News of the death of Legend of the Seeker was premature.

A source close to the show tells TheTorchOnline.com that, contrary to the implication of some previous media reports, the show is definitely not canceled, the studio is interested in bringing it back for a third season, and that they’re actively exploring options to make that happen.

Legend of the Seeker is produced by ABC Studios, but is syndicated, offered to different media markets on a station-by-station basis. Last week, the Tribune Company, which owns 35% of the affiliates that currently air the show in the U.S., confirmed that their stations would not air a third season of the show.

Since Tribune makes up such a large percentage of the total number of affiliates that air Legend of the Seeker, including some major markets, this prompted a flurry of online speculation that the show itself would likely be canceled.

The public announcement by Tribune came in response to a fan-generated letter-writing campaign seeking to improve the show’s third season prospects. The company answered several of those letters with the news that their affiliates would not be carrying the show next year; several sources have since confirmed that news.

But TheTorchOnline.com’s source indicated that it is still too early in the year for the studio itself to have made a decision on the show and emphasized that they have definitely not given up and will seek to replace the Tribune affiliates.

Because renewal of a syndicated show involves signing up many different affiliates, last year’s “official” renewal announcement of Legend of the Seeker did not happen until well into spring.

The show’s ratings have been relatively strong this season, making a pick-up by competing Tribune stations a definite possibility.

The source also indicated that the producers of the show appreciate the passion and commitment of the fans.

Follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

Close Bookmark and Share This Page

Save to Browser Favorites / Bookmarks

Ask backflip blinklist BlogBookmark Bloglines BlogMarks Blogsvine BuddyMarks BUMPzee! CiteULike co.mments Connotea del.icio.us

Digg diigo DotNetKicks DropJack dzone Facebook Fark Faves Feed Me Links Friendsite folkd.com Furl Google

Hugg Jamespot Jeqq Kaboodle kirtsy linkaGoGo LinkedIn LinksMarker Ma.gnolia Mister Wong Mixx MySpace MyWeb

Netvouz Newsvine oneview OnlyWire PlugIM Propeller Reddit Rojo Segnalo Shoutwire Simpy Slashdot Sphere

Sphinn Spurl Squidoo StumbleUpon Technorati ThisNext Twitter Webride Windows Live Worlds Movies Yahoo!

Email This to a Friend

Copy HTML: 

 If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

More »

The future of the syndicated fantasy TV show Legend of the Seeker became doubtful today when TVbytheNumbers.com confirmed that the Tribune Company, the organization that owns many of the affiliates that broadcast the show in local markets, is not interested in continuing with the show.

This doesn’t necessarily mean the show has been canceled, but it would mean that its producers have to somehow replace those markets where it’s been canceled. And representatives for the show have previously indicated that if Tribune were to cancel, the show would likely be canceled as well.

In short, this news does make it much less likely that the show will continue to a third season.

Ironically, the show’s ratings have been relatively strong this season, although they did take a large Olympics-induced dip in the last week.

A spokesman ABC-Disney, the studio which produces the show, did not respond to a request for more information.

Close Bookmark and Share This Page

Save to Browser Favorites / Bookmarks

Ask backflip blinklist BlogBookmark Bloglines BlogMarks Blogsvine BuddyMarks BUMPzee! CiteULike co.mments Connotea del.icio.us

Digg diigo DotNetKicks DropJack dzone Facebook Fark Faves Feed Me Links Friendsite folkd.com Furl Google

Hugg Jamespot Jeqq Kaboodle kirtsy linkaGoGo LinkedIn LinksMarker Ma.gnolia Mister Wong Mixx MySpace MyWeb

Netvouz Newsvine oneview OnlyWire PlugIM Propeller Reddit Rojo Segnalo Shoutwire Simpy Slashdot Sphere

Sphinn Spurl Squidoo StumbleUpon Technorati ThisNext Twitter Webride Windows Live Worlds Movies Yahoo!

Email This to a Friend

Copy HTML: 

 If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

More »

Four and a Half Torches (Out of Five)

Warning: The following review contains spoilers for the “Princess” episode of Legend of the Seeker.

Sing it with me now: “The rain in the midlands stays mainly in the Valley of Perdition …”

Legend of the Seeker has had a string of great episodes, and this week it continues its winning streak with “Princess,” which at long last gives us something I didn’t even realize I was craving: a comedy episode!

The action starts immediately, as Kahlan is plucked off the ground by a pair of dragon-monster-things and taken to the castle of a wicked monarch who has made a deal with the Sisters of the Dark and the newly resurrected Nikki (in a new body … just go with it): he’ll hand over Kahlan in exchange for eternal life.

So, what’s the only way into the castle? In disguise, of course! And from an eavesdropping spell that Zedd cast, he heard that a princess and her entourage are on their way to the castle even as they speak. How does Zedd know where to find them? Magic!

If this all seems incredibly contrived to you, that’s because it is. But guess what? It’s supposed to be funny! Seeker has proven that it can bring the drama and the serious plots when it wants, but this week they kicked back and had a little fun, and invited us along for the ride.

The purpose of the ep wasn’t to create a Shakespearean tragedy, but rather come up with an excuse to turn Cara into Eliza Doolittle, to bleach Richard’s hair, and to put Zedd in drag for almost the whole show (which he seemed to really enjoy, by the way).

And it was funny, particularly the scene in which Zedd is attempting to train Cara in courtly femininity, telling her to always defer to her “masculine betters.” Her response? “There’s no such thing.”

Genius.

Also amusing was having Craig Horner, now under the persona of a blond lothario prince, strutting around the castle as women throw themselves at him. The show sometimes seems to go out of its way to ignore how freaking sexy its three young leads are, and I’m pretty sure that Craig Horner gets a similar reaction from women wherever he goes in real life, so it brought a chuckle to see it lampooned on screen.

Interesting that in such a silly episode they snuck in the very plot-centric fact that Nikki has been brought back to life, now younger and blonder. I also liked the world building in the very first scene: apparently, you can get a Mord-Sith for hire whenever you want to resurrect someone. Did you know that? I didn’t. It was similar to the discovery last week that if you’re clever enough, you can make money off of a Baneling’s plight.

Also interesting was the slight subplot involving Kahlan and the king’s wife. We learn that in this kingdom religion is used to oppress its women, so Kahlan must give her a crash course in Feminism 101 while simultaneously Richard is busying himself cracking the skulls of the Sisters of the Night. Another joke, maybe?

Finally, the adorable ending scene with Kahlan teasing her comrades about their respective costumes was almost worth the price of admission alone. They concluded the show the way every good comic episode should end — with a smile.

Close Bookmark and Share This Page

Save to Browser Favorites / Bookmarks

Ask backflip blinklist BlogBookmark Bloglines BlogMarks Blogsvine BuddyMarks BUMPzee! CiteULike co.mments Connotea del.icio.us

Digg diigo DotNetKicks DropJack dzone Facebook Fark Faves Feed Me Links Friendsite folkd.com Furl Google

Hugg Jamespot Jeqq Kaboodle kirtsy linkaGoGo LinkedIn LinksMarker Ma.gnolia Mister Wong Mixx MySpace MyWeb

Netvouz Newsvine oneview OnlyWire PlugIM Propeller Reddit Rojo Segnalo Shoutwire Simpy Slashdot Sphere

Sphinn Spurl Squidoo StumbleUpon Technorati ThisNext Twitter Webride Windows Live Worlds Movies Yahoo!

Email This to a Friend

Copy HTML: 

 If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

More »

All photos courtesy of Disney-ABC Domestic TV

What would it be like to interview Cara, the take-no-prisoners Mord-Sith-turned-sorta-good who is currently shaking up the second season of the hit syndicated fantasy series Legend of the Seeker?

I’m sure if you asked one wrong question, she’d bite your head off. (On the other hand, what a way to go! Am I right?)

Anyway, I was understandably a tad nervous when I landed a chance to speak to Tabrett Bethell, the actress who plays Cara, by phone from New Zealand, where the show is just wrapping up the filming of its final episodes for the season.

I needn’t have worried. This Australian native, a former professional cheerleader but a relative newcomer to acting, couldn’t have been kinder or more pleasant. She is, of course, not the character she plays on television.

Or is she? As we talked, even Tabrett (which is pronounced with the accent on the first syllable) admitted there are occasional similarities: she can be very blunt, she’s very private and self-protective, and she was initially annoyed by Bridget Regan and Craig Horner’s humorous on-set antics (and was blunt enough to tell me that!).

Hmmmm. Where does Tabrett end and Cara begin? That, of course, is for you to decide:

TheTorchOnline: I know everyone must ask you this, but you have such a beautiful name that I wanted to ask you about it. Is there a story?

Tabrett Bethel: Well, I was born in Syndey, and my mother wanted to name me Siobhan, and my father wanted to name me Murray. They couldn’t agree. So my father left the hospital and went for a drive, and saw a sign that said, “Tabrett Street.” He went back to my mother, and said, “How about Tabrett?” And she said, “Yes, that’s it!”

Tabrett Street in Sydney, Australia

[Editor's Note: I looked up Tabrett Street. It's near Sydney's Barton Park and the Lance Studdert Reserve.]

For years, I was told by people that it was Welsh. But no. It’s actually also a Hebrew word that means “Celebration,” which I think is quite beautiful.

TTO: That is beautiful, but it’s a good thing that it happened to have such good connotation!

TB: [laughs] Isn’t it?

TTO: At what point once you were cast as Cara did you realize, “Okay, this is a great character.”

TB: Oh, right away. Well, no. It was obvious from the start, she’s the counter-point to the other characters. She’s totally honest, she gets to say all these funny things. That’s who Cara is.

But by episodes four and five [of this season], we really started to have fun with it, we really started playing around.

TTO: She’s the character who has the major character arc, the one who is changing the most.

TB: You hit it right there. This is all new to her. She’s constantly evolving, and that’s what’s exciting. She takes three steps forward and five steps backward. Cara has many moments of confusion that are interesting to play.

It’s a character that’s all about growth. Who can’t relate to that?

TTO: Which is the perfect lead-in to my next question! How much like Cara are you?

TB: I really bounce back and forth with this. I was having a conversation with one of the producers last week, saying, “This character is so different from me!”

But one thing this particular producer had said to me right from the beginning is, “She’s closer to you than you think.” I do find that when I connect to the truth of her, we are very similar.

Cara is incredibly honest — she speaks her mind. It’s often to her detriment, and it’s often something great. And that’s something that I can definitely relate to. I’m constantly being told that I’m way too honest. Often it gets me into lots of trouble.

She’s a very complex character, very troubled. She has so many elements that so many people can relate to. She has this shield around her heart. She’s constantly trying to protect herself, because that’s all she knows. And I think a lot of people can relate to that: don’t get too close to her, or you might get burnt — that kind of thing.

TTO: I’m not an actor, so this may be a dumb question, but has playing this character made you even more assertive or honest in real life?

TB: No, I’ve always been majorly honest. That I’ve always had.

What it has done — and I think this is part of the acting process — you get to know yourself really well as an actor, and I think playing a role like this has made me know more about myself. She’s definitely made me stronger.

TTO: Tell me something about this weekend’s episode “Princess.”

TB: “Princess” is fantastic! When I read that script, I jumped up and down twenty-five times. It’s like the ultimate.

What’s so great about this ep is that she — without giving it away — she has to play the absolute opposite of who she is. The mission is to save one of the cast, and [Cara] has to be a lady, she has to be elegant, she has to be able to dance, she has to do all these things that are completely foreign to her. She has to have grace and just be really feminine. And Cara’s used to doing everything at her best. Everything she does, whether it’s fighting, getting with men, she knows how to get the job done.

Now she’s faced with this obstacle. It’s quite funny watching a very powerful character be vulnerable. It’s quite hilarious.

And we actually see the whole cast wearing hilarious outfits.

But it’s pretty funny for Cara, because she has this mission to rescue someone, and it becomes a competition, and she plays to win. It’s really funny — clever writing. It’s a great director named Garth Maxwell — I love workshopping scenes with him. We have the same left-of-center humor!

It was a great piece of writing to get my teeth into — not just me, but all the characters. It’s excellent writing for everyone — everyone gets a golden moment.

TTO: My personal theory is that the introduction of your character has made all the other characters, and even the other actors, far more interesting. It goes back to what you said about being the contrarian.

TB: Yeah! Well, Cara’s the counter-point!

You have these three characters, Zedd, Kahlan, and Richard who all pretty much think the same way, and go on big quests. Then someone comes along and questions everything they do. She’s got a reason to question everything! And she, in turn, makes them question themselves.

It’s a hilarious kind of a merry-go-round that keeps going on. It’s always interesting to have a counter-point.

TTO: Cara has been really well-received among the fans — there’s very strong buzz around her. Are you aware of how popular she’s become?

TB: No! I’m not aware of it!

It’s kind of funny, shooting here in New Zealand. It’s a little bit of a cocoon. You get up, you go to the work, you give your best, and you go home. It’s quite insulated here. And the schedule is so heavy, and for me, the focus is on the day-to-day, filming and shooting. So that’s really great to hear.

TTO: It’s really gone over well, and I think it’s part of the reason why there’s such a good energy about the show lately. And I think one of the things people appreciate is how the show has gotten so sexy! The show seems to really be embracing that this season, with Kahlan’s new outfit and…

TB: Yeah! How hot is Kahlan’s new outfit! Yeah! The wardrobe people are so talented.

I watched a few episodes from season one. But they seem to be doing things very different [this year]. The writing seems more fun. And the support cast we’ve had is fantastic.

TTO: Talk to me about your outfit.

TB: My outfit — it’s kind of a funny one. For some reason, the air goes straight through it. It gets very windy here in Auckland, and very cold. I can’t describe how cold it is for me.

In winter, it’s very cold, but in summer, I’m saturated, I’m dripping with sweat. It gets so hot.

It’s a different kind of leather than I’ve ever found — it’s very stretchy, very movable. Yeah, it’s comfortable. It’s just at the moment, it’s very hot and humid here. Sometimes in this outfit I feel like I’m going insane.

I’m standing in the middle of a forest going, “I swear I can feel my outfit cooking! I swear I’m going insane!”

[But] in terms of comfortability, it’s great. The wardrobe department has made it as comfortable for me as possible.

TTO: A couple of people contacted me asking me to ask if you’re ever going to go on Twitter, and also if you’re willing to share your birthday, which is apparently unknown. But you don’t have to give it out if that’s too personal!

TB: [Laughs] Uh, you wanna know my age? Well, my birthday is in May, which means I’m a Taurus.

As for Twitter, well, I’m not even on Facebook. I’m such a private person, and I barely have time to check my email. If I had Twitter, I’m sure I would be hooked and not able to tear myself away.

But it is something that I’m thinking of doing! I don’t have a computer-technology bone in my body.

TTO: Well, it increases your sense of mystery, which is probably not a bad thing.

TB: [laughs] Well, I am an incredibly private person.

TTO: The last thing I wanted to ask you about, when I spoke to Bridget Regan a couple of weeks ago, she mentioned how the cast members have become good off-camera friends as well.

TB: I think it’s a little different for me, not coming in and playing the same character from the beginning. But it’s a really beautiful, all the friendships — and the crew, you know. You are family.

But especially the friendship that has developed with Bridget. It’s really beautiful, actually. She has this quality that she just makes you feel very warm. She’s actually very funny. They’ll say, “Action,” and all of a sudden, she’ll break into some dance. And I think, “What are you doing?!”

At the beginning, that used to drive me crazy. Her and Craig [would pull their jokes], and I would say, “What are you guys doing! It’s so irritating!” But now it’s completely endearing.

She’s turning out to be a really integral part of my life. She’s so professional. Craig’s lovely, Bruce is lovely. I feel really lucky to work with those guys.

Follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

Special thanks to Kim, Kate, Lugdivine, Jeremiah, Jasmine, Tamara, Elisabeth, Victoria, Shirley, Joachim, Raphael, Elodie, Katy, Lola, Persia, and all those who suggested questions that I didn’t get a chance to use! (And Nini, I was too embarrassed to ask her that!)

Close Bookmark and Share This Page

Save to Browser Favorites / Bookmarks

Ask backflip blinklist BlogBookmark Bloglines BlogMarks Blogsvine BuddyMarks BUMPzee! CiteULike co.mments Connotea del.icio.us

Digg diigo DotNetKicks DropJack dzone Facebook Fark Faves Feed Me Links Friendsite folkd.com Furl Google

Hugg Jamespot Jeqq Kaboodle kirtsy linkaGoGo LinkedIn LinksMarker Ma.gnolia Mister Wong Mixx MySpace MyWeb

Netvouz Newsvine oneview OnlyWire PlugIM Propeller Reddit Rojo Segnalo Shoutwire Simpy Slashdot Sphere

Sphinn Spurl Squidoo StumbleUpon Technorati ThisNext Twitter Webride Windows Live Worlds Movies Yahoo!

Email This to a Friend

Copy HTML: 

 If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

More »

Five Torches (Out of Five)

Warning: The following review contains spoilers for the “Hunger” episode of Legend of the Seeker.

This show is on a roll.

After last week’s brilliant double-Kahlan episode, which used a fantasy gimmick as a lens for a great character study, this episode does the same with Cara. And since Cara has such a dark past, this story understandably gets really grim.

When helping a woman who’s husband has been kidnapped, Cara is killed — yeah, actually killed, and in the first act, no less — and wakes up in the Underworld (or Naked Gooey Hell as I call it) where she immediately tells Darken Rahl she wants to come back as a Baneling. Her logic is clear and immediate: since she already kills so many evil people while protecting Richard, what’s the difference?

Cara returns to life, and she and the gang find the woman’s husband, who has been taken by a man who’s in business with the Banelings, providing them people to kill for a price. They bust up the place, and Cara is confronted by a Baneling woman who recognizes her for what she is. She keeps Cara’s secret, but tells her and the rest about a magic peddler who’s selling a potion that restores Banelings to life and frees them from the Keeper’s clutches.

It turns out the magic peddler is Sebastian (Ted Raimi), who we saw last season, and who’s assisted by Zedd’s brother Thaddicus. The cure for Baneling-itis is a substance called Shadow Water, and they’ve just about run out, so they’re selling watered down cures that only work for a few days.

The heroes arrive and discover the scheme, and Zedd is disappointed in his ne’er-do-well brother. They learn that there’s more Shadow Water to be found, but it’s three days’ journey. Cara, miserable, realizes that means she must kill at least three more people, not easy if you’re traveling in the middle of nowhere.

One night, Darken Rahl comes to her in a dream and encourages her to kill Thaddicus. She almost does, but can’t go through with it, so Thaddicus, surprisingly, grabs her hand and forces her to kill him.

They find the source of Shadow Water (but can only cure Cara before Darken Rahl destroys the rest) and she uses the Breath of Life on Thaddicus. All turns out well, and they go on their not so merry way.

Okay, so there’s your recap. Now what made this episode so stellar? In a word, metaphor.

I’ve really enjoyed Seeker so far, but last week was the first time I realized that beyond beautiful people, crazy awesome action sequences, and fun high fantasy adventure, the show was much, much smarter than it seemed. By splitting Kahlan into two people — one with just her intellect, one with just her emotions — it not only examined what makes her tick, but opened up a lot of questions about human beings in general.

Much of Cara’s arc so far has been about her regaining her humanity. This is someone who was abducted as a child, radicalized through torture and brainwashing, and turned into a lethal, remorseless killer. Though she has left the Mord-Sith, she is struggling to fit into a world that doesn’t want her, and she tries to be good when a lifetime of training so often tells her to be vicious.

Now, we all know that Mord-Sith don’t exist in real life. But the fact that people can be brainwashed to do terrible things is very real, and when these people attempt to be rehabilitated and re-integrated into society, the outcome is very often disastrous.

This episode uses the device of Cara becoming a Baneling perfectly. This fine-tunes her story, making it literally about her desperately trying to regain her humanity. No longer is it an emotional or philosophical battle — now the stakes are truly life or death.

Tabrett Bethell, the actress who plays Cara, is pitch-perfect in this role, and she really shines in this episode, even more than in the last Cara-centric episode from several months back. She makes you want good things to happen to Cara, and not feel bad about smiling when she kicks some dude’s ass.

She can also speak volumes without saying a word. I swear, if you guys tell anyone about this I’ll deny it, but I admit to getting a little choked up in the scene where she revives Thaddicus, and he tells her he sacrificed himself for her because what she does matters — she’s important, and a force for good. She didn’t respond, but the look in her eyes said it all.

Close Bookmark and Share This Page

Save to Browser Favorites / Bookmarks

Ask backflip blinklist BlogBookmark Bloglines BlogMarks Blogsvine BuddyMarks BUMPzee! CiteULike co.mments Connotea del.icio.us

Digg diigo DotNetKicks DropJack dzone Facebook Fark Faves Feed Me Links Friendsite folkd.com Furl Google

Hugg Jamespot Jeqq Kaboodle kirtsy linkaGoGo LinkedIn LinksMarker Ma.gnolia Mister Wong Mixx MySpace MyWeb

Netvouz Newsvine oneview OnlyWire PlugIM Propeller Reddit Rojo Segnalo Shoutwire Simpy Slashdot Sphere

Sphinn Spurl Squidoo StumbleUpon Technorati ThisNext Twitter Webride Windows Live Worlds Movies Yahoo!

Email This to a Friend

Copy HTML: 

 If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

More »

• Twilight fans will be mobbing Walmart stores March 20^th, and not just because it’s the release of Twilight: New Moon. MTV is reporting that the Walmart Special Edition DVD will have seven minutes of behind the scenes footage and a clip from the upcoming Twilight: Eclipse film. Sorry, Amazon.com shoppers, this looks exclusive.

• The International Toy Fair has been going on in New York City all weekend, and besides the Disney Toy Story 3 merchandise, Iron Man 2 and Star Wars seem to dominate the floor. io9.com has a great gallery of the toys, but can somebody explain the concept of the Iron Man 2 Mr. Potato Head?  Tangentially related: Twitter tells me that the Barbie folks will be putting out a Collector’s edition Mad Hatter doll for Alice in Wonderland, but no Alice doll.

• Young Adult fantasy author Carrie Ryan did an essay about how through her books, her own mother discovered a love of fantasy stories, and puts forward a rather bold theory that YA fiction is all fantasy. I see her point, but also feel it’s limiting what is one of the most vibrant genres in literature.

• This find I have to credit to io9.com, but the Canadian short film Lost for Words has released a trailer. There really isn’t a summary of the film, but the Sean Wainsteim, the writer/director describes it as an homage to the time he spent in the library as a youth. Visually stunning in this short trailer, it has all sorts of fantastic creatures. Just watch:

• Alien Invasion Week on British channel Watch brings us a brand new Torchwood web comic to commemorate their showing of Torchwood: Children of Earth.

• Legend of the Seeker has a lot more story to tell, and they need your help so that they get the chance to do it. Money is tight for syndication deals right now, and they have instructions on how you can help lobby to get them a third season to tell Richard and Kahlan’s tale.

• Chase Palmer has been hired to work on the Dune script for new director Pierre Morel and Paramount. His credits include Wild Wild East, Number Thirteen, and No Blood, No Guts, No Glory. Maybe now we can finally get some Bene Gesserit creepiness in our lives.

• Universal has signed Vin Diesel up for Riddick, the third installment of The Chronicles of Riddick. No word on plot, but it’s been hinted that it will resemble Pitch Black more than it will the second film.

• reddit has pictures of a tiny Indonesian lizard that’s been found that has wings. And isn’t a lizard with wings basically a dragon by definition? Do we really need the fire breathing and destruction of castles? As tiny as these guys are, they might be able to menace the Smurf Village.

• If you’ve been watching the Winter Olympics, you’ve no doubt seen the special, Olympic-themed spots for How To Train Your Dragon, the new Dreamworks 3D animated feature about dragons and Vikings. This isn’t one of them, so you might actually get something about the plot from it, which I thought was the point of a trailer.

• Also from the Olympics, some people are calling the Opening Ceremony “Tron on Ice” which is one of those things that once you’ve seen, you can’t un-see. Besides, since Tron is a Disney property, I’m really scared it might have given them an idea.

• Starting with Fantastic Four #579, the story will start to synch up Avengers with the Heroic Age comics. Details are a little sparse, but the gist seems to be Reed Richards beginning to understand his mortality and limitations and start planning for a future for his children when he’s passed on.

• Artist Francesco Francavilla has a weird idea that Batman should fight ducks in the comics, and wants you to help convinces DC Comics to do it. If you do nothing else from the column, indulge me and click over to his concept art for the cover and see if it’s not both disturbing and giggle-worthy.

• Stan Lee is tweeting that Edgar Wright might be making an Ant Man movie. It’s been talked about for years, and with Disney needing to start new franchises to justify their billions spent on Marvel, it may finally be moving forward.

• Indulge my love for all things Pixar with a little love for Toy Story 3, OK? Anything where toys come to life is a little bit of fantasy, right? Tons of info has been coming from from new characters of Mr. Lots ‘O Huggin’ Bear (Ned Beatty) to Toy Fair leaks of characters called Stretch, Rag Doll, and Buttercup. See if you can spot them in the new trailer.

• Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief managed a three day take of $31.1 million for a second place finish at the box office behind the celebrity studded Valentine’s Day, but expect the “weekend” numbers to jump after Monday’s holiday. I haven’t seen it myself, but I loved Allan Hyde’s (Godric, True Blood) Twitter review: “Did Percy the lightning thief just steal my money and two hours of my life?”

Close Bookmark and Share This Page

Save to Browser Favorites / Bookmarks

Ask backflip blinklist BlogBookmark Bloglines BlogMarks Blogsvine BuddyMarks BUMPzee! CiteULike co.mments Connotea del.icio.us

Digg diigo DotNetKicks DropJack dzone Facebook Fark Faves Feed Me Links Friendsite folkd.com Furl Google

Hugg Jamespot Jeqq Kaboodle kirtsy linkaGoGo LinkedIn LinksMarker Ma.gnolia Mister Wong Mixx MySpace MyWeb

Netvouz Newsvine oneview OnlyWire PlugIM Propeller Reddit Rojo Segnalo Shoutwire Simpy Slashdot Sphere

Sphinn Spurl Squidoo StumbleUpon Technorati ThisNext Twitter Webride Windows Live Worlds Movies Yahoo!

Email This to a Friend

Copy HTML: 

 If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

More »

Five Torches (Out of Five)

Warning: The following review contains spoilers for the “Torn” episode of Legend of the Seeker.

After last week’s terrific wrap-up of the Sisters of the Light arc, Legend of the Seeker comes back swingin’ with a great episode where our heroine Kahlan gives us double the fun. This was probably the best episode so far this season, in no small part due to the performance of Bridget Regan. But more on that in a minute …

We begin with the gang spotting two men hanging from a tree. They learn that someone has assigned himself the title of “High Lord Regent” and is attempting to usurp Kahlan’s authority in Aydindril. So the heroes decide to split up (which always works out so well for them, doesn’t it?) with Zedd and Kahlan heading to Aydindril while Richard and Cara continue on the quest. Just as they’re about to teleport, Kahlan wishes she could stay with Richard, and surprise, she does! Well, one version of her, anyway.

Zedd and the other Kahlan arrive in Aydindril and learn that a dude named Fyren is the one who appointed himself Lord High Whatever, so Kahlan immediately confesses the crap out of him and assumes the throne. And for anyone who’s ever seen a fantasy show before, we know instinctively that Kahlan hasn’t just been doubled — her  personality has been split in two: One Kahlan has all of her tough-as-nails leadership skills, and one has her softer side that’s in looooove with Richard. (It’s Valentine’s Day, remember.) The bummer for the sweet Kahlan, though, is that she has no confessor power.

So the silver lining? Without her confessor power, that means she and Richard can finally — FINALLY — get it on. (Again, I remind you, it’s Valentine’s Day, so we’re all thinking about the same thing, right?) Over in Idendrill, the Kahlan who’s all business is continuing that trend, deciding that Fyren is the best choice around to sire the next Confessor.

So beautiful, noble Kahlan, who has been chaste as long as we’ve known her, gets two simultaneous love scenes with two different dudes! You go ‘head, Kahlan. You get yours. Of course, it’s a PG show, so there’s an awful lot of kissing with clothes on, but none of the good stuff, and both guys manage to keep their pants on for the entire act. Where’s all the nudity?

Hmm. I think I may be watching too much Spartacus.

Moving on …

When Richard, Cara, and Sweet-Kahlan arrive in Aydindril, All-Business-Kahlan has become a tyrant, obsessed with her own power. Needless to say, good wins out, the Kahlans are reunited, and all is good in the world.

So what made this episode so great? Usually I favor the more action-oriented episodes that deal with the internal mythology of the show, and this episode was not that. Instead, it gave us a deep psychological insight to Kahlan, who is a fascinating character given all the challenges she must face.

The episode could have been farcical, a throwaway romantic Valentine’s Day show, but the combination of good writing and an intelligent performance by Bridget Regan really gave us something meaty to chew on. Like some of the best Buffy episodes, it used a gimmick — “we’re splitting Kahlan in TWO!” — to really explore just who this woman is, and like all fantasy at its absolute best, it made us ponder real life.

What does it mean to cut ourselves off from our emotions? We’re told that’s exactly what world leaders have to do when they enter office, for how could you declare war on a country if you’re empathizing with all the civilians who will be killed? Conversely, how many times have we let our romantic feelings get the best of us, and found ourselves saying and doing things that seem odd, sometimes even crazy, all in the name of love?

These are, most certainly, Big Questions. That Legend of the Seeker went there proves it’s a show with some meat on its bones, and with episodes like these, it makes us as the audience not only care about the characters — which is much harder to do than it sounds — but ask ourselves the questions it raises about life in general.

The anchor to this episode was, of course, Bridget Regan. I’ve always enjoyed her on the show, and have written about it before many times. (And now that I know she occasionally reads our reviews, I love her even more!) But she certainly went above and beyond with her performance in “Torn,” and it shows.

Close Bookmark and Share This Page

Save to Browser Favorites / Bookmarks

Ask backflip blinklist BlogBookmark Bloglines BlogMarks Blogsvine BuddyMarks BUMPzee! CiteULike co.mments Connotea del.icio.us

Digg diigo DotNetKicks DropJack dzone Facebook Fark Faves Feed Me Links Friendsite folkd.com Furl Google

Hugg Jamespot Jeqq Kaboodle kirtsy linkaGoGo LinkedIn LinksMarker Ma.gnolia Mister Wong Mixx MySpace MyWeb

Netvouz Newsvine oneview OnlyWire PlugIM Propeller Reddit Rojo Segnalo Shoutwire Simpy Slashdot Sphere

Sphinn Spurl Squidoo StumbleUpon Technorati ThisNext Twitter Webride Windows Live Worlds Movies Yahoo!

Email This to a Friend

Copy HTML: 

 If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

More »

• This story tripped all of my geek senses – io9.com asked what if Doctor Who had done a musical episode before Buffy had? And of course they answered their own question, with video of the fifth Doctor, Peter Davison, and his then-wife doing a Cinderella-themed pantomime one Christmas.

• Legend Stan Lee is creating a wholly new comic book and it’s the ultimate vanity project. It’s about seven aliens who get stranded on earth when their spaceship crashes. They then befriend none other than Stan Lee. The Super Seven title will launch from Archie and A Squared Entertainment this fall.

• The Hughes brothers have successfully launched The Book of Eli, and their new project is a graphic novel adaptation. A live-action Akira is in the works, finally, from Warner Bros. I’ve been against an Akira movie for years, but the technology may finally be there to make it doable.

• Alice in Wonderland released yet another featurette, this time delving deeper into the madness of the Hatter. It also brings up things I’d never thought of, like Johnny Depp needing to be sure he did his sword fighting like the Mad Hatter would fight, and not like Captain Jack Sparrow.

• Katherine Bigelow and Robert Rodriguez have both passed on Caesar, the Planet of the Apes prequel. Now the script has been floated down the mountain to directors like Pierre Morel and Scott Stewart. Why Fox doesn’t get the hint that this is a Bad Idea I have no idea. Who would you like to see direct it?

• The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) have removed all links to Amazon from their authors’ webpages in protest of the ongoing clash with the Internet giant over ebook pricing. I work for authors, and earn my living producing marginally creative content, so I understand wanting value for your work, but it really seems like nobody is going to come out of this a winner, especially the fans.

• I’ve been meaning to share this concept art of the Guardians of the Universe from the upcoming Green Lantern movie. Much creepier than the cartoons I’m used to.

• Mickey Mouse and the World Yet To Come is a new comics series that started yesterday, mixing elements of classic Mickey with science fiction. It looked a little silly to me, but I showed it to a friend who loves all things Disney and he flipped. Your mileage may vary.

• On Caprica, is young Willie Adama actually William Adama as we know him on Battlestar Galactica? There are some theories out there that say no – his mother’s name is wrong, he’s the wrong age, and a few other details. If this turns out to be true, it’s a mind frak worthy of the BSG universe, but it’s kind of sick and twisted too.

• Also over on SyFy, we talked about their dark reimaginings of classic fairy tales, and expressed some excitement about the new take on Hansel and Gretel. The first trailer is out for Beauty and the Beasts, and while the story may have changed, the CGI budget for effects is pure SyFy.

• Details of the new live action Star Wars television show are starting to leak out, and it sounds a little Star Wars Christmas Special-y to me. Canon conflicts abound, and books have been canceled to make sure no new conflicts pop up.

• Marvel announced the launch of Heroic Age with Avengers #1 in May 2010. They’ve calling it a more colorful version of the heroes. I’m calling it abdominal muscles that don’t exist in nature. But poor Thing, he looks like even more of a blockhead than normal.

• The dangers of time travel are perfectly illustrated in this hilarious clip from CollegeHumor.com riffing on Back To the Future and how things probably would have happened if Hollywood hadn’t been shooting for a PG-13 rating.

• Golden Age science fiction author Phillip Klass, who wrote under the name William Tenn, has passed away at the age of 89. He specialized in humorous, warped stories and was someone I personally discovered in the tattered paperbacks of my middle school.

• Ain’t it Cool News has a couple of reviews of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and they’re mixed. One thing that neither addresses, which worries me, is that the trailers just aren’t funny. The cartoon was a wondrous mix of action, heart, world building and comic relief. How can I tell from the 30-second trailer from last week? I can’t. But this new longer trailer doesn’t bring the chuckles either.

• Michael Shanks thinks Stargate SG1 is toast. No more movies or anything. He even paints a dismal picture of Stargate Atlantis doing any movies. He seems please with his Supernatural cameo, but in odd news, he’s up for a part in Hawaii Five-O with Alex O’Loughlin and Daniel Dae Kim.

• Roland Emmerich tells MTV that his Foundation trilogy will be done with Avatar (blue guys) motion capture technology, because he doesn’t know how else it could be filmed. That’s rich coming from a guy who specializes in destroying the planet in all of his movies.

• Twilight: Breaking Dawn is being split into two movies. There, that’s all the enthusiasm I can muster.

• EA has a new Dragon Age in the pipeline for next year, along with Dead Space 2. I seriously doubt either will run on my Sega Dreamcast, so I can’t be too excited.

• Esquire has a photo spread of hottie FringeAnna Torv, and while she’s hiding the tasty bits, she’s nude. She doesn’t come across as naughty enough to be called nekkid, but it’s always the innocent ones.

• SyFy is pushing into programming for the 2-17 year-old set. The first products will be something called Dr. What and a property based on the de Blob video game. No word on where or when the programming will run, except “across all platforms.”

• Buried deep in “Ask Ausiello” over at Entertainment Weekly is news of Parker Stevenson of Hardy Boy fame showing up as a nobleman on Legend of the Seeker. After a deal with the Keeper goes wrong, he kidnaps Kahlan and Cara has to go undercover to rescue her. Ausiello actually says he has multiple spoilers for the show, but this is all he’s coughing up right now.

• I can’t think of a better way to wish you a great weekend than to announce that SyFy is developing an Original Picture called Sharktopus.

Close Bookmark and Share This Page

Save to Browser Favorites / Bookmarks

Ask backflip blinklist BlogBookmark Bloglines BlogMarks Blogsvine BuddyMarks BUMPzee! CiteULike co.mments Connotea del.icio.us

Digg diigo DotNetKicks DropJack dzone Facebook Fark Faves Feed Me Links Friendsite folkd.com Furl Google

Hugg Jamespot Jeqq Kaboodle kirtsy linkaGoGo LinkedIn LinksMarker Ma.gnolia Mister Wong Mixx MySpace MyWeb

Netvouz Newsvine oneview OnlyWire PlugIM Propeller Reddit Rojo Segnalo Shoutwire Simpy Slashdot Sphere

Sphinn Spurl Squidoo StumbleUpon Technorati ThisNext Twitter Webride Windows Live Worlds Movies Yahoo!

Email This to a Friend

Copy HTML: 

 If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

More »

If you’re a fan of Legend of the Seeker or the show’s star, Bridget Regan, watch “Torn,” this weekend’s episode.

Just trust me.

It’s not just a wonderfully satisfying episode — it’s also an impressive acting tour de force by Regan whose character, the Confessor Kahlan, is split into two very different halves.

It’s the Valentine’s Day episode — although definitely not the usual kind! — so there might also be one or two genuinely shocking developments in Richard and Kahlan’s relationship, which, of course, is passionate, but must remain completely non-sexual.

Recently, I chatted with the 28 year-old Regan by phone from New Zealand, where the show is filmed, about everything from her revealing new wardrobe, her on-screen and off-screen friendship with Tabrett Bethell (who plays Cara), and her real-life plans for Valentine’s Day.

But more than anything, I wanted to talk to the actress, who I found both very smart and surprisingly funny, about this weekend’s episode. Her enthusiasm for it was palpable.

Watch the episode this weekend, and you’ll know why.

Warning: The storyline for “Torn” is discussed, and while an effort was made to not reveal too much, there are some spoilers for the episode.

TheTorchOnlne: I have to tell you, I tweeted that I was interviewing you, and my inbox was overwhelmed. I received hundreds of suggested questions!

Bridget Regan: Well, I’m on Twitter, so I’ve got everybody in communication.

TTO: Do you read what people write about you online?

BR: I read your reviews!

TTO: We’re flattered!

Bridget's theatre headshot

BR: I don’t always hop on and read everything because of time, but I grew up in the theater, and I really miss that audience response that you get in a house that’s full of people. That’s been the hardest thing for me in doing television and film.

The job I did before this was a comedy, and you can tell on stage whether a joke lands or not, whether they laugh or are asleep in the front row. So I often ache for that sort of feedback: do they like what we’re doing, do they buy it?

I don’t have time [to read online stuff], but my manager does email me [stuff]. I did like [TheTorchOnline.com's] reference to my “Star Trek hooker outfit”! I thought that was hilarious — I love it!

I have to say, there are some days when I look down at what I’m wearing and I’m like, “What the hell!? Look at what I’m wearing — look at how ridiculous this is!” The wardrobe people look at me and say, “No, you look fabulous.”

And then I look around, and it fits in with the world, and it’s a costume, and I love it. But it does feel a bit out-of-body.

Season 1, left, Season 2, right

TTO: I wanted to ask you about your new costume this season, which, needless to say, is very popular.

BR: Yeah, it’s funny, because it looks so different from how Kahlan looked before, but the funny part about it is a lot of it I’ve always worn. I’ve always worn this corset under my white dress. The belt I’ve always worn, I’ve always worn black boots — they did extend them up for me, because I was really into the thigh-high boot look.

She has a skirt that she’s worn, but I’ve kind of said, “Well, Kahlan ripped and slipped it, so she could get her high kicks in.” We collaborate, the costumer, Jane Holland, who is a fricking legend, I just adore her. We collaborated on it, and the new jacket is the same cut as the traveling coat, and it was like [Kahlan] ripped out the lining of it and cut it short.

I wanted to make her more of a warrior, making it more practical. Some days I’m out in the woods in my white dress, and I [was] thinking, “Could there be anything more ridiculous?” Everybody always asks, “How do you keep that white dress so white?”

Anyway, I wanted it to be more fighter-friendly, and it really is. And it’s bad-ass, and I like the idea of Cara rubbing off on her too, [even though] she should hate this woman, this Mord-Sith. That’s the best part of the show for me right now.

TTO: I definitely want to talk about Cara, but first, let’s talk about “Torn,” this weekend’s episode. I watched a preview copy last night, and I thought you were just terrific.

BR: Thank you!

TTO: I don’t want to give anything away, but how fun was it to play two such different characters?

BR: Man, I haven’t had this much fun on the show to date, and it’s going to be hard to beat this one. It was an opportunity to go so far to the left and so far to the right. And the best part about it is that they’re both really true to who Kahlan is inside. It’s about the balance, the ying and yang, whatever you want to call it.

It was really quite a bizarre experience, because it makes you introspective. You think, “What would I be like if I had no emotions? If I was all duty, no love?” There is one character who puts duty over love, and then the other character is all love, all emotion, just heart, gooey and soft. And that’s Kahlan as well.

It was just a ton of fun. The most bizarre part was acting with myself, with the green screen and a tennis ball on a stick and all that, and then seeing it all put together. I felt like I was in The Parent Trap! “How are they doing this?” It was such magic.

I have no idea how they do it!

TTO: I was curious how they shot it, if you stayed in one character all day, or if you switched back-and-forth?

BR: The trickiest part was obviously the last act, which is when they’re together. It was bizarre. They got two girls who are my same height and build to be in both costumes, and they’d be standing by. We’d block, and I’d be one of them, and I’d [watch the other] and say, “Oh, no, she wouldn’t do that!” And then we’d switch, and I’d go and do that part. We had to figure out the whole sequence, and then on one day I’d just be the Confessor-Kahlan, and then on the other day, I’d be the emotional, loving-Kahlan.

And it was full-on! At the end of the first day, I was about to collapse. I was in every single shot.

I was playing the Confessor-Kahlan [the emotion-less one], and she is so sharp, I wanted her to have real wit and agility and a coolness about her. It took a lot of self-control, because I tend to be quite emotional!

I get really shy about telling friends and family, “You guys have to tune in!” But this is the first one where I’m like, “All right, guys, this is the one watch.”

TTO: It was intense! I know you don’t get to do much rehearsal on the show, but you must’ve done more for this episode.

BR: I met with the director, Chris Martin-Jones, who is actually one of my favorite directors on the show. There was so much to work out, because the truth is, I was developing two other completely different characters.

It worked out really well when Craig [Horner] and I went to the U.S. to do press for the premiere. Luckily, I had a really long flight from New Zealand to work on it.

But we shoot really fast. It’s rehearse, block, build the shot, and in that time you’re getting prepped, everyone’s coming at you with make-up and hair and tightening your corset, and then you go on and shoot it, and you hope that you [do it well]. You usually get two takes, and you hope and pray that you get a third, and then you move on.

That is the hardest part of the job, no doubt about it. All of us really struggle with it, because you do the first take and you realize something about the scene, and you get another idea [but there might not be time to do it]. You sometimes have to go with your gut, your first instinct. That’s the hardest thing.

TTO: I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but I found the emotionless Kahlan to be the more interesting character. She was absolutely riveting while the emotional half was a little annoying. Was it more fun to play “evil” than it was to play “nice”?

BR: Uh, yeah! Maybe I’m just getting a little envious of Tab [who plays Cara] and all the great things she gets to say and do!

They say that the Confessor power gets out-of-control in a man, so I kind of think of her [like that], that the power was taking over, taking control, like the ring in the Lord of the Rings, it’s power, and that’s what she’s living off of.

Anyway, I found it to be really exciting.

The emotional one, Kahlan hasn’t had any relationships with anyone that we know of — yet — and it’s like she is this little teenaged girl on the inside in some ways. She’s inexperienced. So I would agree with you, she might be a little annoying!

I was all love, and I love working with Craig, so that was quite easy.

TTO: Speaking of which, the episode is interesting for another reason, which is that Richard and Kahlan just might get some action.

BR: Yeah! But of course she doesn’t remember it, right? It’s so tragic! Richard gets to remember! And I love how she tries to get him to tell her about it: “So how was it?”

TTO: But now he knows! It’s almost worse for him, because he can’t ever do it again. You know, for a show where the two characters can’t sleep together, it’s surprisingly sexy.

BR: Good! I worry sometimes. [I'll think], “Oh, God, is this like we have a sexless marriage?” I’ll get scared, I do. How, how could you abstain that long?

And then I’ll go back and read the books, and she doubts, she thinks, “Could we get away with it?” And that’s my favorite thing about her, that in spite of everything she wants, she does what she knows she has to. That’s what makes her a hero.

I love her, but sometimes, I’m like, “Come on! Cave! You have to!” We’ll see!

TTO: You touched on something before, which is that Cara is a great addition to show. Somehow all of the characters seem more interesting by her being there.

Kahlan and Cara (Tabrett Bethell)

BR: I absolutely agree. Mostly because she’s changing and evolving … but it’s a two-way street. It’s one of those things, we have this black and white world. [Kahlan] has been taught to hate the Mord-Sith, never trust them, to just kill them, confess them and be done with them, because they’re not human anymore.

And [Cara's] making us doubt everything we’ve learned. And the friendship that’s forming is so thrilling. There’s an episode coming up, “Desecrated,” where Tab and I are locked in a tomb together. She’s a terrific actor, lovely to work with. She’s a joy to have on the show, just a show.

She’s our missing link!

TTO: And it sounds like you have become friends off-camera as well.

BR: We jumped off the Sky Tower. It’s not even a bungee — it’s so easy, it’s so tame. It’s like you’re in a full-on harness, like a day at work in some ways.

But it’s like you’re flying, and she took me to do that on my birthday, and it was quite special. We’ve become quite close. We’re great pals, hang out a lot.

The truth is, we work so much that all of our friends are the crew. My best friends are the guy who drives me to work in the morning, and the woman who dresses us, so that’s who we hang out with on the weekends.

TTO: Being in New Zealand, have you tried Maori cuisine?

BR: Oh, yeah! Hangi. It’s where they bury food in the earth and it cooks on hot rocks. Delicious!

Cathedral Cove, New Zealand

TTO: Do you have plans for Valentine’s Day?

BR: My parents landed in New Zealand today. They just celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary, so I’m going to take them to the Coromandel, which is such a beautiful place. Look up Cathedral Cove, and you’ll know what I mean. I’m going to show them New Zealand.

TTO: I know there’s not yet any official word on a third season for the show, but what’s the feeling?

BR: There’s lots of talk, so much talk, but no official word yet. But there’s a studio, and they have to start paying for things [if there's going to be a third season], so that’s when you start to get a vibe. Last season, that happened a couple of episodes from now.

Right now, everybody is hopeful. It’s such a great crew, and everybody wants it to keep going, and I know the fans do too.

Special thanks to all those who submitted questions for Bridget (some of which I used!).

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Close Bookmark and Share This Page

Save to Browser Favorites / Bookmarks

Ask backflip blinklist BlogBookmark Bloglines BlogMarks Blogsvine BuddyMarks BUMPzee! CiteULike co.mments Connotea del.icio.us

Digg diigo DotNetKicks DropJack dzone Facebook Fark Faves Feed Me Links Friendsite folkd.com Furl Google

Hugg Jamespot Jeqq Kaboodle kirtsy linkaGoGo LinkedIn LinksMarker Ma.gnolia Mister Wong Mixx MySpace MyWeb

Netvouz Newsvine oneview OnlyWire PlugIM Propeller Reddit Rojo Segnalo Shoutwire Simpy Slashdot Sphere

Sphinn Spurl Squidoo StumbleUpon Technorati ThisNext Twitter Webride Windows Live Worlds Movies Yahoo!

Email This to a Friend

Copy HTML: 

 If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

More »

Craig Horner has revealed that John Rhys-Davies will guest star in a future episode of Legend of the Seeker.

“John Rhys-Davies guest-starred in an episode just recently,” Horner told Xenite.org. “He’s a really great person.”

Rhys-Davies has a long history in fantasy-themed projects, having played Sallah in several Indiana Jones movies, Gimli (and the voice of Treebeard) in The Lord of the Rings movies, Grimshank in the comedy fantasy series Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, Professor Maximilian on Sliders, and many other projects.

No word on when the episode will air.

Meanwhile, Ted Raimi, who plays Joxer on Xena: Warrior Princess, will reprise his role as the evil map-maker Sebastian on Legend of the Seeker’s February 20th episode.

“Suffice to say that he causes a lot more trouble than he did in the first episode,” Raimi tells TheTorchOnline.com. “He does come in contact with the wizard, and this time I actually had a scene with Bridget and Craig, and it was fantastic. I had a wonderful time.”

More Legend of the Seeker spoilers can be found here, including the fate of a “major character.”

Close Bookmark and Share This Page

Save to Browser Favorites / Bookmarks

Ask backflip blinklist BlogBookmark Bloglines BlogMarks Blogsvine BuddyMarks BUMPzee! CiteULike co.mments Connotea del.icio.us

Digg diigo DotNetKicks DropJack dzone Facebook Fark Faves Feed Me Links Friendsite folkd.com Furl Google

Hugg Jamespot Jeqq Kaboodle kirtsy linkaGoGo LinkedIn LinksMarker Ma.gnolia Mister Wong Mixx MySpace MyWeb

Netvouz Newsvine oneview OnlyWire PlugIM Propeller Reddit Rojo Segnalo Shoutwire Simpy Slashdot Sphere

Sphinn Spurl Squidoo StumbleUpon Technorati ThisNext Twitter Webride Windows Live Worlds Movies Yahoo!

Email This to a Friend

Copy HTML: 

 If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

More »

We all know the drill — we’re watching a nice magical adventure unfold before our eyes on the big or small screen, and the characters get to a point where they no longer have the option to be friendly. It’s time to throw down.

Maybe the spells are flying fast and furious, or maybe it’s a more subtle use of magic to assist a mostly physical blow, but one thing is for certain: even more so than standard fight scenes, battles that involve magic raise the dramatic stakes in any story, because when you’re hurling thunderbolts, you’re playing for keeps. Even when the stories they feature in are not exactly memorable (cough The Covenant cough), a good magical fight can be a visual feast. Here we count down some of our favorites.

10. Caleb vs. Chase (The Covenant)

Though at times this fight seems more like a mystical game of dodgeball using amorphous jellyfish-like energy, one can’t deny that it at least looks pretty cool when these dudes are blasting away at each other in a rain-soaked barn. It’s fun to see the mayhem that male witches can wreak on each other, when witchcraft is so often allocated to female characters.

Unfortunately, the movie itself sucked.

9. Raziel vs. Bavmorda (Willow)

Willow will always hold a special place in the hearts of many fantasy enthusiasts who emerged from that nebulous decade known as the ’80s. Part Star Wars, part Lord of the Rings, it featured a very hobbitish hero, a very Gandalf-ian sorceress named Raziel, and a mean, mean old witch name Bavmorda.

Bavmorda and Raziel are mortal enemies, and in the climax of the movie, as a huge battle takes place outside, a very private war is fought between these two magicians. Utilizing the latest visual technology of the time (Willow was one of the first movies to showcase morphing), the filmmakers introduced a wide-eyed generation to the wonders of a magical smackdown.

Watch the fight

8. Gandalf vs. Saruman (The Fellowship of the Ring)

When you see two wizards fighting, you expect to see some crazy fireballs being thrown around, but when Gandalf and Saruman threw down in The Fellowship of the Ring, it was just the telekinetic version of an old-fashioned bar room brawl, with the two tossing each other around with the force of their minds. Bruising, bloody, and awesome.

Watch the fight

7. Harry vs. Draco (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)

At this point in the Harry Potter series, we knew there was no love lost between the boy wizards Harry and Draco Malfoy, but they were just kids, and the last thing we expected to see was a full-on, wire-spinning melee, but that’s exactly what we got when they took each other on in Professor Lockhart’s dueling seminar.

6. Giles vs. Dark Willow (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Sweet Willow Rosenburg was the heart and soul of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, always a cheerful presence in a dark, demon-ridden world. But following the death of her true love Tara, she tapped into the vengeful part of her psyche and became a very bad witch. Who better to take her on than the mentor of the group, Giles, with a little borrowed magic from a coven of good witches?

5. Nancy vs. Sarah (The Craft)

An underrated gem from the angsty ’90s, The Craft showed what happened when the freaky girls in school have access to some seriously dark mojo. When good girl Sarah faces off with mean alpha-chick Nancy, all hell breaks loose in a spectacle of CGI mystical violence.

4. Pretty much every fight with Zedd (Legend of the Seeker)

Before Legend of the Seeker, the heir apparent to Xena: Warrior Princess, made its way to the airwaves, most people had never used the term “wizard’s fire” before (that is,  if they weren’t Terry Goodkind fans). But every time a fight breaks out on Seeker, you can bet that Zeddicus will be blasting away to his heart’s content, and it just looks awesome every time.

3. Buffy vs. Adam (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Though the show was as magical as they come, Buffy’s fighting style always stemmed from the very real world of martial arts. So when in the fourth season she learned that she’d need a little extra boost to face a Frankenstein-like foe, her friends Willow, Giles, and Xander all got together and gave her their energy in a little power-enhancing spell, causing Buffy to bust out some kick-ass matrix moves, as well as turn a bullet headed for her face into a pair of white doves, which are of course the symbol of peace. And who doesn’t love a little irony with their smackdowns?

2. Dumbledore vs. Voldemort (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)

Though the main event is reserved for the very end of the very last movie, we got a nice little treat when uber-baddie Boldemort took on the bastion of goodness, Dumbledore, in the fifth installment of the Harry Potter series. They fought with all four elements — fire, water, earth, and air — before Voldemort finally took his leave. But what an exit!

Watch the fight.

1. Gandalf vs. The Balrog (Fellowship of the Ring)

There are fights, and there are fights. When the Fellowship was fleeing the mines of Moria, they were accosted by a demon of the ancient world, a Balrog of Morgoth, a creature of shadow and flame, and a nasty attitude to boot. When Gandalf took him on to protect his friends, it was a true clash of the titans, instantly resetting the bar for what we expect to see on screen from anyone audacious enough to film a magic fight. For the gift you gave the world, Peter Jackson and company, we thank you.

Watch the fight.

Looking to buy something mentioned in this column (or any other media)? Support TheTorchOnline.com by purchasing it through this link.

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.