Sif only
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
She might wield a sword and dress in extravagant armour, but Jaimie Alexander ain't no warrior princess. The American actress plays Sif, Goddess Of War, in Marvel's new blockbuster Thor, out in cinemas now. The film follows powerful and arrogant warrior Thor (Aussie Chris Hemsworth), who's cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live among humans on Earth, where he becomes a defender of both worlds.
Alexander said director Kenneth Branagh had been busy looking for a real woman - "not a waif''- to play Thor's only female warrior and was struck by Alexander's likeness to the character in the comic books.
``It wasn't necessary to put me in short hot pants, with stilettos and a big fake chest,'' said Alexander.
``He made her really tough, but she has a very feminie quality about her too, which is great.
``I tried to make her my own and did research with the comic books, but I didn't want her to be Xena or Wonder Woman-ish; I wanted her to be really Sif.''
Amidst an industry surrounded by "a lot'' of pressure on body image, Alexander said she wanted the character of Sif to be an example to young girls.
``I want all the little girls who watch this to see that it's you as an individual that's appealing, not having a waifish body and starving yourself,'' she said.
Sif is one of Thor's closest friends in the film and part of a group of Asgardian warriors, each with their own unique weapons talent. After landing the coveted role, Alexander said she jumped straight into three months of intensive training with her male co-stars, including an incredibly buff Hemsworth who put on around 35 kilos to fill out Thor's frame.
``We did stunt training five days a week and running and lifting three days a week in the three months before we started shooting,'' said Alexander.
``I was the only girl, which was awesome because they would tease me all the time and it was like going back to highshool.
``I had the furtherest to go physically and I dropped 20 pounds unintentionally as I was working out so much to get muscle tone.
``And Chris . . .geez man, he was huge.
``His neck was as big as my hips and he had to eat heaps and work out.''
Alexander made her first trip to Australia last weekend for the Thor world premiere in Sydney and said Hemsworth had been busy showing her, Branagh and co-star Tom Hiddleston around the ``Sydney bar scene.''
``He's a true gentleman with a very sick sense of humour, a booming voice and biceps the size of my entire head,'' she said.
``We were able to meet his brother Liam (Hemsworth) and his parents too, and they're just good people.
``I feel like you're all doing something right down there.''
Thor is out in cinemas now. Read my review below.
The first Iron Man was an action-packed, hilarious and clever twist on the traditional superhero movie and to follow up the brilliance of the original is no easy task. For the most part, director and producer Jon Favreau succeeds. Favreau, who also plays a supporting role in the film, has assembled a stellar cast of Hollywood A-listers to create the array of complex characters which are the films main source of depth and conflict. Notably, the always-impressive Rockwell oozes charisma and charm as Stark’s corporate rival and Johansson (below) makes a formidable and sexy transition into the role of `action babe’. The press notes say she trained for months to be able to pull off most of the her own stunts and make them look believable, and boy, right down to the spandex clad body suit and thigh-strangling moves does it look believable. Cheadle replaces Terrence Howard for the role of `Rhodey’ and frankly, does a better job at it adding more attitude and street cred. Looking somewhat like a cross between Jack Sparrow and Randy 'The Ram' Johnson, Rourke too is commendable, despite the fact he has more screen interaction with a Cockatoo than any of the other actors.
But essentially this is Downey Jr’s film and he reprises his role as Stark with the swagger and sophistication that has made him one of the best actors of his generation, personal problems aside. Where Batman is dark and mysterious, Iron Man is flashy and indulgent, with Downey Jr complimenting the character perfectly. Kind of like the Hugh Hefner of the superhero world.
But the question all sequels have to answer is: was it better than the original? No, but is still a worthy entrant into the growing Iron Man franchise and a fantastic two hours of entertainment. Iron Man 2 once again proves more money, more stars and more fans are not the key to a brilliant sequel, just a decent one.
NOTE: For those fans of you hoping for an Easter egg at the end of the credits like last time, don’t bother. I was one of the three critics who stayed and waited right until the end hoping for an added scene like last time with Nick Fury busting in and asking Stark to join The Avengers. But alas, nothing. On a related note, Fury does get plenty of screen time in the film and Jackson takes on an almost Jules-esque persona when he says “Sir, I’m gonna have to ask you to exit the donut.” Those hoping for more superhero mash-ups a la the first film or Downey Jr’s cameo in The Incredible Hulk can rest assured, Fury and Black Widow allude to the up and coming The Avengers film more aggressively. There’s even a tongue-in-cheek scene where one of the assistants finds an old S.H.I.E.L.D logo and Stark unknowingly uses it to balance an invention. Alright sure, Stark turns them down by saying “I already told you, I don’t want to join your super secret boy band” but at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter because you know it happens and they all kick ass anyway (like a hyperactive Brady Bunch).
There have been rumours circulating since Marvel created their own studio to independently produce their creations and those rumours appeared to have some substance when Downey Jnr had a cameo in The Incredible Hulk. Marvel Studios today confirmed The Avengers movie is in pre-production and Jon Favreau is on board to direct. Favreau did a stellar job of directing the first Iron Man film and is also set to direct the rest of the franchise. Sounds like a hefty work load for the writer/director/actor but he’ll be backed up by an awesome support team in the form of Louis D'Esposito, Stan Lee, David Maisel and Denis Stewart. Phew. Admittedly I’m getting really sick of comic book to film adaptations and it seriously feels like every second movie was originally a comic or graphic novel. Be original folks and create some new shit! But (and there is a but) I’m looking forward to The Avengers mainly because it’s a classic and one of the most recognised comics of all time. Those of you unfamiliar with The Avengers, here’s a quick run down. First created in 1963 by the legendary Stan Lee, The Avengers features some of Marvels key characters who unite to create a unique crime fighting unit. Originally founded and majorly funded by Tony Stark other characters in the unit include The Hulk, Captain America, Thor, The Black Widow, Spider Man, The Fanatstic Four and more. Whether some of these characters will appear in the film adaption is yet to be known but other team members in The Avengers have included Wolverine, Storm, Daredevil, Electra, The Punisher and tonnes of other lesser known characters. Only Edward Norton’s version of the Hulk, Captain America and Thor have been confirmed to be in the film version which is scheduled for release on July 15, 2011. The Iron Man sequel will be in theatres on May 7, 2010. Both will be distributed by Paramount Pictures.
Hugh Jackman will be back to reprise his role as Wolverine and