#Sebastian Stan is a phenomenal actor

[mrs-stans]

Donald Trump might make the Oscar cut – but with Sebastian Stan playing him

TORONTO — In the Donald Trump biopic “The Apprentice,” famed New York lawyer Roy Cohn lays out three important rules to Trump, his young disciple: “Attack, attack, attack” is the first; “Admit nothing, deny everything” is the second; and “No matter what, claim victory and never admit defeat” is last.

For anybody who’s watched cable news in, oh, the last decade, that all seems pretty familiar. Trump became a cultural figure, first in business and then on NBC's competition show "The Apprentice" before taking the Oval Office. The controversial new movie charts the future 45th president’s rise in the 1970s and ‘80s, but includes echoes of his political era throughout. (“Make America Great Again” even makes an appearance.)

The Oscars also have rules, though it’s an unwritten one that comes to bear here: Play a real-life figure and you’ve got a decent shot at a nomination. Which is a boon for “Apprentice” stars Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong, who give outstanding performances as Trump and Cohn, respectively.

“The Apprentice” (in theaters Oct. 11), which had a surprise screening at the Toronto International Film Festival Thursday, starts with a young Trump working for his father Fred's real estate company. Donald dreams of opening a luxury hotel in Manhattan, but starts out going door to door collecting rent. He meets Cohn, who first helps the Trumps in court and then becomes a mentor to young Donald, who listens intently as Roy rails about civil rights, makes hateful remarks and says leftists are worse than Nazis.

Trump takes to heart Cohn’s advice ― there are only two kinds people in the world, “killers and losers” ― his hotel business takes off and turns him into a Manhattan power player. There’s a turn, however, and the movie focuses on how Donald’s confidence and cruelty takes hold. He cheats on wife Ivana (Maria Bakalova), rapes her in one of the film's most disturbing sequences, and shuns Cohn after he becomes sick and eventually dies from AIDS.

The most fascinating aspect of “Apprentice” is watching its leads change their characters and body language to drive home that cinematic shift. Stan starts out playing Trump as an awkward, lonely sort before taking on more of the mannerisms that we’ve seen on our national political stage in recent years. (Even though he doesn’t quite look like Trump, the voice and inflections are spot on.) Strong is initially a scary and discomforting presence before gradually turning more sympathetic as his disease sets in and Trump worries he’ll get sick just being around his former friend.

Granted, it’s not normal for a biopic about a presidential candidate, and a high-profile film-festival one at that, to arrive less than a month before the election. It likely won’t sway voters either way, whether they see Trump as monarch or monster, and Trump’s more likely to threaten legal action than show up to the Oscars. But the movie’s worth paying attention to because of its powerful acting, from Stan, Strong and Bakalova. (In a packed best-actor lineup, one of Stan’s biggest rivals will be himself, since he’s also phenomenal in this month's “A Different Man.”)

One of the best scenes, in which Trump and an ailing Cohn let each other have it with all the venom they can muster, wraps up a lot of the core themes in a movie filled with meta commentary. Trump’s screwed over Cohn, and the lawyer tells him “you were a loser then and you’re still a loser” and that he’s “lost the last traces of decency you had.”

“What can I say, Roy,” Trump snarls. “I learned from the best.”

[oh-my-damn]

Sebastian Stan has them too and he's a phenomenal on-screen kisser!//

I think about that gif of him devouring shailene woodley in endings beginnings at least twice a day....

Its honestly some of the hottest shit ive ever seen in a movie it changed my life

Thats why i started watching all his movies honestly and istg his sex or kissing scenes?! ALWAYS top tier i can't get enough

And him staring???? FUCK

I have seen this movie SO many times purely for Sebastian I am not kidding when I say he is one of my all time favorite actors, this man could do anything and he could have smoking hot chemistry with a fucking DOOR he's incredible

[musette22]

Happy Monday Minnie ! I hope you have lovely week!

I absolutely have to tell you this! I met up with my brother over the weekend and the conversation shifted to movies and out of the blue my brother just says, "I think Sebastian Stan might be my favourite working actor right now" and I was so shocked that he said that. I should have expected it, my brother is a total cinephile and works in the industry but I've never told him that I'm a Seb fan and he's never brought him up before but he did this time and was going on and on about all the Sebastian's projects, even the lesser known ones and a bunch of his coworkers were with us and they all agreed. No need to say that it was a very entertaining lunch and I was so happy to hear that people seem to unilaterally agree that Sebastian Stan is phenomenal actor!

Funny thing is that we ended up watching Pain Hustlers after that cause my brother also loves Emily Blunt and Chris so all in all it was a very successful weekend

Hello my love!! 💗 Happy Monday to you too, hope your week got off to a good start!

And oh my goodness, thank you so much for coming into my inbox to tell me about all this because it's DELIGHTFUL 😍 Wow, your brother really gets it, that is amazing!! You guys have similarly awesome genes and excellent taste, clearly!

Also, the fact that your brother is a cinephile and works in the industry and Seb is one of his favourite working actors right now.... And so many of his co-workees agreeing, too..! That says a lot, doesn't it? 😌 Love that so, so much!! It's just SO satisfying to know others get it now too, and that he's having such a great year! Adore that for him, and I am so happy for you that you got to gush about Seb with your brother, that sounds like so much fun 🥰

Also, love that you saw Pain Hustlers together too! I actually got a text from a friend yesterday saying they'd just watched it too and wanted to let me know they loved it ❤️ It's so nice when we get to share these things with the people close to us, isn't it? Thanks so much for your message, lovely, I really enjoyed this!

[zalrb]

What are the scenes/sequences that have really impacted you on shows/movies? It can be anything that might have blown you away, like an epic and large-scale scene, something with phenomenal acting, a strong text, monologues, montages or even something simple and ordinary but that for some reason stuck with you. P.S. If it's going to exceed Tumblr limits, you don't need to write a full breakdown, you can just list them. :)

Haha it's not the text that exceeds Tumblr limits, it's the gifs ;)

I'll start with links to videos no one watches, but there are only five, so.

This isn't the actual scene I have in mind but it'll work because Lovers Rock in general moved me in a way that only one other thing - a play - did because it captures a very Jamaican/Caribbean diaspora experience and I'm not British and this takes place in the 80s and I wasn't alive then, but there is a lot of crossover between the diaspora in Canada and the diaspora in England so when I watched Lovers Rock, I felt seen, like seen in a way American content can't do for me.

Viola Davis' monologue in Fences is self-explanatory. This is acting.

So, I didn't get the fuss over Sebastian Stan for a very long time. I'd seen him in Gossip Girl and OUAT and whatever Marvel movies I'd watched and was like, he's just a guy. Then I saw I, Tonya. And I was like, Oh! He's an actor. And it was also the movie I realized that Margot Robbie was versatile and I had seen her in, like, five different things before this and thought it was a different person each time. So, this scene has stuck with me.

Unfortunately, there isn't a video yet that just has all of the siblings reacting to Logan's death but this was just a master class in acting

I have said repeatedly that I wish I'd written this movie (yes, it's a remake), this scene is just great, great dialogue that they both handled really well and Tom Hanks did a great job being such a dick. This movie got my blood pressure up as a CHILD.

The rest will be in gifs and these scenes impacted me for a variety of reasons, some just an emotional impact, some I found visually stunning, some are about the script, some are about theme but all require more context than the gif

OK I just have to say, when I tell you, as a kid, I thought this was the MEANEST thing you could say to someone because of Cher's reaction. I fucking love this movie.

I seemed to have focused mostly on movies in this post. Maybe I'll do TV in another if there's interest.

[steelbluehome]

IGN

A Different Man Review

Metamorphosis.

BY ALEX STEDMAN

JAN 29, 2024

"Even when it’s a bit of a slog, Sebastian Stan is fascinating."

A Different Man doesn’t fit neatly into one genre. You could call it a psychological thriller, or maybe a drama/satire, but what I prefer to call it is a twisted little joke of a film – and I do mean that as a compliment. Both Charlie Kaufman and Franz Kafka-esque, writer/director Aaron Schimberg eventually leads us into a biting, darkly funny, and unforgiving examination of our obsession with physical beauty, the line between representation and exploitation, and the madness that envy can lead to, all anchored by powerhouse performances by Sebastian Stan and Adam Pearson.

The biggest issue with A Different Man, however, is how long it takes for it to get to that examination. It’s a slow start as we’re introduced to Stan’s character Edward, an aspiring actor with facial deformities who lives a lonely life in a sad apartment, a long-ignored hole in the ceiling an unsubtle metaphor for Edward’s own lack of TLC. Even when it’s a bit of a slog, though, Stan is fascinating. He’s unrecognizable not just for the detailed prosthetics that obscure his face, but his entire demeanor as Edward slumps about life, constantly hunched over as he carries the weight of his condition on his shoulders.

Stan isn’t in prosthetics the entire film, however, as an experimental trial turns successful and rids him of the bulging tumors on his face. The practical effects are both phenomenal and gruesome as Edward quite literally sheds his skin, finally granting him the handsome appearance of, well, Sebastian Stan. But it’s when Edward embarks on a new life entirely that A Different Man gets to the meat of what it’s trying to say, ushered in by the first appearance of Adam Pearson’s Oswald.

Even when it’s a bit of a slog, Sebastian Stan is fascinating.

Oswald has neurofibromatosis and the same kind of facial disfigurement that Edward used to have – but he also has the charm, confidence, and an endless string of talents that Edward could only dream of, which sparks an envious obsession laced with cruel irony. Pearson, best known previously for his role in 2013’s Under the Skin, is absolutely perfect as Oswald, getting some of the biggest laughs in the film as he floats through the world seemingly wholly unbothered by his condition, Edward’s occasional rudeness, or anything at all really.

Oswald, too, is endlessly likable, wrapping everyone in his orbit around his finger – but there’s something a little deeper in Pearson's performance too. He’s so perfect, so apparently oblivious to the way Edward seethes at him that there’s almost a bit of smarminess to him, even if we’re only seeing it through Edward’s perspective. Stan and Pearson play off one another wonderfully as their one-sided rivalry grows darker and darker, catalyzed by a play based on Edward’s old life written by one of its few bright spots, a woman named Ingrid (Renate Reinsve).

Reinsve, too, gets a few of the most bleakly funny lines as her character introduces some of the movie’s diciest moral complications surrounding art, fetishism, and exploitation. Schimberg’s endlessly unpredictable script leads to an at times unbelievable but utterly engrossing final act, one that doesn’t necessarily answer the many questions it raises – and that’s part of its charm.

A Different Man has no interest in wrapping a neat bow on anything or telling us how to feel about the bizarre events that eventually play out. Thanks to a smart script and Stan’s brooding performance, you’ll have no idea whether to pity or fear Edward by the end, whether he ever had a chance of becoming “a different man” or not – and that’s entirely the point.

Verdict

It may take a bit too long to get there, but A Different Man eventually becomes an unflinching, unforgiving examination of the masks we wear and whether we can truly change our natures. Aaron Schimberg’s twisty script is sold by standout performances from Sebastian Stan and Adam Pearson, who are fascinating in a one-sided rivalry. Occasionally tragic, often shocking and darkly funny, A Different Man raises countless questions and doesn’t apologize for the ones it leaves unanswered.

[stardustviolet]

Actors/Actresses who play different characters phenomenally: Seth Gabel Dane Dehaan Saoirse Ronan Tatiana Maslany Katherine Mcnamara Cillian Murphy Evan Rachel Wood Zooey Deschanel Joseph Gordon-Levitt Bill Skarsgard Matt Barr Sebastian Stan Chris Evans Timothee Chalamet Zendaya Dylan Arnold Austin Butler Viola Davis Nicholas Hoult VIctoria Pedretti Toni Collette Anna Torv Oliver Coopersmith Aleyse Shannon Margot Robbie Finn Cole Scott Speedman Anya Taylor-Joy America Ferrera Jake Mcdorman Andrew Lee Potts John Harlan Kim Olivia Cooke Timothy Olyphant Meryl Streep Devon Bostick

[yelena-bellova]

do you have an actor/actress/writer/director/singer/any kind of creator who you admire for their talent despite thinking they are a shitty person.

Loads. I don’t necessarily think they’re shitty people, but they’ve definitely done some things I don’t agree with.

Sebastian Stan, who anyone should know by now I do hate, is insanely talented. I just can’t stand him after the Pam & Tommy debacle.

Taylor Swift truly has talent (though it hasn’t really been shining her last few albums) but I can’t stand her for reasons that would require a whole other post.

Benedict Cumberbatch is a phenomenal actor, but he made some comments regarding autism years ago that just turned me off of him.

I think directors like Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarentino are really talented, but they seem really arrogant. Same goes for Robert De Niro.

And I’m waiting to see on Vin Diesel. I’m really hoping the allegations are false because I love him in Fast and Furious.

[kikilefangirl]

New Beginnings For Late Bloomers

Bucky Barnes x Reader

(Word Count: 2.4k)

You answered the Wakandan prince and princess’ call almost immediately. You quietly and swiftly made your way from your room, taking the familiar route south to the lab.

King T’Chaka’s death was so recent that his presence was still very much felt around the palace. Everyone, of all ranks, collectively mourning the loss. As you passed through the halls, you thought of his children—you couldn’t imagine losing your father, especially in such a jarring way. You bristled before turning the corner, bracing yourself for whatever was on the other side.

A pale skinned, dark haired man appeared to be sleeping in a large tube. Beside it, Prince T’Challa and Princess Shuri were in deep conversation with another white man, this one blonde. He stood opposite them and face to face with you.

You weren’t one for rudeness, but you had never seen a white man in person before, and it was strange. You found yourself switching back and forth between the and his sleeping friend. The first and second white men you had seen up close. They both had white skin tinged with pink, and their hair really was bone straight. The blonde gave you a warm smile, maintaining a slight recline and dropped shoulders.

You weren’t very good at interrupting or with strangers; your shyness was a terrible hindrance, and it was a wonder you even had friends in the royal family. The stranger’s reaction saved you the trouble, causing both siblings to do the same. Immediately, your eyes drifted the man in the tube, lightly pressing your fingers on the glass.

T’Challa cleared his throat and gestured at the blonde, “Y/N, this is Captain Rogers.”

You nodded at him and followed his downward gaze––to the other white man. Because you were closer, you could see his breath fog up the glass in front of his nose.

“We need you to watch over Sergeant Barnes while he is within our borders,” Shuri said. Though he looked relatively peaceful, what this Sergeant Barnes was like when he was awake must be hard.

“Your daily tasks will be to tend to him.” T'Challa explained.

Your gaze softened when you glanced at Captain Rogers. His concern was plain to see, enough to make you muster up whatever courage you had to speak.

“I will do as I am asked. Sergeant Barnes will be well cared for during his time here.” You replied. You gave him a small smile.

The man nodded at your reassurance, and you excused yourself. You had a lot of work ahead of you.

…

The sound of giggling and shuffling feet took you out of your reverie.

You were greeted to the sight of children laughing and chasing each other on the river bank. You smiled at their antics, but had to shoo them away. They were playing outside of Sergeant Barnes’—erm, Bucky’s hut while he was sleeping. You noticed how little the man allowed his body to rest, and you did your best to prolong it.

You knew the kids had broken his sleep, so you entered his hut, anyway. As you expected, the man was on his back looking at you with heavy lidded eyes.

“Please, try and go back to sleep,” you whispered, averting your gaze.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him tilt his head back on his bed. You took the opportunity to light an incense on the outer edge of the hut while you went about your daily tasks. It was the one that usually lulled him back to sleep, but Bucky was wide awake.

You occupied yourself with menial work in an effort to ignore his eyes on you. You were taking out an old blanket but when you touched the other side, you felt a thick, runny liquid. The harsh smell of iron hit your nostrils almost immediately.

Blood.

“I had another one after you left.” A raspy voice called from behind you.

You quickly wrapped the blanket in your arms, doing your best to hide the sight. Bucky was sitting up; he may have been looking at you, but his eyes were much farther away. The color wasn’t familiar to you, but the distant sadness in them was. You could see fresh scratches poking out from his tunic and the slight grimace on his face.

Gently, you set the blanket back down and grabbed the tin of shea butter from your supply bag. You unscrewed the cap and scooped the product out. You made your way to his bed, sitting on your knees beside him.

You pulled the cloth down to reveal the familiar nub where his arm used to be.

“Your head therapy with Dr. Amari has been switched to Tuesdays and Thursdays, for now. Shuri needs time to grieve the king and the mind must come before the body, in your case. ” You said softly, applying the shea butter evenly and without fanfare.

Bucky was leaning away from you, but he nodded nonetheless. You never had to yell or shout to get his attention––he always heard you, no matter how quiet you were.

When you were done, Bucky offered you a tired smile, but you couldn’t return it. You felt your face get hot and averted your gaze. It was different when you had nothing more to do, and he was just staring at you.

“I will get you new bedding and clothing when I return.”

You darted out of the hut as fast as you could, only stopping to let out the breath you had been holding.

…

“I don’t know if your treatment is working, Shuri.”

The princess was busy working on a new project. With heavy protective goggles on, and a wicked grin, there was no telling what she was up to. Carefully, Shuri shut the lid on it, and spun towards you.

You held up the bloody fabric, and Shuri frowned.

“Ah, Y/N, Sergeant Barnes’ brain will take more work than his body.” She said, scanning the blanket.

“He claws at himself while he sleeps.” You replied. The memories of his episodes were so clear in your mind. For a man who was fairly quiet and calm, in those moments he was mechanical and unflinchingly cruel. It was the first time a cold feeling settled in the pit of your stomach and it was truly awful.

Shuri was periodically glancing up at you as she read Bucky’s file. The farther she read, the more the princess looked puzzled. She clicked her tongue, then suddenly clapped loudly. The sound made you jump.

“Shuri!” You hissed. The girl was bouncing on the balls of her feet, animatedly. An especially devious smirk made its way onto her face.

“He is from New York City, ah! The city where dreams are made of!” She sang. Her off key version made you cringe at first, but a smile soon replaced it.

The Wakandan princess’s bubbly mood was the thing you enjoyed most about her. She was always so excited to explore and plot anything she wanted; it was refreshing to see.

“Take Sergeant Barnes to the market! It is a city environment to remind him of home.” Shuri exclaimed wildly.

Your eyes widened in horror at her suggestion. Shuri lit up, her ideas kept coming.

“He needs you to go with him. It can be a date!” You nearly choked.

“Princess Shuri!” You cried out. It was actually more of a high pitched squeak.

You gazed down at the blanket. It’s rich brown color was tinged with a darker one. The sickly smell of blood—Bucky’s blood—still invaded your senses. Your job was to care for him while he was in your country’s custody.

You sighed and agreed.

…

Bucky knew something was wrong the second you found the blanket.

The slight downturn of your chin as the realization dawned on you—he should’ve buried it when he had the chance.

The scratches were deep this time, but Bucky healed fast. It had been just over eleven hours since they happened. He had since changed into new clothes, so as to spare you from seeing the gashes, but he didn’t have the tools to get rid of the blood on hand.

Bucky heard your approaching steps, and went out to greet you. It was the height of the late afternoon heat; the dark haired man could see you approach through the vapors.

He knew it had been a long time since he’d been around a woman as Bucky, not the Winter Soldier. That was the exact reason why he wasn’t used to how you looked then. Your deep brown skin glowed as you came closer. A gold armband sat on your upper left arm, shining in the sunlight. You had on a green two-piece, decorated in bright Wakandan prints.

Bucky missed his phantom limb during times like this. It meant he was still capable of being the smooth, confident guy from Brooklyn and not the mess he truly was. He shifted his weight, bracing himself for your arrival.

…

“Would you like to come with me to the market?” You asked.

You wouldn’t look up at him for more than a second, but you did sit near him during the escort over. On his left side, too.

Once you two made it to the market entrance, it was in full swing. Hundreds of people were mingling through the stalls. A woman was haggling a tailor for a shoddy job he’d done. The smell of spices and roots hung in the air.

You snuck a glance at Bucky, giggling at the curious stares he received. And what a strange sight he was—a very white man in Wakanda. It was unheard of.

“I was told you were from New York City. Manhattan?” You said.

Bucky turned to you, mildly offended.

“Brooklyn, doll. Real different.” He said. You watched him inhale, taking in the bustling vendors and patrons.

You put a slight pressure on his shoulder, leading him to a street show. The performance was fun and free as the drummers played their sing song rhythms. Even you felt the urge to sway your hips to the beat.

A crowd had gathered, stomping and clapping as they went along, growing more boisterous as the dancers went on. Lost in the moment, you failed to notice Bucky’s balled fists and his blank stare. The only reason you did, was because in the middle of your small dance, you bumped into a hard body. The way you bounced off of him jostled you back to reality.

You got him some water, pouring it on your hand and then on his forehead. The cold shock worked, but with it came those scared, disoriented eyes. Ordinarily, you wouldn’t try and steer the big man any direction. You never could, Bucky was just kind enough to oblige most times. This time, he seemed so splintered, he followed without protest.

You led Bucky into an empty alleyway.

“I’m sorry. Please, let me take you back.” You said, apologetically.

You thought it would help him, not this. You leaned back on the wall opposite to him, waiting for Bucky to decide what to do. Slowly, heavy breathing subsided and he lifted his head from the ground.

“I don’t want you to think I didn’t like it. I did. But the people and the sounds and the—I know I was raised in a big city, but it’s been a long time since then.” Bucky said, finally.

He met your concerned gaze and almost looked relieved. The man stood up to his full height in one swift motion.

“I don’t think I like them anymore.” He admitted in a low, gravelly voice.

Your heart sank at his omission. Bucky had no idea who he was anymore, or what made him happy. He needed some peace that didn’t come from his place at the river, that was too familiar.

“I know a place you might enjoy, but it will take time to get there.”

Bucky had complete faith in you, and nodded imperceptibly.

…

It was a quiet ride up the mound.

By now, it was nearing dusk. The sky was a vibrant mix of purples and oranges and reds. Bucky hadn’t spoken again, and you hadn’t pressed him.

“It’s an undeveloped hot spring, Prince T’Challa and I found it together as children. No one will bother us here.”

You stalked through the heavy foliage with a clear head, muscle memory guiding the way to the cave. You were very aware of Bucky’s silent presence behind you. He navigated the vegetation with ease, carrying the food and water in a basket.

You huffed just taking the towels and blanket, and he looked unfazed. The both of you finally reached the mouth of the cave as soon as the last rays of sunlight faded. You watched as Bucky’s face darkened in the dim light.

“There are lights on the far end, vibranium powered so they will last.” You said. Bucky had far better sight than you, and he successfully found and turned them on.

He pointed the bright light toward the cave ceiling, setting off a series of shadows and patterns above you. You smiled softly, satisfied with your work. Bucky was still shook up from the market, but once he stepped into the hot spring he physically seemed more comfortable.

“Don’t stay in too long, it could be dangerous,” you warned him. A blast of warm air hit you, and you laid down on the blanket.

“Got it.” Bucky replied.

Occasionally, you heard the sound of water sloshing around, but you were too lazy to turn your head. There was no one around for miles to interrupt the calm, so you finally closed your eyes.

You heard water streaming to the cave floor as Bucky drew nearer. You thought nothing of it, until you felt warm, sopping wet hands wrap around you. You gasped the intrusion—if you hadn’t known who it was you would’ve screamed.

Bucky pulled you into him. Your face rested on his bare chest, catching the heat emanating from his warm skin. You didn’t have time to freak out.

What he did next wasn’t quite like a cry. The noise was so soft you thought you misheard it at first. It was a strangled, ghost of a sob.

“I-I can’t stop saying I don’t know.”

Bucky clung to you, letting all of his frustration and pain roll off him in waves. You took your cheek off his chest, the warm water leaving your face hotter than normal.

You stopped Bucky before he could recoil—gripping his shoulder.

“Horrific things happened to you Bucky, and I am sorry for that,” you started, staring off at the hot spring behind him. Steam rolled off its surface and wafted upwards and into nothing.

“You are rebuilding yourself and that is alright.”

Bucky peered down at you with a hardened kind of fascination. His eyes raked over you and he broke out in a grateful smile. A true smile.

“Thank you.”

He paused as he regarded you, dropping his shoulders.

“Doll? Can I kiss you?” The request sent you toppling over on the inside. You swallowed hard.

“Why?” Your voice was small. It was the cost to stare Bucky in the eyes while you asked. He needed to see how dead serious you were. You could be fragile, too. You blinked rapidly in anticipation, trying to concentrate over the roar of blood rushing through your veins.

“You never asked me to be someone, now I can be someone else.”

Your jaw dropped. You mustered all the courage you had and met his lips. The kiss was hesitant and soft. There were no expectations, just a sweet moment for two people that needed more of them.

[broadwayfan92]

The acting in this show. Just wow!

[repressedqueen]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

I won’t let you hurt anyone. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (2021) | The Whole World Is Watching

[justwintersebby]

Stanning Stan: A Case Study

In my review of I, TONYA, I singled out Sebastian Stan’s performance as the much-maligned Jeff Gillooly:

Jeff’s masculinity is toxic and complex in a manner rarely explored in contemporary cinema.  Meek, yet monstrous, his voice pitches nasally in a way that grates; its near-femininity disarms you.  Stan walks a razor thin edge; too much, and he would be a caricature, not enough and it could be construed as almost romanticizing abuse.  In one scene, Jeff threatens Tonya in a way that is both incomprehensibly cruel and emotionally manipulative, yet you find yourself wanting to comfort him.   That level of fourth-wall manipulation requires incredible nuance and skill; Stan’s is evocative of Eric Roberts’ tour-de-force outing in Star 80.

My top pick in the Best Supporting Actor category in this year’s Dallas-Ft Worth Film Critics Association awards, Sebastian Stan has somehow eluded widespread acknowledgement by critics’ associations in this year’s run-up to the Academy Awards.  After the year of Weinstein and the tidal wave of victims’ voices against our culture’s systemic oppression and mistreatment of women, maybe my peers are reticent to reward an abusive character.

Stan’s performance employs a muted balance of humor and terror.  Radiating a disarmingly boyish docility, his prodigious bursts of violence land abruptly.  Perhaps he disappeared into the role so well, critics simply overlooked it.  As Roger Ebert used to say, the likeliest contender for laudits is who “acts most”, not finest.

At 35, with roles in television and the Marvel cinematic universe, Stan doesn’t possess the indie cred of younger comers like Timothée Chalamet, nor the résumé of a Stuhlbarg or Fassbender—the latter having played a super-villain in X-MEN: FIRST CLASS and a damaged sex addict in SHAME.

A more cynical view: Stan’s fanbase is predominantly young and female, a demographic dismissed in every circle, from fandom to serious drama—hence the pejorative “chick flick”.  Film criticism, not without its own scandals last year, is now dominated not so much by erudite journalists but white, male geeks who, somewhere between their love of comic book movies and web design, decided they had the chops to write about cinema without relevant education or experience.

Studio marketing, perhaps sensitive to, or even altogether unaware of, the perils of thrusting an abusive, vengeful nerd before a cadre of white male geeks, sidelines Stan in the promotional material for the film:

“Featuring an iconic turn by Margot Robbie as the fiery Harding, a mustachioed Sebastian Stan as her impetuous ex-husband Jeff Gillooly, a tour-de-force performance from Allison Janney as her acid-tongued mother, LaVona Golden…”

His performance goes without comment, in lieu of his physical appearance, an ignominy that typically falls upon women.   Yet, Stan remains stalwart, committed and gracefully deferential to his female co-stars, upon whom he regularly heaps praise, stating: “I’m happy bringing the attention where it’s due.”

In the current environment, perhaps that’s the sensible play for now.  But if I were his agent, I’d find out where Steve McQueen is having his next pitch meeting.

by Rubin Safaya

[mysharona1987]

Jennifer Anniston essentially complaining that “But people get famous off of tiktok now. Back in my day, you had to work your way in.” 

As if she wasn’t already the daughter of a famous actor.

She came off snobby.

Poor Sebastian Stan vaguely, politely and silently nodding as if he is doing a bad Oprah impersonation.

Much of it is useless, but Tiktok can find talented people. Look at James Austin Johnson on snl. He was discovered through that.

And everyone considers his Trump parody to be phenomenal.

Even people who like Trump.

[musette22]

Is it weird I’m so happy you are here to partake in our collective joy for Sebastian? It doesn’t feel complete without you!

I’m so so glad the rest of the world is seeing what we’ve known for so long - that Sebastian is a phenomenal award-worthy actor 💙

Oh my gosh that's not weird at all, that's just really lovely 🥺 You're so sweet, darling! 💓 I'm really glad I happened to have a night off so that I can join in on celebrating the marvel that is Sebastian Stan and his incredible achievements!! He truly is a phenomenal actor who deserves all the awards, and I can't wait to see what other accolades he'll receive for A Different Man (I have a feeling there will be more, at least!) 💙

[yawchannel]

INTERVIEW: The Falcon And The Winter Soldier for SFX Magazine (Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan Part) (Issue 337, February 24th, 2021)

By Tara Bennett

WING MAN

Anthony Mackie is Sam Wilson / Falcon

SFX: You’ve admitted that initially you weren’t sure on the idea of doing an MCU Series. Why?

ANTHONY: To be honest, I’ve had trepidation from the beginning. I was really afraid of the idea. Working on so many Marvel projects, and seeing the end result and the effect that they have on people, I was afraid that the quality of the production would be taken down for television. I was afraid that you can’t do things on television that you can do in theatres.

Seeing people’s reactions to Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame in the theatres, and hearing the connection that the audience members have with these characters... that’s every actor’s dream, to affect an audience and expose them to a different way of looking at culture and the world around us. I was really afraid that I wouldn’t have that opportunity to step out on that ledge like the actors before me had.

But once we talked, and once they brought on Malcolm and Kari, I knew it was going to be something different. Kari is a phenomenal leader, and Malcolm is an amazing writer. And Kevin promised me that it wasn’t going to be different. He’s not going to tarnish the Marvel brand by trying to just blow out as much content as he could. And I trusted him on that. They haven’t let me down yet, so I just went along for the ride on faith of their past work. And I was really pleasantly surprised by how great everything turned out.

SFX: Steve was an integral part of both Sam and Bucky’s lives. How does the show explore his absence?

ANTHONY: With Sam and Bucky, the idea of losing Steve looms heavily in their day-to-day-life. Captain America - not just a moniker, but the person - was a huge influence on both of them. The idea of the moniker is not as important as the person that they lost. Their whole goal, and their whole focus, is to honour Steve, because he left them with such a huge task to pick up where he left off. Just the weight of the shield with no Steve leads us to believe that there might not be another Captain America. There will never be another Steve Rogers, so for the two of them, the idea of the Captain America moniker is more of a burden than a blessing. They really try and allow that to be an influence of the legacy that he left, and how they can keep that legacy alive and support him - while also missing him and being very sad that he’s not around any more.

SFX: Will we see more of Sam’s regular life?

ANTHONY: We get to see more of them in their surroundings, their personal life, with people who influence their life day-to-day: family members, friends, co-workers. You got a little bit of it with Sam when Steve went to the VA when they first met. But now you really get to see his twists and turns and where exactly he fits in his nine-to-five, as opposed to him just sitting around waiting for Cap to call. That was one of the biggest pitches that Nate and Kevin gave to me that really intrigued me and excited me about this story.

SFX: Exploring Sam’s big choice when it comes to taking up Cap’s shield encompasses so many real-life issues, including race. Was Malcom a solid partner in conveying that?

ANTHONY: You know, it wasn’t just Malcolm and I. What was really interesting was Kari [Skogland] and Zoie [Nagelhout] were very local in the idea of who this man was, and what he was going to mean to the society that we were presenting him to. It’s funny, with Kari being a white Canadian woman, and Zoie being a white American woman, they had such strong parts of opinion and such interesting ways of seeing this character that were way more aggressive than anything I could have imagined. Their perspective and bravery, as two women leading the charge, to show the situation that this character was being thrust into in the world that he lived in, was very humbling. I always felt support. It always felt like there were people around me who were paying attention to what we were saying as a show.

BUCKY STAR

Sebastian Stan is Bucky Barnes / The Winter Soldier

SFX: After Endgame, how did you feel overall, about staying in the MCU?

SEBASTIAN: At the end of Endgame it was sort of strange and emotional. At the time, it was the 10-year anniversary, so everything felt like an ending, of sorts, even though we recognised that there was probably going to be more to it. But it was great to be able to have a discussion about the future.

SFX: Who at Marvel Studios initially pitched the idea of this series to you?

SEBASTIAN: I sat with Kevin [Feige] initially. And then with Nate Moore, who I had done Civil War and Winter Soldier with, and had an unbelievable experience. I think I was a little nervous, because part of me felt like “I’m not even sure if I know what’s left to be explored with the character”. But we actually discovered so much more. And I feel like the character now is coming off in such a different, deeper and more complex way than we’ve seen him. I thought I had explored the character, as he was, enough, but we actually had only scratched the surface. What we’re able to do with him in this series is just on such a deeper emotional level, and we didn’t have that opportunity before.

SFX: What was most interesting to you about doing a series?

SEBASTIAN: The idea of exploring this character now, separately, from Steve Rogers and from that storyline, and putting him in the world, and giving him an opportunity to really, truly, have to face who he is - everything about that was exciting. And the idea of working with Anthony was exciting, because I know we have something special and we’ve never gotten a chance to explore it.

SFX: Who are Sam and Bucky to one another in this series?

SEBASTIAN: They both despise each other equally! [Laughs] I mean, there’s some truth to that. But it’s also a discovery for both of them to realise that they actually have much more in common than they thought. They come at it from different backgrounds. But essentially, they’re both two people trying to find their new identity, and that really has nothing to do with Steve Rogers. Steve Rogers is much more the catalyst, like the event that sets off the bomb that causes both of them to go, “Okay, that happened. Now, let me deal with these things”. I think it’s about them figuring out that they need each other much more than they want to accept.

SFX: With no Steve to lean on, what is Bucky focused on?

SEBASTIAN: It’s a bit of re-educating that happens at the same time. He’s learning a lot about Sam, and he’s also learning about the world, because it’s a very different world than when we was last “James Bucky Barnes” in the ‘50s. He’s always got to deal with the shadow that’s following him. Now it’s more of a question of, how does he take what he’s learned and apply it for himself, going forward? How do you go out there in 2021 and function, knowing what he knows and what he’s bee through? And also, how do you do it without somebody who was a brother by his side, who was a staple of strength, or familiarity? You take away even the last comfort zone - what does he have? That’s what the show is about for him.

SFX: Why do you feel that Bucky has been able to retain fan sympathy during his dark arc?

SEBASTIAN: He felt much more reachable and reachable than other characters, perhaps because of the arcs of trying to cope with the past, or getting over some trauma, or PTSD. And his level of finding oneself again, redefining yourself, your morals, your values, who you are, what you believe in, the challenges that you have - in terms of accepting the world a certain way - understanding that maybe how you grew up and what you’ve learned isn’t going to always help you find your path. You’re going to have to maybe go against the things that you’ve been used to. Those are all things about this character that are very interesting.

There are two more interviews with Showrunner Malcolm Spellman and Director Kari Skogland included in the issue!

If you'd like to get a copy, SFX Magazine Issue 337 is available to purchase both physically and digitally worldwide! https://magazinesdirect.com/mobile/az-single-issues/6937139/sfx-magazine-single-issue.thtml

[fuckyeahjuliankeller]

hello my loves! i think it's about time i drop in my two cents on the anthony mackie situation. fair warning, this is a long post and i don't make an effort to keep my language clean in it.

also important for me to note: i use "you" a lot in this post. it is a general you, directed at the group of people who have caused this problem. i am not directing this at all of the fandom. just the racists who caused it to get this bad in the first place. here we go!

i know people have pointed this out, but i want to make it very clear. yes, anthony mackie did word things strangely. you know what that means of him? that he's human. those of you who actively partake in fandom racism will take any white man doing the bare fucking minimum and elevate him to a pedestal that's unattainable by any people of colour in the same fandom, and as soon as a person of colour makes one (evidently dissonant with past actions) slip-up, they're the latest in the "which poc can we get out of the narrative today" game.

what makes the situation worse? a person of colour, in this case a black man who has consistently been activating and publicly lending support to many different and important causes as well as speaking up about his stance on the very issues that are so near and dear to people of colour in fandom, when they make a misstep, are absolutely torn to shreds.

meanwhile, you as a fandom whole will continue to apologise for white actors who continuously display problematic behavior, sometimes deliberately, and you either ignore it completely or make up some bullshit excuse to defend it. i'm not going to name names in this post, it detracts from the whole idea that i'm trying to get across, but these people are some of the biggest names in fandom. it is sometimes repulsive how you will use willful ignorance to apologise for them.

additionally, the full context of the interview with variety lends itself to many flaws, which you can read about in this phenomenal post by @thetransguard. the part of the fandom that attempted to eat mackie alive (which is most of the fandom) completely fucking missed this. it almost seems like you who went after him were searching for yet another reason to "fuck [poc name here], stan [white man 30495834] instead!" which honestly, is absolutely the case.

and that makes me fucking livid. you who are ripping him apart right now, your only concern for mackie and his character, sam wilson, has been sebastian stan and bucky barnes. mackie attends any interview, including interviews that are supposed to celebrate his achievements? he's only asked about sebastian stan. white fans discuss and love on "sambucky"? sam is just whatever trope he needs to be to make bucky cry, or smile, or feel better, or feel safe, and that is the extent of his character. that's disgusting. do you understand that?

stupid question. evidently not. mackie brings up valid points that yall stucky fans and now stucky turned sambucky fans continue to miss, he makes these points in admittedly a convolutedly worded fashion, but he makes them regardless. and you know what the other problem with white fans' reaction to it is? this is exactly what fans of colour in your very own beloved fandom have been trying to tell you. we attempted to make these points during the show. you know, when you lot were throwing steve in every damn chance you got and centering the show around bucky and steve and steve and bucky and who's sam? we don't know sam. all we know is a black guy who got steve's shield, and he won't pick it up, and that makes bucky sad, and bucky's doing his best, okay, he's not ignorant, sam's just mean to him, and--

it's fucking draining. from the beginning, this has been about sebastian stan and bucky barnes. you who are ripping anthony mackie to shreds were never here for him in the first place. you never listened to him. you never saw his character for who sam wilson was. and that's coming to a head in how you are receiving his words. and are you truly missing the point of his words? or is there another reason why you took apart that evidently hate-bait headline and used that specific word choice, when it was fucking clear mackie had a point that was an overtone to the words he chose, to turn mackie into a paragon of homophobia and problematic behavior?

yes, i believe there is. because it's the same fucking reason you will drown out the voices of fans of colour when we call you out for the utter bullshit you spout in regards to the media you are incapable of consuming beyond a shipping lens. it is the reason you take it upon yourselves to slam fans of colour for being selfish, or inserting into the narrative something that to your shallow interpretation wasn't intended, or reminding you that sam wilson, anthony mackie's character, is more than a racist trope prop for your favourite white character(s).

you will bemoan the lack of bisexual bucky in canon. you will throw bucky with any white man he looks once at. you will lament how "rude" poc fans are being when they ask you to focus on sam and his story. you take poc fans, black fans especially, talking and clearing up the commentary on racial and class themes that the show attempts to address, and you will tell all of us that "it's not that deep." you will turn around and shit all over bucky and sarah. sam and bucky to you is a prop to make your newly minted m/m ship canon, because stucky never became canon the way you insist it should have. that's the core of the problem, we say, that wanting the m/m ship to be canon has shifted from wanting representation to wanting two men, generally two white men, to kiss on screen so you can go crazy about it. bucky and zemo will never be canon. bucky and john walker will never be canon. you saw sam and bucky and you said, this is stucky 2.0, and you centered it around bucky and steve as an invisible third party. that is what you are advocating for. that is what mackie fucking addressed.

so the reason? the reason is that you know we're right and we have been right all along, but you're too fucking thickheaded to acknowledge that as a respectful human being. so instead, you turn to whatever the hell you can twist mackie's words into, and attempt to get him out of the fandom picture altogether. that's it, isn't it?

how fucking detestable.

just read the goddamn interview, read mackie's other interviews if you need to, and stop ignoring the truth of the messages he is trying to convey. maybe it'll do you some good to watch and read mackie solo interviews as opposed to sebastian and mackie interviews where all you focus on is the relationship between those two actors, completely ignoring what they, especially and generally mackie, are trying to convey. that's another problem, isn't it?

full circle. stop being fucking tone deaf and listen to poc fans and actors for once in your privileged, entitled lives.

thank you for reading all the way through.

[agentnico]

The Black Phone (2022) Review

Wow, kids in the 70s really liked bullying each other, didn’t they? Just the common high school hobby - lets punch each other to our heart’s desire! What a time to have been a child!

Plot: After being abducted by a child killer and locked in a soundproof basement, a 13-year-old boy starts receiving calls on a disconnected phone from the killer's previous victims.

This year has been pretty good for horror films thus far. Got to see Sebastian Stan being a charming cannibal in Fresh; a bunch of youths filmed a porno whilst being massacred one by one by their old horny landlords in X; and the Foo Fighters got killed off by a possessed band leader Dave Grohl who wanted to go solo in Studio 666 - so all in all, not too shabby to bring out the scares of 2022. Next we now have The Black Phone, where Ethan Hawke gets to play your not so usual evil clown (he describes himself as a part-time magician) who wears a half-clown-half-devil mask, drives a black van and has a bunch of black balloons as a prop in abducting little boys. Oh yeah, this guy is a pervert through and through, and Hawke is aptly creepy and scary, however be warned, this movie is not the Ethan Hawke show, as he’s actually not in the movie that much. Only for 3 or 4 scenes really. It’s actually about a brother and a sister, a modern Hansel and Gretel if you will (though any fictional brother/sister name examples would fit) and them dealing with their abusive father who has a drinking problem, and gosh I must tell you, if anyone here has had abusive parents, I feel for you as the abusive dad in this is horrible and manipulative. So as a result what we have is a movie that is not necessarily that scary, but more so just offers a situation that in itself is horrifying. 

Speaking of which, the child actors in this are phenomenal. They get the most screen time, and they could have really ruined the film with bad deliveries or general annoyances that can come with the demand of an R-rated, adult-themed movie, and in the 1970s no less. They really had to understand their element, and the main brother and sister had to show us their chemistry not just when together but also when apart. They had a lot to work with, and lived up to their roles. This was of course complemented by Hawke's villain role, portrayed very obscurely yet charismatically. You're not ever really knowing what he's thinking, what he'll do next, or why/when he'll decide to wear different masks or illicit a new kind of conversation. They could have gone deeper into it narratively however, as it is never really explained why Hawke’s character wore masks, and at one point in the film when his mask is torn off he freaks out and becomes a wimp, again begging the question why his character felt so naked without the masks. Felt like there was an expositional scene that was cut out from the final cut, which does leave one wanting more. Especially due to Hawke’s limited screen time, you do wish there was more backstory provided for him.

The Black Phone feels like a movie that was made in the 70′s. Scott Derrickson in faded tones to give it the feel of that era, and throws in cuts of old school stock footage to amplify that. Additionally the first act of this film is very slow paced, and takes its time introducing us to the child characters and their lifestyle, which very much reminded me of the coming-of-age style of Richard Linklater movies. Also, all the kids in this movie bully the heck out of one another at school. Like there’s so much punching. Like my gosh the 70s was rough. I blame it on ‘Nam. I don’t know, for some reason seeing kids bully each other makes me think of the 70′s. Cause evidently bullying is so specific to the 70′s...

Overall The Black Phone is a very enjoyable if not quite dark thriller. I wouldn’t really call it a horror, as the scares mainly come from jump scare reveals of ghosts who look like zombies, but even then I wouldn’t call them scary. However seeing a very game Hawke and very talented lead child actors, this very much provided a exciting if not a tad forgettable visit to the movies.

Overall score: 6/10