Sir Christopher Lee’s Best 10 Roles

Sir Christopher Lee was a legend, a master of his many crafts, and a true gentlemen. The man was not only an actor, a heavy metal vocalist in which he made an album about Charlemagne (to whom he was related to), and a humanitarian – but he also served in WWII as an intelligence officer and was later promoted to Special Operations Executive.

Sir Christopher Lee is well known for being a guy you wouldn’t want to come across in war, even telling Peter Jackson at one point during the shooting of his death scene as Sarumon that he didn’t need direction to know what a man being stabbed in the back sounded like; he had witnessed it enough to know. Besides the many other brilliant aspects of the man, we take a look back at some of his most iconic works within film and television.

---

 

10. Count Dooku

Count Dooku may seem like the weakest Sith and didn’t even go by his sith name Darth Tyranus, but this role proved to become much more than we saw from Lee in the main Star Wars films. Lee provided his voice for Dooku in the animated film, The Clone Wars, that spawned the show of the same name, but Corey Burton replaced Lee for the animated series. The show provided much more back story to Dooku and made him a much more formidable villain than what Lee got to portray, sadly. Still, he was by far the scariest human looking being in Star Wars and was a terrifying villain to a whole new generation of Star Wars fans and his face and talent was very welcome in the prequels most people dislike, but he also is one of very few Jedis or Siths to have a genuinely unique looking lightsaber that can easily be identified just by the handle.

 

 

9. Saruman

The wise white wizard Sarumon turned powerful ally to the evil Sauron is one of Christopher Lee’s most memorable roles, especially from recent years. We not only got to see him portray the character of Saurmon in all three LOTR movies (albeit his scenes from Return of the King were only in the extended version), but we were even lucky enough to see him play the role a couple more times in the recent Hobbit film trilogy. This role was always one of my favorites; it was spectacular seeing Christopher Lee as part of this world and now it seems as if there never was or will be another Sarumon. Ultimately, this role was monumental in me getting back into reading books, and especially made me fall in love with fantasy novels even more, which just so happened to introduce me to Discworld novels by Terry Prachett, which brings me to his next role of…

 

8. Death

Christopher Lee was the only person imaginable with the voice fitting enough to portray Terry Pratchett’s Death, and he did so in a short animated film which led to the production of two animated Discworld films, Wyrd Sisters and Soul Music. Then, he reprised the role in the live action film, The Color of Magic, which covered the first two Discworld books (the one of the same title and The Light Fantastic). This role was probably my favorite of Lee’s as Terry Pratchett’s Death is probably my favorite character in all of literature, One of my favorite things about the character is that he speaks in all capital letters. This makes total sense why they would cast Lee for the role; there are only two beings who can speak in all caps and one of them portrayed the other in Discworld films.

 

7. Francisco Scaramanga

Not only is it cool enough that Christopher Lee was the step-cousin of Ian Fleming, but he once was one Flemings first choices to be Bond. But we all know he never got that role, but he did get the role of one of Bond’s most iconic villains in the film The Man With the Golden Gun, Francisco Scaramanga. This film was not seen as one of the best Bond film’s as it added a bit of comedic twist to it, but no one has ever denied Christopher Lee’s performance is what made this Bond film. His role in this sticks with me a lot as the Golden Gun was always so iconic and I even tried coloring a gun gold with a sharpie as a kid… all that I ended up with was gold hands… But we all remember trying to find the golden gun in Goldeneye 64 to completely destroy the competition right?

 

6. Tim Burton roles

It is a bit difficult to choose one of the many roles Christopher Lee played within Tim Burton’s catalogue, and he is known to be very proud of them all, so I thought I would count them as one role. Theses roles, and the fact Lee was so proud of them is another big reason I had such respect for this man. I love Tim Burton, but the people and the settings of his movies are what made them have that great Burtonesque feel to them. Christopher Lee had six roles within Tim Burton’s films and, each time, he commanded the scene and showed us he has a permanent place in Burton’s psyche. Burton’s adaptations of two of my favorite books of all time, Alice in Wonderland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, hold a special place in my heart, so Lee’s involvement marked a memorable time in cinematic history for me. Lee has portrayed: Burgomaster in Sleepy Hollow, Dr. Wilbur Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Pastor Galswell in Corpse Bride, the Jabberwocky in Alice in Wonderland, Clarney in Dark Shadows, and Burton even added archive footage of him as Dracula into Frankenweenie, which leads me to…

 

 

5. Dracula

One of Christopher Lee’s most iconic roles to the masses was as Dracula;  he played the role ten different times throughout his run as the classic monster. Christopher Lee is thought to be the man who made Dracula, or at least made him darker and a much more interesting character. The most interesting thing about this role to me is Lee got tired of these stories and scripts as they dwindled creatively over the years, so at one point, Christopher Lee retired the character. The studio convinced him to come back as they guilt-tripped him into thinking tons of people would loose their jobs if he didn’t star in the film and bring in revenue. So Lee abided them and came back to film, Dracula: Prince of Darkness, where it is said Lee thought the lines of Dracula’s were so terribly-written that he decided to play the character silent in that film with just minor groans, hisses and screams. After this film, he continued to play the role for five more strictly Dracula films. Previously, he also has played The Mummy in the 1959 film The Mummy, and Frankenstein’s Monster in the 1957 film, The Curse of Frankenstein, which likely got him the role of Dracula and cemented a horror film relationship between Lee and the famous Frankenstein film actor Peter Cushing.

 

 

4. Frankenstein’s Monster

Although Lee only portrayed the monster in one of Peter Cushing’s seven Frankenstein films, he still is as legendary to the role to me as Boris Karloff. Lee’s monster role looked and felt a bit darker than the original, much like his Dracula, and although it seems tame by our standards now, this film was one of the first to show red blood on screen, as well as gore and violence, which made for a huge impact for the screen and advancement of storytelling in film. This role was great to me because he made the monster a monster and even if you had sympathy for him in this role – as you should with every Frankenstein’s monster – you knew you would much rather prefer hanging out with Karloff’s Monster than Lee’s based off looks alone.

 

3. Diz/Ansem the Wise

Christopher Lee also provided his voice to a couple video games through the years but none were as important or as influential to myself than his role of Diz/Ansem in Kingdom Hearts 2 and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. This character was extremely important to the story and was a welcome ally in a war we thought we were waging against Ansem in the first place (See Kingdom Hearts 1). These games were what made me a modern gamer, and are arguably my favorite video games since this new millennium started. No one knew Disney and Final Fantasy would meld so well, let alone the added characters like Lee’s Diz/Ansem. Plus, any cartoon/video game that has his voice instantly becomes ten times better when you hear it.

2. King Haggard

Here is another great villain made by Christopher Lee and one that is insanely iconic to me as a child. I remember watching The Last Unicorn many times as a kid and always being enthralled in that crazy and almost like a drug trip sort of world at times. But King Haggard was the main antagonist of the story and is the reason why our main character, the Unicorn, is the last one of her species since he kidnapped the rest. As a kid, this movie was one of my favorites. My first toy, sadly lost and forgotten a long time ago, was a unicorn puppet, so identified with this movie most my life and despite being iconic, for those who don’t know it I might as well say I love the straight to dvd Barbie movies. The film is very good and very much a legend among my films, whether it be the amazing cast which also included Alan Arkin, Jeff Bridges, and Angela Lansbury, or the classic hand drawn animation. This role was one of my favorites of his, even if I wanted to punch him in the face.

 

1. Flay

 

This role from the film Gormenghast is relatively unknown to most and is not one many people would consider his best, but this role meant a lot to me.

As a kid, I grew up around the Gormenghast books since my mother was a huge fan and despite not reading the books yet (for shame me…) I still hold the fact that Lee even participated in this as a huge factor to why I love him so much. But it is not hard to realize why he did; Lee was the only person involved in this production that actually knew Mervyn Peake, the author of the Gormenghast series and actually met with him over coffee many times. Lee not only executed his role spectacularly but knew the world and characters almost as much as he did Middle Earth (he read LOTR once or more every year). Although the live-action series only covered the first two books in a series of five, it still is the best we have ever gotten for a Gormenghast film and it may be that way for a while. But take comfort in knowing Lee did a spectacular job as his character of Mr. Flay and that this mini series happened at all. I only wish all the books could have been adapted so we had yet another epic Christopher Lee series of films.

---

Well those are my favorite roles of Christopher Lee’s. Many are very personal to me. The man was a master of all crafts.  If these 10 roles were not enough for you, as of 2007, he held the world record for the most credits in films, not to mention the record for tallest leading actor. If you even wanted more Christopher Lee, please go check out his heavy metal albums, a Christmas album, and his Man of La Mancha song done in heavy metal — just like the man himself those albums are one of a kind.

Dumbledore and Gandalf to Marry Opposite Westboro Baptist Church

Gay geeks rejoice! Dumbledore and Gandalf are officially getting married! Or at least, their look-a-likes are. After the legalization of gay marriage in Ireland, JK Rowling tweeted, “Sitting here watching the Irish make history. Extraordinary and wonderful.” Not soon after a fan and Rowling came to the conclusion that Dumbledore and Gandalf could indeed get married in the country.

.@justaoifethings 💚🍀🌈💚 Then they could get married IN IRELAND! 💚🍀🌈💚 pic.twitter.com/yXedPavZfp

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 23, 2015

This sparked a response from the Westboro Baptist Church, who tweeted Rowling, telling her they would picket any wizard wedding that may occur. The writer’s response was golden. “Alas, the sheer awesomeness of such a union in such a place would blow your tiny bigoted minds out of your thick sloping skulls.”

.@WBCsigns Alas, the sheer awesomeness of such a union in such a place would blow your tiny bigoted minds out of your thick sloping skulls.

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 26, 2015

Now it seems that this OTP is becoming canon, as the LGBTQ rights activist group Planting Peace will be holding a fake wedding on their rainbow painted “Equality House” property just across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church this Sunday, June 7 at 2pm. “We are delighted to be hosting the Dumbledore and Gandalf wedding and stand with them in the face of bigotry and celebrate equality for all,” said Planting Peace President Aaron Jackson to the Huffington Post. Since WBC wants to picket the wedding, Planting Peace decided to “bring the wedding to them, the real-life Mordor.” All the church will have to do to witness the ceremony is look out its window.

The Equality House was created in 2013 when Planting Peace bought and painted the house in Topeka, KS to send a message to the WBC. “[The Equality House] serves as the resource center for all Planting Peace human rights and bully prevention initiatives and stands as a visual reminder of our commitment, as global citizens, to equality for all,” says Planting Peace.

Dumbledore and Gandalf will be played by local actors that Planting Peace intends to hire. There’s no word yet who will officiate the wedding, but my hope is for The Doctor himself. The organization is using this event to fundraise both online and—presumably— at the ceremony. At news time, the campaign has raised $755 for their peace spreading cause.

Get ready to party, Dumbledalf shippers! It’s officially canon!

Featured image by Planting Peace. GIF by Warner Bros.

Best of 2014: Video Games – Best Console Game

Another year is in the books, and we here at Hush Comics couldn’t pass at the chance to rank our favorites of this year’s releases in all types of mediums. Some of the winners will surprise you; heck, some of the results surprised  us. The results are completely subjective, and therefore were chosen with infallible logic. We would love to hear your opinions on what we have chosen, or if you thought we missed anything. This should be a fun review before we gear up for 2015.

Click on the link to take you to the “Best of 2014” homepage.

Best Console Game

• Far Cry 4
• LEGO Batman 3
• Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes
• Shadow of Mordor
• Watch Dogs

WINNER – Watch Dogs

There are a few things you need to know about me.  Let’s start with the fact that I rarely play video games (other than Diablo) because I get dizzy from the graphics, I’m no good with the vast amounts of controls, and in general, the content doesn’t interest me. Another fact is my slight obsession with being nosy about other people.  Ok, saying I’m nosy was an understatement; I am an internet stalker.  Chances are, I can stay up until 3 in the morning “researching” someone who has piqued my interest, even if I have never met them.  The types of things that pique my interest can range from sex offenders in my neighborhood to some chick who had a cool hairstyle idea on Pinterest.  Lastly, if it weren’t for the fact that I have never had money, I would be in Gambler’s Anonymous.  I find gambling, and particularly poker, exhilarating.  Plus, I’m good at it.  But, alas, I don’t have money to gamble, so I don’t.  What does any of this have to do with the video game of the year?  Everything.  Watch Dogs gives people like me a certain kind of high.  You get to butt into people’s lives via their phone.  And the added perk?  You can silently judge them.  I love silently judging people.  But the best part of Watchdogs is the side games.  There are different poker games going on around the city of Chicago, ranging from low stakes to super stakes.  And who doesn’t love to gamble fake money for the chance to win big in a super stakes game while you sit in your underwear and have your mom order you a pizza?  Everyone loves that shit.  The games are literally all over the city, so you have to find a way there.  Most gamers drive, I’m sure, but remember how I don’t play games or understand the controls?  Let’s be honest, I run to poker.  It’s laughable sure, but I work hard for my fake money. – Adrian

Second Place – Shadows of Mordor

Finally, a Lord of the Rings game done right. Mix Assassins Creed with Arkham City and you get Mordor. It is infinitely bloodier than both and if you like the LOTR lore, then this will only expand on that. The great thing about this game is that even though it is firmly rooted in that lore, you don’t need to know any of it to enjoy the game or story. Even a basic knowledge of the ring itself and Smeagol will help to enhance the story. This game also looks great on the newer systems, so you finally have an excuse to break out the PS4 or X-Box One. – Robert

Third Place – LEGO Batman 3

I honestly can’t see how you would dislike LEGO Batman 3 as it tries to cater to everyone and most of the time succeeds. It has such a massive cast of characters that is still expanding via DLC. The game has a lot of the same game play as past LEGO games, but adds the aspect of the Lantern Planets where it is one globe you usually fly around and do missions outside of the main plot. This game offers up such gems as Polka Dot Man, Green Loontern (Daffy Duck as Green Lantern) and Conan O’Brien even guides you through the game. As far as replayability, this game has a lot; LEGO games always offer a lot to fans of whatever they are covering as they throw in little jokes only comic fans will get but new fans will enjoy on top of little references like Weeping Angels from Doctor Who. LEGO Batman 3 made me nerd out so much every single time a new level came up or I would unlock a new character. – Jacob

RUNNER UP – Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

Solid Snake is back with a new numbered sequel, at least the intro to a new numbered. But even if it’s not the true Metal Gear Solid V, which comes out in 2015, it’s still a strong game with the usual unique and creative story and unmatched game play mechanics. MGS5 is surprisingly like another game in the past, like Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. You take over as Big Boss again but in another surprising variation this first part of a numbered sequel is more of a sequel to Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, originally released on the PSP. For the first time in the series, David Hayter isn’t the voice Solid Snake; instead Kojima Productions went after a big name and picked up Keifer Sutherland to voice the iconic character. Sutherland does more than an adequate job brings some different life to Snake. Ground Zeroes isn’t as lengthy as the other games in the series, but it’s used primarily has an introduction to the full fledged MGS5: The Phantom Pain. The stealth gameplay is what we know and love and the graphics are more outstanding than any previous entry. Kojima took an interesting turn by adding in a little more action than previous titles also. Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes is a great mix of stealth and action with fun side missions for a little extra flavor. Maybe shorten the name though. – Scott

RUNNER UP – Far Cry 4

Think about the best open-world FPS game you’ve ever played. Now, imagine yourself in that game, riding an elephant into battle while shooting enemies in with flaming (or exploding, whatever floats your boat) arrows. Ladies and gentlemen, Far Cry 4. Expanding upon the formula of Far Cry 3, this installment has more dangerous wildlife and more deadly enemies. To boot, the co-op campaign is lots of fun, as are the quick matches and user-created Map Browser ensure hours of fun. Liberate a country? Suuure. Save the people? Whatever. Just give me a freaking flamethrower and point me in the direction of the nearest rhino. – Sherif

 

Next Category: Best Network Game/DLC

Denver Comic Con 2014 – Three Years, Three Experiences

Click on the link to take you to all of our Denver Comic Con 2014 articles

 

It’s a week since the third annual Denver Comic Con got underway. From everything that I saw and experience, it was a glorious weekend. This, like many of you, was my third time attending DCC. I have a unique perspective on the DCC experience, you see I’ve attended all three years in three separate capacities . I’ve been an exhibitor, an attendee, and now as press with Hush Comics. So far, every year has yielded different results, and completely different experience.

For the inaugural year, I had a table in Artist Alley and never had I been more excited to be part of a major event. I sold posters and a preview issue for a comic book that I wrote. By Sunday, I actually had attendees – and even fellow artists – coming to my table specifically to see my work. I’d never experienced anything like that before. I got to be on the ground floor of what is the largest growing comic book convention in the country, and that’s pretty damn cool. Now, because I was an exhibitor and wanted to be the face of my work, I spent almost the entire convention at my table. For the short amount of time I wasn’t at my table, I was nabbing some signatures from great creators and artists, and picking up a few souvenirs for myself. In the end, I didn’t get to experience much of what the convention had to offer. On the upside, I scared the crap out of Billy West and got to high-five Colin Ferguson.

I almost did not attend DCC year two. My first son was due just a couple of weeks after the scheduled date and, believe it or not, there are things I hold more dear than Denver Comic Con. My son decided that he was going to show up a month early though and my wife and I made the decision to bring the little guy to his first ever convention being only a few weeks old. After the excellent experience I had the year prior I was very excited to be back for the second year. Sadly, it appeared that the DCC crew were not very well prepared for the growth between the first and second year. The convention floor was over-packed with extremely narrow aisles. Attendees were funneled through lines and stopping to look at anything made me feel like an inconvenience to those around me. My family and I did make it out of the exhibitor’s hall to check out some of the other goings on at DCC, most notably the William Shatner Q&A. The second year wasn’t nearly as enjoyable as the first time around but still not bad enough to keep me away for the third year.

This year, thanks to the fine people here at Hush Comics, I was able to attend as a part of the media. People might not think that attending in the this fashion would be very different than being a regular attendee, but knowing that I was there to properly document the event this time made me look much closer than before at the guests, events, and the thousand of fans all there for a great time. Really paying attention to these details made me appreciate what was going on around me more than ever before.

Now, I only made it for Sunday this year, and traditionally that would mean there would be a little less to see than usual. I was pleasantly surprised to find Sunday was just as good of a day to be there as any. I was in attendance with family and friends and did spend the majority of my time in the Exhibitor’s Hall. This is, of course, where the majority of the con goers can be found, and it was packed. It was great to see that the show runners learned from last years and really expanded the floor space because walking down the aisles in a small group, and pushing strollers was easy and didn’t cause half the headache that it did last year.

One thing that DCC has always done right is how easily accessible the comic book creators and artists are. It’s a magical feeling being able to walk up really meet the people that make us who we are. The growth of DCC has helped pull some really big names, like Fiona Staples and Tim Sale, a couple of my personal favorites. I had the pleasure this year of getting some photos with Tim Sale and John Layman. It’s the people in comics are the reason these conventions even exist, sometimes I’m worried that con goers forget that. The tv and movie celebrities are great, but for me it’s always been about the extraordinarily talented artists and writers that bring us or favorite characters in their best forms.

One of my favorite parts of any convention is the excellent cosplay done by extremely talented fans. My personal favorite was Pyramid Head, whom, it turns out is also the man inside the Humping Robot costume.  Among the other excellent costumes I saw were Jareth from Labyrinth, Kanto from Fooly Cooly, The 10th Doctor and Scorpion from Mortal Kombat. One real show stopper was the Skeksis from Dark Crystal. I hope you had a chance to take your photo with this one, I know I did.

A fun attraction that they expanded on from last year was the all LEGO city scape. Like last year, there was an impressively elaborate entire LEGO city with a running LEGO train doing laps. And if that wasn’t enough European-based building toys for you, next to famed artists Fiona Staples was a giant recreation of the Saga #8 cover done in the tiny colorful bricks. I really enjoy these setups because they aren’t what you always expect to see at conventions like these.

I did watch a future generation of LARPers learn how to handle a themselves in a fight with an assortment of mid-evil weaponry. The Knights Academy was a great weekend long panel for children. It was entertaining to watch these fantasy fights play out before your eyes, and watching a large group of kids being legitimately interested and excited to be a part of something so different even in the realm of nerd. The kids events did really seem to take a major forefront this year, when compared to the two previous years. I mean, Adam West, among other celebrities, held reading sessions in the Kid Corral. I’m sure if you were to have asked him LaVar Burton would have been proud of the focus on literacy this time.

From year to year Denver Comic Con has gone through some serious changes. A large part of that is the unexpected speed at which the convention grew. It’s hard to keep up when one year you more than double your capacity. There were definitely growing pains. Luckily, it seems that DCC handled themselves much better and learned from past mistakes. If the convention continues to grow and those running it take the time to actually look back at the previous years and find what they need to do to improve, even just a little, this will be a great convention for years to come.

“Respect My Craft” – Karl Urban

In this consumer-based industry, it can be easy to forget the years of hard work that the people in the business put in. Behind every panel, it takes a skilled writer, artist, inker and colorist to make the product complete. Behind each scene goes hours of preparation. Hush Comics’ weekly article “Respect My Craft” will dive into the history of these comic book and pop culture greats that will hopefully give a new perspective on how the men and women behind the pen (or stylus) contribute to the collective awesome-ness of the nerd world, or at least give you a reason to invest in their work.

Click on the link to view all our Denver Comic Con articles!

NOTE: Karl Urban can’t make Denver Comic Con.  So sad!  We will see you next year!

 

Name: Karl Urban

Profession: Actor

Notable Work: Star Trek (reboots), Xena: Warrior Princess, Lord of the Rings, RED, Almost Human

“That is a big danger, losing your inspiration. When I work in film and television I try to do each take a little differently. I never want to do the same thing twice, because then you’re not being spontaneous, you’re just recreating something.” – Karl Urban

 

We all know Karl Urban; even if you don’t think you know Urban, you do. If you are a nerd and follow this site, it’s safe to say that he’s been in something that you’ve seen. It safe to say he’s somehow in all or our favorite fandoms. He’s the guy who looks familiar but you can’t quite place him because his characters change so much – from Xena to Star Trek to Lord of the Rings. We all love him for different reasons and in many ways is the uniting factor between the different fandoms.

Urban went to school at the Victoria University in Wellington New Zealand. He left after a year to focus on his acting career. He started out in several commercials and then eventually got his start on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. On the shows he has played: Julius Caesar, Cupid, and Meal in Altered States. Hercules and Xena happen to be my first introduction to him. These shows have some of the largest international following and fandom, as well as, some of the most devoted fans in all of nerdom. It was also one of the longest-running and best fantasy franchises on television. Urban was going to be in Season 6 finale but due to conflicts with Lord of the Rings, he was unable to be in the episode. However, he was later written into a role for Julius Caeser in “When Fates Collide,” which is still considered one of the most popular Xena episodes.

That leads us to the other big franchise he’s been a part of: Lord of the mother fucking Rings. If you don’t know or have been hiding in a rock and never have watched Lord of the Rings, Urban was Éomer, Third Marshal of the Mark and successor to King Théoden. Urban’s character was introduced in The Two Towers. Since Éomer was an expert horseman, Urban spent a lot of time training with horses. His goal was to be able to reign in his horse while also wielding a sword. For two hours a day for eight weeks, he was on a horse, training for his role. This also meant he had the opportunity to gallivant around his native New Zealand and see the countryside, a landscape he has never before seen. The experience was epic and something he would never forget. One of his favorite memories was when he and a few other cast members were on set one day, and instead of make the hour-long trek back to the hotel, they fished and camped out in the New Zealand wilderness.

Urban has been introduced in three spate franchise in their second movie. Two Tower, Chronicles of Riddick and Borne Supremacy. Urban played Vaako in Chronicles of Riddick. For a nice little nerd fact for you; Urban, Vin Diesel, Judi Dench and Thandie Newton passed the time on set by playing Dungeons and Dragons. He was also a fan of the 2000 AD comic character Judge Dredd since he was a teenager and was thrilled to later reprise the role in the movie which came out in 2012. He was also in another comic book movie Red with Bruce Willis, John Malcovich, Morgan freeman. He had never read the comic before and was only exposed to the story when he read the script.

Of course, everything leads back to Star Trek. Urban has always been a fan of Star Trek. In JJ Abrams reprisal of Star Trek,Urban was cast as Dr. McCoy. It’s been said that his accent reminded Lenard Nimoy of the late DeForest Kelly so much that he was brought to tears on set. There were also a lot of rumors and question about his potential future involvement with Star Wars. Urban has no desire to do Star Wars. While he considers it his holy grail of genre shows and movies, he committed to the Trek world and didn’t want to bring the audience out from being immersed in Star Wars by hopping universes. Urban is also a huge fan of Harrison Ford and his alter-ego, Indiana Jones. He even named his son Indiana for his love of the franchise. He’s a nerd who makes nerd films.

The lasted show that Karl Urban has been a part of is Almost Human. Which, sadly, has been canceled. Fox has opted not to pick up a second season. The show was about a cop who is paired up with an android to solve crime. Urban felt the script was poignant and dynamic and that the characters were engaging. We can sadly add it to the ranks of Sarah Conner Chronicles, John Doe, and Firefly. Now that Almost Human has been scrapped I am curious for what’s next to come for the New Zealand actor. He’s not one to slow down anytime soon and I am sure that we will be seeing him in something very soon.

 

None of the media in this article belongs to Hush Comics; it all belongs to their respective properties. Join us tomorrow as we continue our countdown to Denver Comic Con with Danger Girl creator and famous Marvel cover artist, J. Scott Campbell.

Monthly Movie Preview: December 2013

Oh, December.  The month of movies vying for the Oscar, the movies that didn’t fit anywhere else in the year, and the comedy to keep us laughing until the end of the year.  Here is Hush Comic’s movie preview for December:

December 6 – Out of the Furnace

Starring: Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Willem Dafoe, Forest Whitaker, Sam Shepard, and Zoe Saldana

With such a stellar cast, there isn’t really much else to say about this movie.  Ok, ok, I’ll talk about the plot.  Two brothers are very close.  Then, one goes missing.  The police get involved, but don’t do much.  The other brother takes matters into his own hands like Batman does.  Oh my God, the guy who takes matters into his own hands is Batman!  Crazy.  Written and directed by Scott Carpenter of Crazy Heart fame, and starring a sundry of Academy Award nominated actors, Out of the Furnace is bound to be nothing less of impressive.  – A

December 13 – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, and Benedict Cumberbatch

Come, don’t be shy… step into the light…err, I mean… The dark movie theater, to watch the second installment of The Hobbit – Desolation of Smaug. Bilbo (Martin Freeman), Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and the rag tag band of Dwarves continue their adventure to retrieve the Arkenstone from the former Dwarf kingdom and now home of the dangerous and deadly dragon, Smaug. The Hush team is pumped to see Orlando Bloom return as everyone’s favorite archer (sorry Katniss, but you’ve got nothing on Legolas), as well as several other new characters Tolkien-ites will be excited to see on the silver screen. Previews have teased the public with glimpses of the lurking flame giant and come release day hopefully we’ll get a full frontal of the monster. In my personal history, second installments have been my favorite – The Two Towers, The Empire Strikes Back, The Matrix Reloaded (hate on haters) – and Peter Jackson’s most recent go-around is set to please. It’s going to be the best movie on Middle Earth this year – don’t miss it! – T

December 18 – American Hustle

Starring: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremey Renner, and Robert DeNiro

Hunger Games: Catching Fire was great – don’t get me wrong. But do you know what it was missing? Jennifer Lawrence’s boobs. And Amy Adams’ boobs. And a fat Christian Bale. This crime drama set in the late 1970s focuses on the ABSCAM project, a sting operation to help bring down corrupt politicians. Cooper’s FBI character enlists the con talents of Bale and Adams. However, the plot thickens when the grifters start their own side-hustles. This movie boasts an all-star cast and a pretty interesting story loosely based on real events. Jennifer Lawrence’s cry face in The Hunger Games drove us crazy, but she has some real emotional range and acting prowess. I wouldn’t recommend it over the other movies out this weekend, but I definitely think it’s worth checking out. For totally non-boob reasons, too. – S

December 20 – Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

Starring: Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner, Vince Vaughn, Christina Applegate, and Baxter

I’m not usually a big fan of sequels to comedies, but I think Anchorman 2 will prove me wrong.  Following the hijinks of the news crew from San Diego, this film takes us to New York City where the gang try become number one again, but this time with “GNN”.  They say and do incredibly stupid things and in general make asses of themselves, as is expected.  Steve Carell stole the show in the preview, so he probably will do the same with the movie, and I am most definitely O.K. with that.  Stay Classy, New York? – A

December 20 – Saving Mr. Banks

Starring: Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson, Colin Farrell, Paul Giamatti, and Jason Schwarztman

Disney’s newest film, Saving Mr. Banks, is actually about Walt Disney (Tom Hanks), who tries, and obviously succeeds, to convince P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson), the author of Mary Poppins, to give the rights to make a film version of her novel.   Mr. Banks refers to Travers father, and the main inspiration for the father in Mary Poppins.  With two of the best actors to live starring, the heart-warming plot and the light humor, Saving Mr. Banks is sure to be one of the best holiday time movies to come out and will be one I definitely see this year. – A

December 25 – 47 Ronin

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Kô Shibasaki, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

Keanu Reeves is back this holiday season in the awesome new samurai flick, 47 Ronin. The story follows Reeves as Kai and his 46 fellow samurai sword slingers as they work to avenge the death of their master who was taken down by a military shogun (fun fact – Ronin translates to “leaderless samurai” in Japan). This story has been told and retold for quite some time now – dating back as far as the 18 century as a playwright and a most recent rendition of a 1941 film. I’m excited to see Reeves back on the big screen – his first since The Day the Earth Stood Still remake. While that experience left the average sci-fi buff wanting more, I have much higher expectations for 47 Ronin. Released film footages tout glorious landscapes, vibrant characters, badass creatures of lore and – of course – plenty of sword fights. 47 Ronin promises to deliver flashy, action-packed samurai goodness into my Christmas week and I recommended you get it in yours as well. And don’t forget fans – this story is based on true events. So when you see Rinko Kikuchi transform into a flame spitting dragon, remember that it actually happened. – T

December 25 – The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Starring: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Sean Penn

Based off the original story published in The New Yorker in 1939 (the same year Batman first appeared in Detective Comics…. totally unrelated, but I had to…), The Secret Life of Water Mitty is my pick for best dramatic film of the year. It was actually made into a comedy movie in 1947 and starred Danny Kaye, but this is one case where I can fully endorse the remake. Starring and directed by Ben Stiller (who is in desperate need of a comeback), Mitty has been in production for nearly a decade, with names such as Mike Myers, Jim Carrey, Johnny Depp and Sacha Baron Cohen attached to it. Judging from the trailer, Stiller was a great choice. The story follows a Life magazine reporter on a journey to find a missing photo, but is really about the journey to get out and experience life. Taking on a much more inspirational mood than the original, this film is sure to make you quit your job! – S

December 25 – The Wolf of Wall Street

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Jon Favreau

“You can dis me all you want on a blog, or write whatever you want in this magazine and I’ll just be like, ‘Whatever, man. Scorsese thinks I’m awesome,” – Jonah Hill. Telling the story of Jordan Belford, a New York stockbroker who was BALLIN out of control. Literally, he was out of control. There was FBI fraud investigations and the mob got involved. It may seem outlandish, but it’s just the type of character that Leo knocks out of the park. Jay Gatsby, J. Edgar Hoover, Howard Hughes, Calvin Candie – all very powerful men who see everything go up in flames around them (alright, Candie was a joke). The film was pushed back to Christmas Day so that Scorsese could kill some babies to decrease the run time 30 minutes and to try to get it from an NC-17 rating down to an R rating. Should be a great showing, and do a lot to remind you of how broke and crappy you are at life. Because no matter what you got for Christmas, you didn’t get to throw midgets at a Velcro board at the office. – S

Written by Adrian Puryear, Sherif Elkhatib and Taylor Lowe