MOVIE: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
CAST: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp and Hayley Atwell, with Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
Directors: Anthony and Joe Russo
After the cataclysmic events in New York with ‘The Avengers’, Marvel’s ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ finds Steve Rogers, aka Captain America (played by Chris Evans), living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off assailants sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon (Anthony Mackie). However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy — the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan).
Fun facts about the production:
• Captain America gets a new “stealth” suit in the film – a navy blue, utilitarian-looking suit that moves fluidly. Since Captain America is working in special ops in the new film, it was only logical that he would not be wearing a target on his chest when on clandestine missions. So the filmmakers opted for a suit that would have texture and look more real world with a Kevlar-based ballistic component that would protect Cap, but at the same time function like a military uniform.
• For the actors, shooting on the streets of Washington, D.C. meant drawing big crowds—many of them young kids who lined the streets dressed in their Captain America costumes, waiting to meet Cap himself. Chris Evans routinely took photos with young fans and he describes those moments as the best part of shooting in the America’s capitol and playing Captain America.
• In battling the Winter Soldier, Captain America needs all the resources he can get, including his iconic shield, which has a lot more uses in the film. The shield is traditionally used as a defensive weapon, but in ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ the filmmakers wanted to explore using it more as an offensive weapon. There are two handles on the shield and Steve Rogers can hold onto the handles in order to utilize it in an eastern style of fighting.
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FILM: MUPPETS MOST WANTED
CAST: Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, The Great Gonzo, Animal, Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell and Tina Fey
DIRECTOR: James Bobin
Disney’s ‘Muppets Most Wanted’ takes the entire Muppets gang on a global tour, selling out grand theatres in some of Europe’s most exciting destinations, including Berlin, Madrid, Dublin and London. But mayhem follows the Muppets overseas, as they find themselves unwittingly entangled in an international crime caper headed by Constantine — the World’s Number One Criminal and a dead ringer for Kermit the Frog — and his dastardly sidekick Dominic, aka Number Two, portrayed by Ricky Gervais. The film stars Ty Burrell as Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon and Tina Fey as Nadya, a feisty prison guard.
“It’s an old-style caper movie,” says director James Bobin (Disney’s ‘The Muppets’, ‘Flight of the Conchords’). “Muppet movies often have very classic movie tropes, and the evil doppelganger — a bad-guy, evil-frog, Kermit-the-Frog look-alike — seemed like such a fun premise for the Muppets’ next film.”
“The audience really embraced the Muppets with our big-screen come-back two years ago,” says producer Todd Lieberman. “They love the Muppets like we all did growing up – Kermit and the gang are as relevant today as they were 30 years ago. We realized that there was a lot of enthusiasm for these characters so we wanted to bring them back – but with a completely different story and all-new human cast.”
Commenting on the human cast members, co-producer David Hoberman adds: ““It takes a special actor to work with the Muppets. Ricky, Ty and Tina all have a natural rapport with Kermit, Miss Piggy and the gang – which shows on screen. It would be impossible to pull off a movie like this without the right chemistry.”
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