film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Author: BRWC

  • 4 Ways Merchandising Partnerships Promote Blockbuster Films

    4 Ways Merchandising Partnerships Promote Blockbuster Films

    This spring, when consumers walk into the soft drink section of their grocery store, they’ll see ads for “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” in the form of five collectible Dr Pepper cans featuring Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor and Lois Lane. Dr Pepper is just one of several promotional partners teaming up with Warner Bros. to promote DC Comics’ newest movie, joining Aston Martin, CNN, EMC, Jeep, Jolly Rancher, Marathon Shipping, Oil of Olay and Turkish Airlines. Successful movie marketers know forming these types of marketing and merchandising partnerships is key to successful movie promotion. Here are four ways movie studios use merchandising to promote their films and boost licensing profits in the process.

    Food and Drinks

    Dr Pepper’s “Batman v Superman” campaign illustrates the natural partnership between movie promoters and soft drinks. Because moviegoers are already buying soft drinks at the concession stand, it makes perfect sense for movie studios and soft drink companies to form these promotional partnerships. Marvel and Coca-Cola took a page from the same playbook during this year’s Super Bowl by featuring an ad pairing Ant-Man with Hulk in a battle over Coke Mini.

    From soft drinks, it’s a natural progression for movie studios to partner with fast-food chains. Both DC and Marvel have joined forces with McDonald’s to promote superhero Happy Meals. Movie-themed breakfast cereals are another popular merchandising method, as illustrated by General Mills’ “Batman v Superman” cereal promotion. Meantime, candy and gum are other easy ways to combine movies with food and beverage merchandising.

    Toys and Games

    “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” merchandise sales pulled in an estimated $5 billion in 2015, according to Macquarie Securities analyst Tim Nollen. Altogether, Star Wars merchandise has generated an estimated $12 billion since 1977, making the franchise more valuable than Harry Potter and James Bond combined. A significant percentage of this fortune has come from toys, such as replicas of BB-8, one of last year’s hottest-selling toys. Superhero action figures, Disney princess dolls, “Jurassic World” dinosaurs and “Despicable Me” plush toys serve as other examples of movie toy merchandising.

    Board games and video games are other natural movie marketing fits. For example, Lego has significantly expanded its marketing prowess by creating video games that tie into movie franchises, such as its popular “Star Wars” Lego video games.

    Clothes, Shoes and Accessories

    Clothing is another popular avenue for movie merchandising, with T-shirts serving as one of the top attire choices. A search for best-selling T-shirts at AllPosters.com turns up gear from notable Blockbuster films like “The Godfather,” “Jaws,” “Rocky,” “Star Wars,” “Superman,” “Ghostbusters,” “The Karate Kid,” “Back to the Future,” “Jurassic Park” and “Forest Gump.” CCS’ e-commerce store features Disney-themed Vans skate shoes with patterns from “The Jungle Book” and “101 Dalmatians.” Other popular movie-themed clothing items and accessories include hats, hoodies, socks, pajamas, belts, jewelry, necklaces, bracelets, watches, wallets and cellphone cases.

    School Supplies

    School supplies are another popular form of merchandising, working well in conjunction with seasonal marketing for back-to-school sales. Disney Store’s back-to-school section features items such as “Captain America” backpacks and “Frozen” highlighter pens. Backpacks, tote bags, luggage, notebooks, pens, pencils, pencil cases, folders and rulers are all examples of school supplies that lend themselves well to movie merchandising.

  • Spotlight: The BRWC Review

    Spotlight: The BRWC Review

    ‘When you’re a poor kid from a poor family, religion counts for a lot. And when a priest pays attention to you it’s a big deal. How d’you say no to God?’

    Andrew McCarthy and co-writer Josh Singer present us with the true story of how the Boston Globe, took on the abusive institutions of the church in a city where Catholicism was so deeply entrenched that even the police were covering theiir crimes.

    One thing I really admired about Spotlight is its resistance to grandstanding in tackling its fact-based story. It isn’t the one sided attack on the church that it could easily have been but a graceful depiction of a truly terrible subject.

    What the film lacks is moral depth; the characters are sadly very two-dimensional. I honestly think most of the their dialogue is interchangeable throughout the movie. The actors all bring something different to their roles but you’d expect that from a cast that includes Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Lieve Shrieber and Rachel McAdams. They’re all good but Stanley Tucci steals every scene he’s in.

    The Globe gets a new editor and he asks the spotlight team to investigate a case of a Catholic priest who has been accused of molesting multiple children. They take on the case and start to realise that this isn’t an isolated incident. As the investigation grows, so does our interest in the case. Most people will be aware of the findings but the film does well to entertain when we still know the outcome. Scenes in which the abuse victims discuss their past are sobering watches.

    It’s such an interesting case that the film does work in many ways. You find yourself caring for the victims and for the reporters, hoping that their story will get told. The problem is, by the end, important documents are made public and as such regardless of whether the Globe report them, another paper like the Boston Herald would have done and as such the Catholic church would have been exposed anyway, so where is the dramatic stake?

    The film was good but not great. The story is interesting but the shallow characters mean we are never invested as we might have been. A missed opportunity perhaps.

  • Bone Tomahawk (2015) – Review

    Bone Tomahawk (2015) – Review

    By Last Caress.

    Purvis (David Arquette, Scream) and Buddy (Sid Haig, The Devil’s Rejects) are drifters, and murderers. They pounce upon small, sleeping parties of travellers on the wide expanses of the not-quite-tamed countryside of post-Civil War America, slitting throats and plundering belongings as they go. We join them on what turns out to be their final attack. Shortly thereafter, they wander into a mountain pass decorated with animal skulls. And human skulls. The pass gives way to a large clearing into which our loathsome pair blithely stagger, oblivious to the huge carefully hewn circle on the ground, along with numerous other associated markings and stone piles. What is this place? Temple? Altar of sacrifice? Burial ground? Whatever it is, Purvis and Buddy have trampled through it, inhuman screams are emanating from all over the valley, and… oh! Buddy’s got an arrow through the neck, and Purvis is doing his best Usain Bolt impersonation. So begins Bone Tomahawk.

    Bone Tomahawk

    The story picks up eleven days later. Purvis has made it to the small and, from what little we can see, rather dour town of Bright Hope. The sheriff of Bright Hope is Franklin Hunt (Kurt Russell, The Thing), and he is ably assisted in the rather simple running of this tiny outpost by his deputy Nick (Evan Jonigkeit, X-Men: Days of Future Past) and their general dogsbody Chicory (Richard Jenkins, Six Feet Under), to whom Hunt charitably refers as his “backup” deputy. Hunt intercepts Purvis at the local saloon where he is unconvinced by Purvis’ story and unimpressed by his nakedly hostile demeanour. The confrontation concludes with Purvis in the town jail with a bullet in his foot. The town doctor, Samantha O’Dwyer (Lili Simmons, Banshee) is summoned to remove the bullet and Hunt instructs deputy Nick to oversee proceedings. Hunt’s off to bed for the night.

    By morning, all the horses in the stable have been stolen, the stable boy lays disembowelled on the stable floor, and there’s nobody in the jail. No Purvis, no deputy Nick, and no doctor Samantha.

    What has happened? The only clue is an arrow buried in a strut at the jail. An arrow with a head fashioned out of bone. A “civilised” Indian resident to the town – The Professor – identifies the arrow as coming from a band of cave-dwelling, inbred creatures, native to the land for sure but not acknowledged by any of the other tribes as “one of them”. The mountains in which they dwell are a five-day ride away. It’s time for Sheriff Hunt to posse up and get out there after them. He takes with him Arthur O’Dwyer (Patrick Wilson, Watchmen), the doctors husband, naturally determined to retrieve his spouse but unfortunately carrying a nasty leg injury following a rooftop fall; John Brooder (Matthew Fox, Lost), an obnoxious but deadly – not to mention immaculately appointed – local gunfighter; and, at his own insistence, Chicory the “backup deputy”. But what are they going to find at the end of this trail?

    Bone Tomahawk

    Bone Tomahawk, the first feature from S. Craig Zahler, is high on star power and low on budget and scale. There are plenty of long shots but only of that which is completely necessary. There is a deliberate economy of movement from the cameras and there is no painting in the corners of the frame. There are no extras milling about in the backgrounds of Bright Hope. We only ever see the residents who matter to the plot and even then, they are only given enough character to fulfill their role. There is a score, composed by writer/director Zahler, but it’s used so sparingly I thought at one point that the copy I was watching had been released without the score added yet. However, far from being a negative, this spartan approach adds an eerie layer of unease to the proceedings.

    The second act of the movie takes an hour of the runtime and is a stripped, no-frills four-horse road movie. They move, they set up camp, they sleep, they move on, encountering mini set-pieces along the way as is often the way with road movies. If there could’ve been some fat trimmed from this 130-minute odyssey, it probably could’ve come from here. Still, this meandering middle gives us opportunity to appreciate the poetic antique mannerisms of the dialogue, which Kurt Russell delivers as though he was actually born in 1850. He’s not alone here though; all four characters are afforded a little added depth here, and the actors all do well with the chances they get. Brooder isn’t quite as obnoxious, Chicory isn’t quite as useless, O’Dwyer isn’t just a hobbled and enraged liability, and Hunt himself… well, he isn’t quite as certain that any of them will ever see Bright Hope again.

    Of course, if you’ve taken even a cursory glance at the publicity for Bone Tomahawk you’ll know that its big hook lies in its third act. For a full ninety minutes, the movie is a straight-up western, and nothing but. A pared back vague allusion to The Searchers (Ford, 1956); nowhere near as grand in its scope of course but Franklin Hunt is chasing down savages who have abducted a white girl just as Ethan Edwards did (I should add at this point that Bone Tomahawk goes to great pains to make clear that these bad guys are NOT Native Americans, oh no. They look like dusty Native American/17th century Mayan hybrids, they scalp people, and they use tomahawks and arrows; but they’re definitely NOT Native Americans, okay? OKAY?!?). But as soon as the posse reach their destination, Bone Tomahawk abandons The Searchers, abandons the western genre altogether in fact, and converts utterly to the church of Torture Porn. It’s not that this final third contains nowt but ceaseless images of severe bodily trauma because it doesn’t, but when it DOES go down that road… F*ck! I found myself wondering if it was entirely necessary to go that far that late in the proceedings, and if the movie wouldn’t have been better served had Mr. Zahler elected to present his crescendo with a little more guile and keep Bone Tomahawk planted firmly with both feet in the western genre. But the viciousness up on the screen, as initially jarring as it is, works within the context of the plot and, well, genre movies generally need a hook to distinguish themselves from the crowd and believe me, you won’t forget this one. Maybe not ever. Consider yourself warned in no uncertain terms if you’re squeamish: Bone Tomahawk takes a brief, brisk jog clear into Hostel/Martyrs/Inside territory. Not for long, but definitely for long enough.

    Bone Tomahawk

    Faults? Well it’s a subjective thing but some may find the rationed score conspicuous by its absence for long stretches; the way in which Bone Tomahawk has painted itself into a corner by wanting to return the “Red Injun” to his racist golden-era position but also shy away from its own conviction with that bit of “They’re nothing to do with us!” exposition could be considered bizarre at best and a fatal flaw at worst, if one thinks about it for long enough, which I’m not going to; and Lili Simmons in the role of Samantha O’Dwyer simply doesn’t “look” like a period character. She doesn’t.

    In all though, Bone Tomahawk is a very interesting two-genre mashup. It’s not quite a “bone”-a fide classic (Ba-dum! Tish!) but it’s a good film nonetheless and comes recommended, IF you have the stomach.

  • The Most Famous Actor From Every US State

    The Most Famous Actor From Every US State

    By Kelsey Warner.

    You don’t necessarily have to be born in Tinseltown to make it as a star. While it certainly helps to be born in the epicenter of the entertainment industry, the path to Hollywood is not always a direct one. Today’s stars have varied roots across the country, such as a cattle ranch in Wyoming or New York City’s theaters.

    Each state has produced at least one star it is proud to call its own. Some states, like California or New York, were the birthplace for a whole pack of actors. In order to definitively determine the most famous actor or actress, the data scientists at PrettyFamous queried its celebrity database for the top Hollywood celebrities from each state and the District of Columbia.

    To calculate a celebrity’s “Actor Score,” we took a weighted average of the following:

    • Number of awards they have been nominated for
    • Total number of IMDb reviews for films and television shows they had roles in
    • Recent interest, as determined by Wikipedia page views (specifically, from Feb. 20, 2016 through March 20, 2016)

    These factors determined a score on a 1-100 scale, with 100 denoting the highest level of acting fame. In this list, some actors with surging interest will outrank more familiar names, due to the methodology’s emphasis on recent buzz. We broke tie scores with the raw number of recent Wikipedia page views.

    Alabama: Channing Tatum

    Actor Score: 86.3
    Birthplace: Cullman, Alabama

    Channing Tatum started out as a model and dancer before making it big in “Step Up.” He played the title role in “Magic Mike,” as a male stripper.

    Alaska: Annie Parisse

    Actor Score: 25.3
    Birthplace: Anchorage, Alaska

    Annie Parisse broke into the industry through her role in the soap opera “As the World Turns.” Although she is an Alaska native, she was raised in Seattle, Washington.

    Arizona: Emma Stone

    Actor Score: 90.0
    Birthplace: Scottsdale, Arizona

    Emma Stone, a versatile actress, is known for her roles in “Easy A” and “Birdman.” As a teenager, Stone moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting.

    Arkansas: Billy Bob Thornton

    Actor Score: 83.6
    Birthplace: Hot Springs, Arkansas

    Billy Bob Thornton won an Oscar for “Sling Blade”(1996), which he wrote, directed and starred in.

    California: Leonardo DiCaprio

    Actor Score: 100.0
    Birthplace: Los Angeles, California

    Leonardo DiCaprio, a Los Angeles native, has made his mark in Hollywood with decades of highly acclaimed roles. He won his first (and perhaps long overdue) Oscar in 2016 for his role in “The Revenant.” Leo had some tight competition for the spot as the most famous actor: namely, Tom Hanks and Clint Eastwood.

    Colorado: Tim Allen

    Actor Score: 85.3
    Birthplace: Denver, Colorado

    Tim Allen was born in Colorado but moved to Michigan as a teenager. Although known for his role in “Home Improvement,” Allen started out as a stand-up comic.

    Connecticut: Seth MacFarlane

    Actor Score: 91.0
    Birthplace: Kent, Connecticut

    Seth MacFarlane, the mind behind “Family Guy,” took on acting in “A Million Ways to Die in the West” and voice-acting in “Ted.”

    Delaware: Elisabeth Shue

    Actor Score: 69.0
    Birthplace: Wilmington, Delaware

    Elisabeth Shue, known for her parts in “The Karate Kid” and “Leaving Las Vegas,” started acting in television commercials while a student at Wellesley College.

    Florida: William H. Macy

    Actor Score: 93.6
    Birthplace: Miami, Florida

    William H. Macy, born in Miami, is known for his roles in “Shameless” and “Fargo.”

    Georgia: Julia Roberts

    Actor Score: 95.0
    Birthplace: Smyrna, Georgia

    Julia Roberts, although born in Smyrna, Georgia, later moved to New York after graduating from high school. Roberts won an Oscar in 2001 for her role in “Erin Brockovich.”

    Hawaii: Nicole Kidman

    Actor Score: 91.0
    Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii

    Although considered an Australian actress, Nicole Kidman was actually born in Hawaii to Aussie parents. This accomplished actress starred in four different films in 2015 alone.

    Idaho: Aaron Paul

    Actor Score: 85.0
    Birthplace: Emmett, Idaho

    Aaron Paul is known for his part as Jesse in “Breaking Bad.” He was nominated for five Emmys for this role and won three of them.

    Illinois: Robin Williams

    Actor Score: 97.6
    Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois

    Robin Williams, born in Chicago and raised in Detroit, has been a household name since his breakthrough television roles in the late 1970s. Williams is remembered for many roles in films, such as in “Good Will Hunting” and “Dead Poets Society.”

    Indiana: Jenna Fischer

    Actor Score: 71.3
    Birthplace: Fort Wayne, Indiana

    Jenna Fischer worked as an office temp worker and found small acting roles in Los Angeles until she had her big breakthrough role as Pam Beesly in “The Office.”

    Iowa: Cloris Leachman

    Actor Score: 81.6
    Birthplace: Des Moines, Iowa

    Cloris Leachman has spent decades acting in a variety of shows, films and plays. She is known for her part in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and also as Ida, the chain-smoking grandmother in “Malcolm in the Middle.”

    Kansas: Dennis Hopper

    Actor Score: 79.3
    Birthplace: Dodge City, Kansas

    Dennis Hopper found mainstream success in “Rebel Without a Cause,” acting alongside James Dean. He died in 2010.

    Kentucky: Johnny Depp

    Actor Score: 98.6
    Birthplace: Owensboro, Kentucky

    Johnny Depp, a fourth-generation Kentuckian, moved to Florida when he was seven. His first role was in “The Nightmare on Elm Street” in 1984. Depp tied for the spot of Kentucky’s most famous actor with George Clooney. The tie was broken by Depp’s Wikipedia popularity.

    Louisiana: Ellen DeGeneres

    Actor Score: 93.3
    Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana

    Ellen DeGeneres, originally a stand-up comic, has won multiple Emmys for her long-running talk show “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” Although not traditionally known for her acting, she qualifies for this list through her work as the voice behind the fish Dory in “Finding Nemo.”

    Maine: Anna Kendrick

    Actor Score: 88.6
    Birthplace: Portland, Maine

    Anna Kendrick, born in Portland, Maine, would travel to New York for theater auditions as a young girl. She is now known for her starring role as Beca in the Pitch Perfect films.

    Maryland: Julie Bowen

    Actor Score: 80.0
    Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland

    Julie Bowen has made a name for herself in the shows “Boston Legal,” “Weeds” and “Modern Family.”

    Massachusetts: Matt Damon

    Actor Score: 99.3
    Birthplace: Cambridge, Massachusetts

    Matt Damon had his Hollywood breakthrough in 1997 as Will Hunting in “Good Will Hunting.” He recently starred in “The Martian.”

    Michigan: J.K. Simmons

    Actor Score: 92.6
    Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan

    J.K. Simmons stared his career as a music composer and working in musicals. He now has decades worth of acting credits. He won an Oscar and Golden Globe for his performance in “Whiplash” (2014).

    Minnesota: Jessica Lange

    Actor Score: 89.0
    Birthplace: Cloquet, Minnesota

    Jessica Lange grew up in a small town in Minnesota but has proven herself as a formidable talent on the stage and screen. Although she has snagged multiple Oscars and Golden Globe awards, many know her for her roles in “American Horror Story.”

    Mississippi: Oprah Winfrey

    Actor Score: 90.0
    Birthplace: Kosciusko, Mississippi

    Oprah Winfrey, born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, is the queen of daytime talk shows with “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Although she is mainly known for her talk show work, she played the part of Sofia in the 1985 film “The Color Purple.” Winfrey said that this film changed her life and inspired her own show.

    Missouri: John Goodman

    Actor Score: 96.6
    Birthplace: Affton, Missouri

    John Goodman was a central part of ’90s television as the husband on “Roseanne.” He recently gave a critically-acclaimed performance as Howard in “10 Cloverfield Lane.”

    Montana: David Lynch

    Actor Score: 80.6
    Birthplace: Missoula, Montana

    David Lynch is the creator of “Twin Peaks,” which he also acted in.

    Nebraska: Marlon Brando

    Actor Score: 92.3
    Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska

    Marlon Brando became an acting legend with memorable roles in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now.” Although he was born in Nebraska, Brando was also raised in Illinois and attended a military academy in Minnesota.

    Nevada: Jena Malone

    Actor Score: 70.0
    Birthplace: Sparks, Nevada

    Jena Malone was born in Nevada but moved to Los Angeles with her mother to pursue acting. She is known for her roles in “Donnie Darko,” “Into the Wild” and “Saved!”

    New Hampshire: Sarah Silverman

    Actor Score: 79.0
    Birthplace: Bedford, New Hampshire

    Sarah Silverman, at the age of 22, started writing for and performing on “Saturday Night Live.” She wrote and starred in her own Comedy Central series “The Sarah Silverman Show.”

    New Jersey: Kevin Spacey

    Actor Score: 99.3
    Birthplace: South Orange, New Jersey

    Kevin Spacey, born in New Jersey but raised in the Los Angeles area, has been acting since the 1980s. He plays Frank Underwood in the Netflix series “House of Cards.”

    New Mexico: Neil Patrick Harris

    Actor Score: 91.0
    Birthplace: Albuquerque, New Mexico

    Neil Patrick Harris, the son of lawyers, had his start as a child actor in the 1988 film “Clara’s Heart.” He has since established himself as an adult actor on the stage and in the popular series “How I Met Your Mother.”

    New York: Robert De Niro

    Actor Score: 99.0
    Birthplace: New York City, New York

    Robert De Niro has had an extensive acting career, having starred in over 100 films and receiving two Oscars. New York had tough competition for the spot of the most famous actor, with Tom Cruise trailing closely behind De Niro.

    North Carolina: Julianne Moore

    Actor Score: 94.3
    Birthplace: Fayetteville, North Carolina

    Julianne Moore, born in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was on the soap opera “As the World Turns.” She has since had memorable roles in “Still Alice,” “Boogie Nights” and “The Big Lebowski.”

    North Dakota: Josh Duhamel

    Actor Score: 72.0
    Birthplace: Minot, North Dakota

    Josh Duhamel moved to San Francisco after college and found work as a model. He achieved acting success in the television series “Las Vegas” and soap opera “All My Children.”

    Ohio: Halle Berry

    Actor Score: 92.6
    Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio

    Halle Berry, once a pageant queen and model, is now known for roles in “Jungle Fever,” “X-Men” and “Catwoman.” Berry tied with Martin Sheen for this coveted Ohio spot but won in the tiebreaker.

    Oklahoma: Brad Pitt

    Actor Score: 99.3
    Birthplace: Shawnee, Oklahoma

    Brad Pitt has made his mark as a Hollywood heartthrob through roles in films like “Fight Club,” “Snatch,” “12 Monkeys,” “Inglourious Basterds” and the Ocean’s Eleven franchise. He was born in Oklahoma, spent time in Missouri and moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.

    Oregon: Ty Burrell

    Actor Score: 77.3
    Birthplace: Grants Pass, Oregon

    Although born in Oregon, Ty Burrell moved to New York City in order to pursue an acting career. He is known for roles in “Black Hawk Down,” “Dawn of the Dead” and the sitcom “Modern Family.”

    Pennsylvania: Will Smith

    Actor Score: 97.3
    Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Will Smith started off with a rap career that led to his becoming “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” He has since become one of Hollywood’s leading men with parts in “Independence Day,” “Men in Black,” “I Am Legend” and “The Pursuit of Happyness.”

    Rhode Island: Mena Suvari

    Actor Score: 60.0
    Birthplace: Newport, Rhode Island

    Mena Suvari, who started her career as a model, acted in films such as “American Pie” and “American Beauty.”

    South Carolina: Chris Rock

    Actor Score: 95.6
    Birthplace: Andrews, South Carolina

    Although Chris Rock often reflects on his Brooklyn upbringing, he was actually born in Andrews, South Carolina. He achieved mainstream success in 1990 when he became part of the “Saturday Night Live” cast.

    South Dakota: January Jones

    Actor Score: 74.3
    Birthplace: Sioux Falls, South Dakota

    January Jones, at the age of 18, moved to New York City in order to pursue a modeling career. She landed a variety of acting gigs with perhaps her most significant as Betty Draper in AMC’s “Mad Men.”

    Tennessee: Morgan Freeman

    Actor Score: 98.0
    Birthplace: Memphis, Tennessee

    Morgan Freeman has played memorable roles in “Invictus,” “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Million Dollar Baby,” which earned him an Oscar.

    Texas: Robin Wright

    Actor Score: 95.0
    Birthplace: Dallas, Texas

    Robin Wright, born in Texas and raised in San Diego, is most recently known for her role as Claire Underwood in “House of Cards.”

    Utah: James Woods

    Actor Score: 85.3
    Birthplace: Vernal, Utah

    James Woods was born in Utah but attended high school in Rhode Island. He dropped out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to pursue a career in acting. He is known for his acting roles in “Casino” and HBO’s “Too Big to Fail.”

    Vermont: Orson Bean

    Actor Score: 32.6
    Birthplace: Burlington, Vermont

    Orson Bean started off doing stand-up comedy in the 1960s. He has made a variety of television appearances and is known for his 1999 acting role in the film “Being John Malkovich.”

    Virginia: Sandra Bullock

    Actor Score: 94.6
    Birthplace: Arlington, Virginia

    Sandra Bullock’s 1994 role as Annie in “Speed” put her on the radar in Hollywood. She has since gone on to star in many films including “Miss Congeniality,” “Crash,” “Gravity” and “The Proposal.”

    Washington: Rainn Wilson

    Actor Score: 77.0
    Birthplace: Seattle, Washington

    Although raised in Seattle, Rainn Wilson spent his teens in Illinois. After graduate school, Wilson acted in stage productions and eventually landed roles in television series and films. He made his mark playing Dwight Schrute on the television series “The Office.”

    Washington, D.C: Taraji P. Henson.

    Actor Score: 85.6
    Birthplace: Washington, District of Columbia

    Taraji P. Henson, known for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Hustle & Flow” and “Empire,” didn’t receive her big break until the age of 26 in the television series “Smart Guy.”

    West Virginia: John Corbett

    Actor Score: 73.6
    Birthplace: Wheeling, West Virginia

    John Corbett discovered his passion for acting after moving to California. He is known for his roles in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and “Sex and the City.”

    Wisconsin: Mark Ruffalo

    Actor Score: 94.0
    Birthplace: Kenosha, Wisconsin

    The film “A Streetcar Named Desire” inspired Mark Ruffalo to pursue an acting career. After attending high school in Virginia, Ruffalo studied acting in Los Angeles. He is known for his roles in “The Kids Are Alright,” “The Avengers” and “Spotlight.”

    Wyoming: Jim Beaver

    Actor Score: 27.7
    Birthplace: Laramie, Wyoming

    Jim Beaver is known for his roles in “Deadwood” and “Justified.” He has also worked as a film historian.

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  • Is Iron Man Basically Batman?

    Is Iron Man Basically Batman?

    Sheathe your swords, comic fans. Certainly there are countless legitimate differences to point out between Tony Stark/Iron Man and Bruce Wayne/Batman based on decades’ worth of comic books. But in modern cinema (particularly if we consider “Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice” to be at least loosely related to Christopher Nolan’s Batman films), there’s an argument to be made that Batman and Iron Man are basically the same characters.

    That’s not to say they act the same. Both Christian Bale and Ben Affleck have portrayed Bruce Wayne as a gruff, brooding, and generally antisocial character, whereas Robert Downey, Jr.’s Tony Stark is an eccentric socialite, albeit more of an introvert than he lets on. But as superheroes, they’re actually almost interchangeable. Don’t buy it? Consider these points.

    Their Heroism Has Similar Origins

    The key difference here is that Bruce Wayne’s heroism really comes from his desire to eliminate evil in Gotham after what happens to his parents at a young age. But as an adult, he turns from self-destructive semi-activist to full-fledged superhero because of a dramatic experience abroad that forced him to excel. Does that sound so different form what happens to Tony Stark in Afghanistan? Both of these characters find themselves in risky situations in distinctly foreign environments, and both realise their true potential while escaping these situations. There are of course several differences that can be pointed out, but fundamentally they follow a similar path to becoming superheroes.

    Their Homes Serve The Same Functions

    A few years ago Gizmodo, a popular tech, lifestyle, and entertainment site, did a fascinating and amusing analysis of some of the best superhero hideouts in an attempt to identify which one is the best. There, the Batcave is described as a lair where Bruce Wayne can store equipment, find solitude, and eventually enjoy special laboratories, hangars, and a supercomputer. That particular article counts Stark Tower as Iron Man’s hideout, but couldn’t you take the exact description of the Batcave and apply it to Tony Stark’s home as it’s been depicted in Marvel movies? Yes, that home has now been blown to bits, but it was initially a retreat for Stark complete with the ultimate supercomputer (J.A.R.V.I.S.) and a sort of basement workshop where Stark does pretty much everything. There’s quite literally no difference in functionality between the two homes.

    They Have That “Super” Power

    Neither Bruce Wayne nor Tony Stark is actually “super” in the traditional superhero sense. They don’t have alien powers, neither was bitten by a radioactive spider, neither is a demigod, and neither can turn into a rampaging green monster when things get heated. Thus, neither one is really a “superhero” so much as just a heroic figure. But a lot of comic lovers and Batman and Iron Man fans get around this issue by saying that the characters’ true superpowers are their minds. Both Wayne and Stark are uncommonly brilliant, and in both cases that’s about the only claim they can make to being extraordinary.

    … And That Other “Super” Power

    Oh, and they’re both incredibly wealthy, which can sort of be said to be another power they share. Amusingly enough, popular online lottery site Lottoland wrote up a list of the wealthiest fictional characters as one of a series of entertaining pieces that have to do with the sort of wealth people imagine when attempting to win lotteries. None of the fictional characters on the list actually won lotteries themselves, but they all have pretty exceptional estimated real world wealth. And interestingly, Stark and Wayne are almost neck-and-neck on the list. Stark’s estimated net worth is £8.5 billion, and Wayne’s £6.3 billion, with only Charles Foster Kane (of “Citizen Kane”) in between them. So not only do both derive power from incredible wealth, but their respective fortunes are very comparable.

    They Have The Same Relationship

    This one’s no longer applicable, in a way, because we saw Rachel (Bruce Wayne’s love interest) killed off in “The Dark Knight” several years ago. But while she lived, Rachel was to Bruce as Pepper Potts has been to Tony Stark. Both women are witty, intelligent, and determinedly professional, able to put their billionaire playboy buddies in their respective places but also able to command romantic interest. Both Bruce and Tony are attracted to their respective interest, but in both cases the men also struggle with whether or not to act on this attraction. They don’t want to endanger the women by association, and they also benefit from preserving professional relationships with them.

    Throw in the fact that they’re probably the two most popular cinematic superheroes of the modern era, and the comparison feels pretty complete. These two may look, sound, and act differently, but as they fit into their larger superhero sagas, they’re almost interchangeable figures.