, rather than to do nothing and dream.
I learned that the process of writing and rehearsing will never really come into a perfect mold: nothing is perfect, and in art that is the number one rule. When it comes to film making, there are a million things that can get in the way of your initial vision: time constraints, funding issues, creative differences.I’m really proud of how most of it really gelled into a serviceable film, and the last scene, the one I thought wouldn’t work too well, mainly because of rewriting it and trying to fit the twist in near the end, really worked as a compelling, taunting scene for all three characters.Recording on-location with no funds and no boom mics – the microphone for the Bayside scene/sitting on the bench at the mall was in my shirt pocket, if I remember right, was a huge pain: having to hurry and hurry, with constant interruptions and fumbling of things. The film, as a storyline, feels that it could work without the twist at the end, in hindsight.The whole plot-twist angle really didn’t translate that well from the page to the screen, and the problems of trying to cram so much back story into a scene or two really took away, at least initially, from the dynamic of the three characters.
Ismael is very keen to learn and grow from this experience. So do take the time to watch the short below and give feedback down in the comments.
Got a piece of art, comic book, movie, book, any kind of art that you want to showcase on OneOfUs? How about a featured interview? Get in touch at chris-harrison@outlook.com now!
When you think of main male Star Wars movie characters, a host of people come to mind within seconds. You have Darth Vadar, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Obi Wan Kenobi, Darth Maul, Emperor Palpatine, Yoda, Mace Windu, Boba Fett, Qui-Gon Jinn, Owen Lars, Grand Moff Tarkin, and so many others.
On the other hand when you think of main female star Wars characters you think of Leia Skywalker, Padme Amidala, and…um…ummmmmmmm…
Oh dear, we seem to have a problem.
In the entire Star Wars live action movie franchise, there have only been eight named female characters with speaking roles. Let me repeat that: In the span of the SIX movies that make up the main canon of the franchise, there have only been eight named female characters that have speaking roles. That is beyond sad. Especially when you consider only two of those women were main characters. The eight female characters in the franchise are: Leia Skywalker, Padme Amidala, Beru Lars, Sabe, Shmi Skywalker, Zam Wesell, Mon Mothma, and Dorme. Not exactly a strong showing for the ladies.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not dissing all of the female characters we managed to get in the first six movies. Leia is beyond iconic and is one of the most memorable heroines in cinematic history. She paved the way for a lot of the amazing female characters you see today. Still, the other women in the Star Wars films have been found wanting. Padme was an interesting character when involved in politics and the like, but her role as a heroine (not to mention an interesting and female positive character) was tarnished when she became just the love interest not to mention the whole, “She has lost the will to live.” (Which I won’t go into deeper due to my wish to preserve my sanity.) Furthermore, Beru and Shmi only exist to be mercilessly slaughtered and spur the leading male to action.
One of Tatooine’s own “women in the fridge.” You deserved better, Beru.
When the new trilogy of live action Star Wars films was announced, my hopes were high. I kept thinking that we were finally going to see more badass female characters for the Star Wars movie franchise. Then the casting list came out and the disappointment set in immediately. True, the cast list is in no way complete, but it is safe to say we know who will portray the main characters. Out of the six new cast members only one of them was a woman. Daisy Ridley is the only woman besides Carrie Fisher who is lined up for the new trilogy. When you consider Carrie Fisher’s role is likely to be minor at best this is depressing as hell.
It is rumored that there is still one more main female cast member left to be announced, but until we hear an official statement I will only treat it as a rumor. Even if said rumor is true, that would still only leave us with two main female characters. This is the year 2014. One would think we might be able to get a bit more equal representation. After all this takes place in a galaxy far far away full of diverse alien creatures. You can’t tell me there aren’t plenty of women out there.
When I discussed my concern over the casting with friends, I got two types of answers. One was agreement with my concerns over the lack of female representation. The other was disagreement saying that I was concerned for no reason. Responses included, “This isn’t the full cast list,” “This is how it is in sci-fi franchises,” and “Hey, at least we got one female character.” To say I was a bit perplexed would be an understatement. I will agree that there is plenty of opportunity for the announcement of more female cast members, but going on the past history of the franchise, the director’s history, and the writers’ history with female characters, there is plenty of evidence that says we should be concerned.
In the Star Wars film history only two of the six movies passed the Bechdel Test. For those of you needing a refresher, the Bechdel Test was invented in 1985 by Alison Bechdel, which interestingly enough first appeared in a comic strip called Dykes to Watch Out For. To pass the Bechdel Test, the media in question must only meet three qualifications.
It has to have two named women in it,
Who talk to each other,
About something other than a man.
You’d think with those three simple qualifications, most films would be able to pass the Bechdel Test. Sadly, you’d be wrong. An overwhelming majority of the films released do not pass the Bechdel Test fully. For goodness sake, The Avengers and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II failed the Bechdel Test. Please keep in mind that even if a film does pass the Bechdel Test that does not automatically make it a feminist film. This test only serves to measure the bare minimum of female representation.
The two Star Wars films that passed the Bechdel Test were Episode 1: The Phantom Menace and Episode 2: Attack of the Clones. Episodes 3, 4, and 6 failed the Bechdel Test because even though there are at least two named female characters in the films, they never hold a conversation. Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back failed the Bechdel Test on all counts. That’s right, it didn’t even manage to have two named female characters in it.
Out of director and script writer J.J. Abrams’ film list, of which I only counted the movies that he either wrote or directed and were listed on the Bechdel Test site, only two of those films managed to pass the Bechdel Test and only by the skin of their teeth. Star Trek passed the Bechdel Test because of the scene where Uhura and and her roommate Gaila have a conversation in their room while in their underwear with Kirk hiding under the bed. Super 8 managed to pass the Bechdel Test because of a five second conversation between Jen Kaznyk and Mrs. Kaznyk. In both films, two named females hold a conversation exactly one time.
Out of fellow script writer Lawrence Kasden’s film list, of which again I only counted the movies that he either wrote or directed and were listed on the Bechdel Test site, only one film passed the Bechdel Test. Most of Lawrence Kasden’s fims failed the Bechdel Test on all levels. I Love You to Death was the only film of his to pass the Bechdel Test. To give credit where credit is due, the scene that got I Love You to Death to pass the Bechdel Test lasted twice as long as the scenes in J.J. Abrams’ films.
Now before anyone in the comments brings up J.J. Abrams’ television career I want you to keep in mind that his television career has been far different from his film career and has limited bearing on his film career.
Hopefully it’s now a bit more clear why I’m concerned about female representation in the new trilogy. The sad thing is Star Wars had some amazing female characters in their Expanded Universe. Unfortunately, the EU was never considered canon, but will start being considered canon as of this month. There is no excuse for there to be a lack of great female characters in the new trilogy considering the previous EU managed to balanced several amazing main female characters at once. Heck, even the animated Clone Wars series, which is considered canon, had better representation of females then the six live action movies combined. They have the opportunity to make sci-fi history here and they are letting it slip through their fingers.
There are plenty of female actresses of various ages and ethnicities that would be a great fit for the Star Wars franchise. To prove this I came up with a list of 21 actresses just to prove they have no excuse for only having so few female characters.
1. Gina Torres
Now if you don’t know this name I’d suggest handing in your geek card at the front desk. She’s played Nebula in Hercules, Jasmine in Angel, Anna Espinosa in Alias, Helen Carter in Cleopatra 2525, Jessica Pearson in Suits, Phyllis Crawford in Hannibal, and most importantly one of the sci-fi queens Zoe Washburne from Firefly. So it is safe to say this remarkable actress has the skill acting wise and physically to handle being in a Star Wars movie. I would kill to see her as a Jedi, bounty hunter, or even as a bad guy. She could pull off any role they gave her.
2. America Ferrera
She is best known for her role as Betty Suarez in Ugly Betty. She’s won countless awards and while I don’t see her playing a more physical role of say a Jedi, I could easily see her being a politician or a leader of an alien planet. Not to mention it would be interesting to see her step out of her usual genres and take on a role in a sci-fi movie.
3. Priyanka Chopra
A former Miss World pageant winner that has since managed to go on become one of Bollywood’s most talented and highest paid actresses. She speaks English fluently and can dance and sing. This woman can handle whatever you throw at her. She’s also been in several action packed roles where she kicked some major butt. She could play anything from an action packed role as a Jedi or a fighter pilot to a politician or an alien queen.
4. Lucy Liu
A woman who needs no introduction. She played O-Ren Ishii in Kill Bill and Joan Watson in Elementary who in my opinion is one of the best female characters on TV right now. She’s another actress that could play any type of role you throw at her.
5. Gina Carano
A former MMA fighter who is best known for her role as Mallory Kane in Haywire. While I believe she could handle a less action packed role I’ll be fully honest in saying I would kill to see this woman kick some ass in a Star Wars movie. Villain, hero, or just morally ambiguous. It would not matter to me as long as I had the chance to see this woman hand some people their asses.
6. Rachel Weisz
Best known for her role in The Mummy series as Evelyn Carnahan. She is a supremely versatile actress. She is another actress that could handle any role although I’d personally love to see her play a evil politician.
7. Michelle Rodriguez
While not exactly known for her stellar acting ability when you think of action actresses she is one of the first ones to pop into your mind. She’d be perfect for any of the action roles. While I’m usually against typecasting I have to admit she plays the action heroine with snark and sass phenomenally well.
8. Lupita Nyong’o
This woman’s name has been on everyone’s tongue lately and she’s the one who is most likely to actually join the Star Wars cast if any of the rumors that have been floating around are true. Her first big movie role was as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave for which she one many awards including the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. She’s rumored to be playing Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress. I pay now heed to this rumor as Asajj Ventress was around in Obi Wan’s younger days. This is canon as she appeared in the Star Wars Clone Wars cartoon series. It’s doubtful she would still be alive during the time period of the seventh movie. Especially since their life span is supposedly the same as a humans. This could be changed but it is doubtful. Which is sad cause I’d love to see Lupita play the role. Still I’m positive if she were to join the Star Wars cast she could play any role assigned to her.
9. Angel Coulby
She’s best known for playing Queen Guinevere on BBC’s Merlin. As this actress ages her acting skills jump in leaps and bounds. It’s amazing to see how far she’s come skill wise. Unfortunately I’m not sure how she’d really handle a more action packed role so with her I see her playing more of a politician or a some other type of less physically demanding role.
10. Antonia Thomas
Best known for her role as Alisha Daniels on Misfits. She’s one of the few Misfits actors who hasn’t really been in a big mainstream project since the end of her role on the show which is immensely surprising as she was one of the most talented actors on the show. Again she’s one where I’m not so certain how she’d handle a physically demanding role.
11. Danai Gurira
Better known as Michonne from The Walking Dead. She’s an actress that can play the action role while also delivering a depth most others can not. She’s had a few film roles but most of her acting experience lies in television. It would be good to see her on the big screen once more.
12. Jamie Chung
Now before you all start tossing tomatoes at me for naming an actress from Sucker Punch let me plead my case. Jamie Chung is a highly underestimated actress. Anyone who has seen her play Mulan on Once Upon a Time can tell you the same. She is capable of playing the action roles but like Danai Gurira she has the ability to bring depth to the role that most actors and actresses can’t.
13. Maggie Q
Maggie Q is very much like Michelle Rodriguez to me. She’s another one of those actresses that while she doesn’t bring as much to the table acting skill wise she can kick some serious butt. She is often casted for action roles though she doesn’t get typecasted nearly as much as Michelle does. Her best known role being Nikita in CW’s Nikita television series.
14. Grace Park
Another actress like Maggie Q and Michelle Rodriguez though of the three I do believe Grace Park has the better acting skills. She’s known for her roles as Lt. Sharon ‘Boomer’ Valerii on Battlestar Galactica and Kono Kalakaua on Hawaii Five-0.
15. Bipasha Basu
An Indian actress that has finally managed to make it to some English language films. Like Priyanka she is fluent in English and has had several action roles. With Bipasha I see her playing more of a villainess role.Though she’s versatile enough to play just about any role.
16. Emmy Rossum
Best known for her role as Fiona Gallagher on Showtime’s Shameless. Emmy is an amazing actress that is underrated by anyone who hasn’t watched Shameless. I don’t really see her playing a physically demanding role. I’d love to see her in a role that would demand a lot of different emotions from her as she is able to make you really feel for the characters she plays.
17. India Eisley
She’s a bit of a newbie when it comes to film roles. She’s best known for her role as Eve in Underworld Awakening. To me though she really grabbed my attention with both herphysical acting skills and her emotional range. I’d love to see her as a padawan.
18. Quvenzhané Wallis
An amazingly talented young actress that is best known for her role as Hushpuppy in Beasts of the Southern Wild and Margaret Northup in 12 Years a Slave. I think she’d make a great actress to play a padawan.
19. Chloe Grace Moretz
Another young actress you has phenomenal acting skills. Most know her as Hit-Girl from the Kick Ass franchise. She’s the experience with physical roles that most actresses her age don’t. She also very versatile. I’d like to be surprised and have her not be in the more physical role as we’ve seen her in that role so much now.
20. Q’orianka Kilcher
Now this is an actress that isn’t as well known as most of the others on my list which is honestly a tragedy. She’s has one of the most versatile ranges I’ve seen in a young actress. I haven’t really seen her in anything too physically demanding but I’d love to see her in that type of a role as she’s handled every other type of role thrown her way. I want to see how she’d handle a more action filled role. She’s best known for playing Pocahontas in A New World.
21. Jamie Alexander
Lady Sif. She can obviously handle action type roles. I’d love to see her as a jedi. I could see her playing Luke or Leia’s daughter easily.
That’s 21 actresses that would be perfect for the Star Wars movie franchise. There are various ages and ethnicities throughout the list. You can’t tell me that they’d have problems casting female characters and more importantly females of various ethnicities. I would love to see more women of color involved in the franchise. In this day and age there is no excuse to have only one or two white females be the only main female cast members you have.
The most important thing though is not only to get more female representation in the Star Wars live action movies, but GOOD female representation. No more having a character just be a love interest or die because she lost the will to live after her lover joined the dark side. I don’t want more little girls growing up with a lack of females to look up to in geek culture especially when we’re talking on the big screen.
The world is 51% women. It’s sad that even though we make up such a large portion of the world that we have little representation in the film industry especially women of color. A large percentage of the Star Wars fanbase is women, so please give us more female characters. At the very least pass the Bechdel Test. It’s really not as hard as it seems.
Movies that have female leads sell incredibly well. Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Frozen, and Gravity being just a few examples from the last year alone. I fully admit J.J, Abbrams may surprise me yet. For all we know this trilogy may focus on a woman instead of a man, or the next casting announcement might be all women. I don’t know for sure. All I know is that right now I’m very concerned with female roles in Star Wars. I hope to be proven wrong.
Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne have a happy enough life, for a couple with their first child, slogging through the necessities of the work week, sneaking just enough occasional joints or quickies in the mix to not feel old. But when a frat house moves in next door, led by the charismatic Zak Efron, doubts are fermented, noise becomes an issue, and war becomes the status quo. It’s family vs frat values as Rogen and Efron continue to up the ante in their battle to control the decibel level of the hood.
JC, Chris, Brian and Will pledge to give you the very best review possible of the latest R-rated sex comedy (that nonetheless, had, of course, a screaming baby in the theater….ironically, I suppose).
With nary a “Bane” impression to be found, The Unusual Suspects, this time made up of JC, Chris, Beau and Will, take a look at Tom Hardy’s new film, “Locke”. Well outside of the range of his previous roles, Tom plays a construction foreman named Ivan Locke who has chucked his whole life behind him (as politely as he could manage) to drive to London to be with a woman who is NOT his wife who is having his child. Through a series of tense phone conversations while driving, Ivan tries to establish a calm equilibrium with the birth mother, his family and his job, but the chaos he’s unleashed by trying to do what he considers ‘the right thing’ has consequences that no control freak can handle.
