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RIDE ALONG 2 (review)

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Review by Benn Robbins
Produced by Matt Alvarez, Larry Brezner,
Ice Cube, Will Packer, J. C. Spink
Written by Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi
Based on Characters by Greg Coolidge
Directed by Tim Story
Starring Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter,
Benjamin Bratt, Olivia Munn, Ken Jeong,
Sherri Shepherd, Bruce McGill,
Nadine Velazquez, Tyrese Gibson


Sequels in general usually are pretty crappy.

Of course you can get the occasional Godfather Part II or Road Warrior.

Hell, you can even find a Bad Boys 2 or even Lethal Weapon 2 to be almost as good as the original. But normally sequels fall into the Mummy 2 or Speed 2: Cruise Control realm. i.e. TERRIBLE.

Which brings us to Ride Along 2.

It is not TERRIBLE!

What it is is the inevitable and somewhat enjoyable return of the “Brothers-in-Law” as the tag phrase of the film so pun-fully touts. RA2 is about as fun as the first.

Neither ground breaking or visually challenging, it is more of the same. That isn’t entirely a bad thing, but like I wrote in my review for the original film, “it isn’t going to be winning any awards”.

What it does do is gives the audience a safe, fun action film. Buddy cop meets family-tension comedy.

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The X-FILES Arrives in Los Angeles For Special Marathon Screening This Saturday!

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The Cinefamily presents
The X-Files: Live Podcast and Marathon
with sneak preview of new X-Files episode

FREE ADMISSION Saturday, January 16th, 12pm - 10pm

  • Hosted by upcoming 'X-Files" guest star Kumail Nanjiani
  • Surprise X-Files Cast & Crew Appearances
  • Event will be a special live episode of Nanjiani's podcast 'The X-Files Files"
  • 6 episode marathon will end with a sneak screening of the first new episode

A good sequel or TV show reprise on the horizon means one thing and one thing only… schedule your marathon to binge watch the original STAT! Well, Mulder and Scully (aka David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson), the stars of the moody and cinematic 90s phenomenon The X-Files—”one of the most elaborate, long-winded, beleaguered, and beloved cult sci-fi series in TV history” (Wired)—are poised to return, and Cinefamily is prepared to ensure that you are ready. With the show’s six new episodes beginning Jan 24th on FOX, the time is nigh to survey the best of the beloved science fiction drama’s previous seasons.


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OVER EASY by Mimi Pond (graphic novel review)

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Review by Lily Fierro
Over Easy
Written and Illustrated by Mimi Pond
Published by Drawn and Quarterly
Released on April 15, 2014
ISBN-10: 1770461531 / ISBN-13: 978-1770461536
Price: $24.95


When Generoso wrote about Peter Yates’s Mother, Jugs, and Speed, he discussed the concept of the “Workplace Comedy.” 

This sub-genre of comedy generally includes a group of characters who would unlikely cross paths beyond their workplace but naturally do because they all need to pay bills, and as a result, a day in the office, car wash, ambulance, or any other agency of employment, contains more entertainment and perception than you would expect from “a day in the life” comedy.

While the Workplace Comedy certainly has manufactured laughs and shenanigans, it also has an odd ability to capture the essence of the time and place through its characters, their interactions, and the circumstances they find themselves in because, after all, you learn the most about the people and their generation by their behaviors at home and their behaviors at work.

Through this caricature approach, Workplace Comedies boil down and present the social dynamics of an era, making them a fascinating snowglobe of a moment in the past. Sure, larger, more philosophical themes may exist in them, but they are hardly ruminated upon, and as a result, plenty of ideas and comments on the times are packed into fast sketches, conversations, and moments into a fluid journey that may not lead to a climax or denouement but will give you a sharp insight into the characters’ times and a history of American culture.

Though in graphic novel, semi-fictional memoir form, Mimi Pond’s Over Easy falls into this Workplace Comedy bin. Paced almost like 1976’s Car Wash in its looseness with its characters, Over Easy captures the spirit of Oakland, California and America in the late 70s through the employees and clientele of the Imperial Cafe. Richard Hell called the 70s the Blank Generation, and Mimi Pond’s characterization of herself and her colleagues in Oakland in in 1978 would agree.

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Together Again: The Geeky Glee of Golden Globe Gatherings...

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You may have noticed during this past Sunday's Golden Globes that Christian Slater acknowledged Harrison Ford in the audience.

The two have never appeared in a film or television series before, but the fanboy in Slater couldn't resist a little moment of geek-out prior to accepting his award for Mr. Robot.

As obviously criminal as it is that Christian Slater has never before this year been even nominated for a Golden Globe, it's come-to-think-of-it crazy Harrison Ford hasn't previously paired with the actor.

Let's get on that, Lucasfilm.

That said, here are some cool connections from the Globe ceremony that brought more smiles than that annual "reunions" issue Entertainment Weekly pastes together...

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Shout! Factory TV Announces SUPER SENTAI SPECTACULAR on January 23rd!

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 TO PREMIERE ON SHOUT! FACTORY TV LIVE
HOSTED BY TOKUSATSU EXPERT AUGUST RAGONE
Before Saban’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, There Was Super Sentai!

When the sinister witch Bandora is released from her prison after 170 million years, five warriors from an ancient time are woken from suspended animation to once again defend Earth from Bandora and her evil horde. Armed with enchanted weapons and giant robotic deities known as the Guardian Beasts, it’s up to these warriors to defeat Bandora and her monsters before she can exact revenge upon the Earth for the death of her son.

This January, see where the worldwide phenomenon began with Shout! Factory TV’s Super Sentai Spectacular! Join us for a three-hour live streaming event hosted by Tokusatsu expert August Ragone as the first seven episodes of Super Sentai Zyuranger blast onto the screen on Saturday, January 23 at 9.a.m. (PST) at www.shoutfactorytv.com.


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10 Stellar Spooky and Sci-Fi Sequels

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The only thing better than a good movie is a continuation of a beloved story or idea.

It seems like a feasible thing to accomplish, but more often than not, it’s simply not the case. When unreasonable plot twists are a plenty or bad casting plagues a production, sequels can quickly become head shakingly atrocious.

Naturally, Troll 2 comes to mind… in the most loving and endearing way possible, of course!


While sequels are notorious for falling flat or veering off track to the chagrin of hungry filmgoers, these ten flicks are some of the most tried and true. That being said, a handful of them are a little less celebrated, but are, in my eyes, considered to be solid movies.

I hope you see some that jive with you, too!


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Boston Cinegeeks! We've Got Passes For THE 5TH WAVE!

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In the new film The 5th Wave, four waves of increasingly deadly attacks have left most of Earth decimated.  Against a backdrop of fear and distrust, Cassie (Chloë Grace Moretz) is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother.  As she prepares for the inevitable and lethal 5th wave, Cassie teams up with a young man who may become her final hope - if she can only trust him.



For your chance to attend the advance screening of THE 5TH WAVE in Boston on Wednesday, January 20th at 7:00PM at AMC Boston Common please visit: sonyscreenings.com/KRoYa74869



Triple Shot With a Heavy Metal Chaser: SUPERMAN: AMERICAN ALIEN #2, THE LEGEND OF WONDER WOMAN #1, EVIL DEAD 2: CRADLE OF THE DAMNED #1 & NARCOPOLIS: CONTINUUM #1

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From Krypton to Themyscira to the Deadite infested woods of North Carolina, we are kicking off 2016 with a return to form of the classic Triple Shot comics review column!

Can't make heads or tails of a pull list? Are you easily confused by staring at rows of comics on the shelf? We hope these recommendations do you well. Why think when we can tell you what comics to buy!

This week, Max Landis and Joëlle Jones give you a unique spotlight on a young Clark Kent, Renae De Liz (Peter Pan, The Last Unicorn) and Ray Dillon retell Wonder Woman's origin in Legend of Wonder Woman and lastly Ash is back, baby, in Evil Dead 2: Cradle of the Damned!

This week you get an extra bonus Heavy Metal chaser as one of our very own FOG!'s very own (Steven) Scott Duvall! drops his new book Necropolis: Continuum #1 from Heavy Metal Comics.
That's right, thatHeavy Metal!

Groovy!

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FALLING SKIES: The Complete Fifth Season and The Complete Series Will Land on Blu-ray and DVD February 2nd.

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Falling Skies– TNT's epic alien-invasion saga from Amblin Television and executive producer Steven Spielberg – will land on Blu-ray and DVD Feb. 2 for the final time. All 10 action-packed episodes of Falling Skies: The Complete Fifth Season will be available as a two-disc Blu-ray release and a three-disc DVD set. The fifth season set features farewell interviews with the cast and crew, including Noah Wyle, Colin Cunningham, Doug Jones and more, as well as "A Look Back," an exclusive group interview with Doug Jones, Colin Cunningham and Sarah Carter.

As season five opens, all breed of beast and mutant are running rampant on earth. The Espheni's power core has been destroyed, and humans are now ready to fight on their terms. And after four years of being tortured, Tom and the 2nd Mass are filled with rage, ready to destroy the enemy in an all-out battle to determine the fate of Earth. Falling Skies: The Complete Fifth Season will be available for the suggested retail price of $49.99 on Blu-ray and $39.98 on DVD.


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CLASSIC CREEPY CARNIVAL CINEMA, Part I

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Carnivals have always been a little creepy.

Sure, they're places to have fun, but they always promise something weird, something grotesque, something to squirm and gawk at as part of the fun.

It's no surprise, then, that carnivals have inspired a host of excellent horror films.

I'm distinguishing carnivals from circuses, though the two are interrelated.  Carnivals are more personal, more interactive, more up-close.  Circuses are larger and more centralized.

You're a spectator at a circus, but you might be a participant at a carnival - either trying your hand at a carnival game, or standing face-to-face with a carnival freak.

Here is my list of classic creepy carnival films.  I count 18 films, and most are very good.  In this installment, I'll cover carnival films through the early 1960s.  In my next installment, I'll cover creepy carnival cinema from the mid 1960s into the early 1980s.


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THE 33 Arrives on Blu-ray or DVD on 2/16 or Own It Early on Digital HD on 2/2!

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Discover the unforgettable true story that’s never been told when “The 33” arrives onto Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD. Directed by Patricia Riggen from a screenplay by Mikko Alanne, Oscar nominee Craig Borten (“Dallas Buyers Club”) and Michael Thomas, “The 33” is based on a true story of 33 miners held 200 stories underground who never lost hope.

In 2010, the eyes of the world turned to Chile, where 33 miners had been buried alive by the catastrophic explosion and collapse of a 100-year-old gold and copper mine. Over the next 69 days, an international team worked night and day in a desperate attempt to rescue the trapped men as their families and friends, as well as millions of people globally, waited and watched anxiously for any sign of hope. But 200 stories beneath the surface, in the suffocating heat and with tensions rising, provisions—and time—were quickly running out. A story of resilience, personal transformation and triumph of the human spirit, the film takes us to the Earth’s darkest depths, revealing the psyches of the men trapped in the mine, and depicting the courage of both the miners and their families who refused to give up.

Based on the gripping true story of survival – and filmed with the cooperation of the miners, their families and their rescuers – “The 33” reveals the never-before-seen actual events that unfolded, above and below ground, which became nothing less than a worldwide phenomenon.


The 33” international cast is led by Antonio Banderas, Rodrigo Santoro, Academy Award winner Juliette Binoche (“The English Patient”), James Brolin and Lou Diamond Phillips, with Bob Gunton and Gabriel Byrne. The film is based on the story by Jose Rivera and the book “Deep Down Dark” by Hector Tobar. The main cast also includes Mario Casas, Jacob Vargas, Juan Pablo Raba, Oscar Nuñez, Tenoch Huerta, Marco Treviño, Adriana Barraza, Kate del Castillo, Cote de Pablo, Elizabeth De Razzo, Naomi Scott, Gustavo Angarita and Alejandro Goic.

The film was produced by Oscar nominee Mike Medavoy, Robert Katz and Edward McGurn alongside executive producers Carlos Eugenio Lavin, Leopoldo Enriquez, Alan Zhang and José Luis Escolar.

The 33” was filmed on location in Chile’s harshly remote yet stunningly beautiful Atacama desert just kilometers away from where the event took place, and deep within two mines located in central Colombia.

The 33” will be available on February 16 on Blu-ray for $19.99, and includes the film in high definition on Blu-ray disc and a digital version of the movie in Digital HD with UltraViolet*. Fans can also own “The 33” via purchase from digital retailers beginning on February 2.


BLU-RAY AND DVD ELEMENTS

“The 33” Blu-ray contains the following special features:

  • The Mine Collapse
  • The 33: The World Was Watching
  • Theatrical Trailer


“The 33” Standard Definition DVD contains the following special features:

  • The 33 The World Was Watching
  • Theatrical Trailer


TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE Powers Up For Second Season Via Hasbro Studios

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Autobots and Decepticons ‘Roll Out’ on Cartoon Network in First Quarter of 2016
 All art courtesy Hasbro Studios

Hasbro Studios, the Los Angeles-based entertainment division of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS), announced today that the  popular kids television series Transformers: Robots in Disguise will return for a second season on Cartoon Network in the U.S., which consistently ranks as a top-rated network in Total Day for kids ages 6-11. The latest installment in the global TRANSFORMERS franchise will debut its second season in the first quarter of 2016.

“Transformers: Robots in Disguise continues to be a massive hit with kids across the country, launching with an outstanding debut season on Cartoon Network,” said Hasbro’s Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer Stephen Davis. “Season two will bring back Bumblebee and his Autobots team for all new action-packed battles, fun-filled adventures and other humorous new characters with vibrant personalities that made season one a hit with kids. We continue to listen to our viewers’ feedback and are bringing back many fan-favorite characters, as well as some great surprises we know kids of all ages are going to love.”

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IMAGE COMICS Celebrates Diversity With HUMBLE BUNDLE To Benefit HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FOUNDATION

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Leading comics publisher begins the new year with digital sale to support diversity

Image Comics is pleased to announce an all-new Humble Bundle digital sale—Humble Comics Bundle: Image Comics featuring Creators Own Worlds—set to bring awareness to equality and to support the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. This Humble Bundle highlights some of the series from Image Comics that are created by or significantly feature LGBT characters.

With the Humble Comics Bundle: Image Comics featuring Creators Own Worlds digital sale, fans will experience $400-worth of some of Image Comics' bestselling and award-winning series at pay-what-you want pricing.

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Could Classic Literature Inspire A Wave Of Video Games?

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A lot of modern video games are more closely tied to literature than many may realize. IGN looked at a number of popular titles that are either directly or indirectly based on old books, from The Witcher to Assassin's Creed. And even beyond that list, there are plenty of examples. Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor had as much to do with Tolkien's books as Peter Jackson's films; Dante's Inferno was based on the 14th century epic poem; and the God Of War series is built on a foundation of real world mythology (which is ultimately a form of literature).

Meanwhile, the film industry has been even more involved than usual lately with classic literature. In just the last few years we've seen the likes of Les Miserables, The Great Gatsby, and even Shakespeare's Macbeth turned into feature films. Combining these two trends, it seems only natural to wonder: could classic literature represent the next trend in gaming inspiration? Only time will tell, but a few literary works in particular appear to fit right in with modern gaming.


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A Sneak Peek Of DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE #3 Spotlighting Hal Jordan in GREEN LANTERN Mini-Comic

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With the next chapter of DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE, readers will learn more about the plans of the newly-freed Kandorians in the main story, but this 12-page supplemental tale sees an alien-looking (for details, check out Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Strikes Again) Hal Jordan’s otherwise idyllic life interrupted by a distress call from Earth. On his arrival, Hal is greeted by three strangers, looking for a God to worship…

This third mini-comic is co-written by Frank Miller and Brian Azzarello, with art breakdowns by John Romita Jr. and finishes by Frank Miller. In addition to the Book 3 periodical version (scheduled for late February), the Collector’s Edition hardcover publishes both the main story and the mini-comic in a same-size “prestige” format approximately 2 weeks after the periodical hits retailer shelves.

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MOONWALKERS (review)

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Review by Sharon Knolle
Produced by Georges Bermann
Written by Dean Craig
Directed by Antoine Bardou-Jacquet
Starring Ron Perlman, Rupert Grint, Robert Sheehan,
Eric Lampaert, Kerry Shale, John Flanders


Did Stanley Kubrick fake the 1969 moon landing?

That's what one of the overly obsessed fans in Room 237 movie believed The Shining was really about and he's not the only one who clings to that far-out theory.

Moonwalkers takes that “what if” premise and has some fun with it: What if NASA was trying to cover its bases in case the mission tanked?

What if they turned to a highly unstable CIA agent (Perlman) to recruit the famous director to film a back-up, just in case?  And what if ne'er-do-well band manager Jonny (Grint) somehow takes the meeting instead of his agent cousin and passes off his druggie friend Leon (Sheehan) as Kubrick?

Add in a suitcase full of cash, a debt owed to some brutal gangsters, a hippie art commune happy to help make a movie about the moon and a lead singer who thinks the whole show is all about him and you've got a fairly entertaining (if wildly far-fetched) lark.

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KUNG FU TRAILERS OF FURY Arrives on DVD/Blu-ray February 26th from Severin Films

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Over Two Hours Of The Wildest Martial Arts Mayhem In Motion Picture History!

Get ready for the most hardkicking, facesmashing, snakefisting trailer collection of them all! From the golden age of kung fu cinema comes this insane tsunami of masters, mobsters, furious vengeance and incredible fighting styles, starring Bruce Lee and his clones Bruce Li, Bruce Le, Dragon Lee and Bruce Leung, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Chuck Norris & Jimmy Wang Yu. These are the most over the top and rarely seen original trailers for Hong Kong classics that include THE WAY OF THE DRAGON, DEATH BLOW, TWO CHAMPIONS OF SHAOLIN, DAGGERS 8, SNAKE IN THE EAGLE’S SHADOW, SHAOLIN WOODEN MEN, THE STORY OF DRUNKEN MASTER, ENTER THE FAT DRAGON, BRUTAL BOXER and many more, plus exclusive new bonus features that deliver unique historical and cultural perspectives on the amazing world of martial arts movies.

Exclusive new bonus features include the half hour documentary A Brief History Of Kung Fu Cinema, The Way Of The Cube featurette on the curious discovery of the trailers beneath the stage at a former Asian cinema in the UK, and an audio commentary with martial arts film experts Ric Meyers (author of Films Of Fury), Michael Worth (The Bruceploitation Bible), Martial Arts Teacher Greg Schiller and Rick Stelow of Drunken Master video.




Over 2 Hours Of Trailers Newly Transferred in 2k From Rare Original 35mm Prints!


DVD/Blu-ray Extras Include:


  • A Brief History Of Kung Fu Cinema - Experts Ric Meyers & Frank Djeng tell the story of the genre
  • The Way Of The Cube - Featurette on the discovery of the trailers underneath the stage of a maverick UK theater
  • Audio Commentary with experts Ric Meyers (Films of Fury), Michael Worth (The Bruceploitation Bible), Martial Arts Instructor Greg Schiller & Rick Stelow of Drunken Master Video

For more details visit severin-films.com





INTRUDERS (review)

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Review by Joshua Gravel
Produced by Steven Schneider, Jeff Rice,
Lati Grobman, Erik Olsen
Written by T.J. Cimfel, David White
Directed by Adam Schindler
Starring Beth Riesgraf, Jack Kesy, 
Martin Starr, Rory Culkin,
Joshua Mikel, Leticia Jimenez,
Timothy T. McKinney, Jack Kesy


Anna lives with and takes care of her terminally ill brother, Conrad, but also suffers from severe agoraphobia and has not left their home in over ten years. 

Upon her brother’s death she is left the house and a sizeable amount of money, and when it is assumed that Anna will be at Conrad’s funeral, three men break into her house to rob her. 

Once the three men realize that Anna is still in the house a tense game of “cat and mouse” plays out in the rather large maze like house, which is hiding more secrets than just Anna.

Intruders starts off as a seemingly run of the mill home invasion flick, but builds upon that now common premise to deliver a taut thriller with some well thought out twists. 

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My Top 5 Favourite Space Games

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As the Starman returned home this week, I haven't been able to think of much else.

It never did occur to me that David Bowie was mortal.

It's prompted me to think about my favourite space games.

These aren't just games set in our own galaxy either, whether set in a fictional galaxy, a real planet or just on a space station these games have stuck out for me personally so after a lot of consideration, I have narrowed it down to five titles.

1) Space Invaders

My first experience of a space game was the 1982 version of Space Invaders on my dad's Atari.

A true classic arcade title that has ingrained itself not only into pop culture, but into my heart.

I believe the fact I was introduced to games as an activity where I spent more time with my dad (and later, my mum - 2 player Columns was our jam!) shaped me into the person I am today and it directly influenced my love of games.

Space Invaders also encapsulated the base element of every other game that followed it; the simple premise of shooting enemies to progress and of levels that grow exponentially in difficultly and skill. 

That's why it's the first game I thought of when I began compiling this list. That and I remember the blisters on the plan of my hand.

You don't forget that pain! So er, thanks for the memories/injuries, Atari. 



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Alan Rickman 101: The Early Years

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Written by Erin Maxwell

For millions and millions of people on social media, he’s a potions master at a magical school whose love will never die.

For other, he’s the foil to John McClane in a Los Angeles high rise on Christmas Eve. To others, he’s a typecast actor from a defunct sci-fi show whose talents are better than the one line he is forced to repeat again and again.

And for a select few, he’s the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Alan Rickman died on January 14, leaving this Earth to watch the great David Bowie concert in the sky. The actor was best known for his roles as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise and as Hans Gruber in Die Hard, but his ability to add charm to even the swarthiest of characters, add depth to any role and bring light and life to anything he touched made him loved by millions.

But he was more.

He was more than Snape. More than a man that gave McClane a machine gun. More than the only person that can do a proper English accent in Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.


Here is a look back at the early career of Alan Rickman so you can get familiar with the man you already love and appreciate the climb he made to become an actor you adore.


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