Author Archives: Jonathan Williams

Jeff Hardy prepares for cage match against longtime rival Bully Ray at TNA’s Lockdown

From his days wrestling alongside his brother Matt as the Hardy Boyz to his ascension to the top of the wrestling ladder (literally and figuratively), Jeff Hardy remains one of the most enigmatically talented men to ever step into the ring. And this Sunday at Lockdown, he faces one of his biggest challenges to date as he defends his Total Nonstop Action World Heavyweight Championship against Bully Ray inside a steel cage. Having recently re-signed with TNA, Hardy hopes to retain his title and continue to be the face of the company as TNA takes Impact Wrestling live on the road beginning next Thursday. As he prepares for this match, as well as the positive changes happening within TNA, Hardy takes a moment to talk to Wrestling with Pop Culture about staying with TNA, getting older and his burgeoning music career.

At Lockdown you defend the TNA title against Bully Ray inside a steel cage. As a veteran, how do prepare for a cage match now in comparison to when you were younger and took a lot more risks in order to make a name for yourself?

My psychology is pretty much the same. I’m not really limited, but I try to work smarter now. I’m excited, man, because it’s a challenge. I’ve had so many great cage matches and ladder matches, so its another challenge for me to top myself. I’m a little more afraid to try big things now [because I have a 2-year-old daughter], but I’m still the same Jeff Hardy.

Now that you’re a little older, is it tougher to recover from some of the things you do in the ring?

Yeah, it’s way tougher now, just being older. But I’m taking extremely good care of myself. I see a chiropractor three days a week, I try to get massages when I can, I ice every part of my body that’s hurting after every match and I work out more than I ever have.

You and Bully have such history going back more than a decade and now you find yourselves going against each other in a pay-per-view main event. How would you say you’ve both grown as performers and what has it been like growing into the stars you’ve become today?

It’s really cool thinking about those TLC matches many years ago between the Dudley Boyz and the Hardy Boyz. To see those old matches and now to see TNA in full effect, the way Jeff Hardy looks, the way Bully Ray looks – he’s possibly in the greatest shape of his life – we’ve both reinvented ourselves over the years. It’s so exciting to be headlining such a huge pay-per-view this Sunday and just still being able to do what we do. It’s really something to be proud of and I can’t wait to see what happens on Sunday.

What do you think you’ll do differently in this match than what you’ve done in the past against someone who knows you better than anyone else in TNA?

What’s going to be different is the unknown effect of any cage match, especially with my mentality. One of my favorite cage matches of all time was against Kurt Angle last year and even coming close to topping that this year is going to be a challenge. But I’m not going to do anything differently unless I have to. I’m going to go out there and just give it my all like I always do.

Given that this is a cage match, do you think that gives an advantage over Bully Ray?

I think so, yeah. Bully’s good with tables, ladders and chairs, but I think I do have the advantage in the cage.

What are some of your favorite moments from your time tagging with your brother Matt?

As a team, there are so many amazing memories. But one of my favorite memories of Matt is when we finally got to wrestle each other at WrestleMania. The finish to that match was one of my favorites of all time. The original Twist of Fate in a chair, that will last with me forever.

This Thursday is the first time Impact airs live outside the Impact Zone. What is it like for you looking back to see how the company has grown? Will it be hard for you to say goodbye to a venue that you did so much work in?

It’s going to be a little heartfelt, but it’s time to get out on the road. But I’m sure we’ll be back in the Impact Zone for a reunion show or something.

TNA wrestlers have often said one of the things they like about TNA is the difference in the schedule. With TNA going on the road, you’re going to be busier. Was that something you considered when you were recently in contract negotiations with TNA?

Being in TNA, there are those times where I get to be at home for a week straight. But March is crazy busy for me. I just like being the alternative, the other place to be and believe in. And 15 years from now, there’s a chance it could reach those WWE heights. Time will tell.

You recently released your first album, Similar Creatures, through TNA Knockout Music. How has that album been received so far? Do you foresee doing something similiar to what Chris Jericho is doing where you pursue wrestling and music at the same time?

I don’t know how the first EP is doing. What I’ve been focused on as far as music goes is my band Peroxwhy?gen. We finished recording last week in Nashville and there are ten songs that are just on a different level as far as me as a singer, lyrically and vocally. I’ve grown so much and I’m really excited about that. Hopefully it will be out around July or August. As far as me wrestling and performing, it’s going to be something unique. I’m not sure what that is yet, but you’ll soon find out.

Given what you talked about earlier about taking fewer risks and having a harder time recovering, as well as your family, your musical project and other endeavors, how much longer do you see yourself wrestling?

I have no idea. It’s always going to be in my blood and I think my body will tell me when I need to stop. Hopefully I’ll be 45, 50 years old and still have a match every now and then. But I don’t know. Time will tell and my body will tell me.

www.impactwrestling.com

“Oz the Great and Powerful” is a surrealist prequel in keeping with the original “Oz”

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Oz (James Franco) is enchanted by Theodora (Mila Kunis) upon his arrival to Oz in "Oz the Great and Powerful".

Creating a new film based on the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz would be quite an undertaking for any director. And given the original film’s surrealistic visuals and absurdly cerebral plot, Sam Raimi is definitely one of a handful of people who could see this vision through properly. And thus it is Raimi who takes us over the rainbow in Oz the Great and Powerful, a prequel that focuses on that infamous man behind the curtain and how he came to be the unwilling savior of the merry old land of Oz.

James Franco plays Oscar Diggs, the sideshow magician otherwise known as Oz, whose parlor tricks are impressive even if they are more slight-of-hand than actual magic. But like any carnie performer, Oz isn’t the most trustworthy person, a fact that is quickly exposed when he is unable to magically make a crippled girl walk, and when the resident strongman (Tim Holmes) realizes that his girlfriend (Abigail Spencer) has been seduced into performing in Oz’s act. Just as Oz scrambles to escape the wrath of the strongman, he and his hot air balloon are whisked away by a tornado.

Finley (Zach Braff), China Girl (Joey King) and Oz (James Franco) plot to steel the witch's wand in "Oz the Great and Powerful".

It’s at this point that it suddenly becomes apparent how much The Wizard of Oz must have influenced Raimi’s aesthetic approach to his Evil Dead films. Oz’s tornado ride is much like that of Dorothy, with recognizable pieces of where he’s going swirling around with the uncertainties of where he’s about to be. But when we see things from the point of view of a section of picket fence flying towards the shocked Oz in his balloon, one can’t help but be reminded of the similarly silly perspectives Raimi offered in his earlier films. (This moment is one of many that utilizes 3-D technology better than almost anyone else has yet to do.) And while the opening credits and frugal quality of the sets are obvious nods to the original Oz film, once Oz is literally (and subtly) carried over the rainbow, we see Raimi’s most obvious ode to Oz as the film goes from black-and-white to vivid color and the narrow aspect ratio expands to a full-screen experience.

Things are not as they appear wth Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Theodora (Mila Kunis) in "Oz the Great and Powerful".

Oz immediately meets a lovely woman named Theodora (Mila Kunis), who devines that he is the prophesied savior of the land of Oz. A natural swindler, Oz plays along with all this wizard stuff, especially once he is taken to the Emerald City and Theodora’s sister Evanora (Rachel Weisz) introduces him to the power and treasure that await him as ruler of Oz. After inadvertently saving the life of Finley (a very recognizable flying monkey voiced by Zach Braff, who also played Oz’s circus assistant in Kansas), Oz gains his first sidekick. Tasked with obtaining the wand of a powerful witch in order to claim his thrown, Oz is off for the biggest adventure of his life.

Along the way he finds a China Girl (Joey King) whose entire village has been destroyed by the witch’s evil minions. And to a girl whose porcelain legs have been shattered, the Wizard’s tube of glue seems like real magic when it helps put her back together again she can miraculously walk (fulfilling the task he was unable to do in Kansas). And once Oz tracks down the witch whose wand he’s supposed to deliver to Theodora and Evanora, he discovers that nothing is quite as it seems in Oz (imagine that). Glinda the Good Witch (Michelle Williams, who also plays Oz’s love interest in Kansas) opens Oz’s eyes yet again, introducing him to the Munchkins (look closely and you might recognize Puppet “The Psycho Dwarf” and other Half Pint Brawlers wrestlers), the Tinkerers and other residents of Oz hoping he truly is the one whose magic will bring order back to Oz.

Munchkins tremble at the site of the Wicked Witch in "Oz the Great and Powerful".

As Oz realizes who is truly good and evil, Theodora’s heart is broken, causing her to turn into the green-skinned, pointy-nosed broom rider previously portrayed by Margaret Hamilton. And with his illusionary talents and the resourcefulness of his new friends in Oz, the Wizard is able to not only deceive the Wicked Witches and their army, but he’s also able to convince the denizens of Oz (and himself) that he actually is a powerful wizard, and a good man. Oz’s journey parallels that of Dorothy in many ways and this film incorporates some of the iconic elements of the original (puffs of red smoke, the Wicked Witch’s soldiers, color-changing horses, the yellow brick road). Like Wicked (another Oz prequel that follows a completely different continuity), Oz the Great and Powerful lends an entirely new perspective on the events that take place in the original film. Though this film is not a musical like the original, Danny Elfman’s score provides the whimsy and wonder we’ve come to expect from Oz. And while many might complain that some of the backgrounds and props (both real and green-screened) look artificial, they usually maintain the surreal quality of the what we’ve come to love about the original film. I mean, isn’t it the realistically unreal feel of the original film that has made generation after generation want to visit that dreamlike world of fantasy and wonder? And who better than Raimi to recreate a fantasy rooted in dreamlike realism?

www.disney.go.com/thewizard

Ashley Bell squares off with The Miz in “The Marine 3: Homefront”

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In The Marine 3: Homefront, the latest installment in WWE Studios‘ Marine franchise, Ashley Bell plays the younger sister of Jake, played by WWE superstar Mike “The Miz” Mizanin. Though this is her first film acting alongside a WWE wrestler, it’s not Bell’s first time working with WWE as she was also the star of last year’s The Day (read my reviews here and here). With her horror sequel The Last Exorcism Part II being released in theaters last Friday and The Marine 3 hitting stores last Tuesday, Bell is a busy actress who clearly has a thing for the horror and action genres. Wrestling with Pop Culture had a chance to talk to her just before she heads to South by Southwest for the premieres of her next two movies.

You must be a busy lady right now with The Last Exorcism Part II coming out last Friday and The Marine 3: Homefront being released four days later.

Yes! It’s been really fun and crazy.

When The Last Exorcism was released in 2010 it did really well. How has the sequel been received so far?

I haven’t heard that much about it. I’ve been in this publicity whirlwind; I was promoting The Last Exorcism and flying around doing local press for it, I was in a Mardi Gras parade, I was at Portland Comic Con, now I’m in New York doing press for The Marine and from New York I fly to Austin for the opening of The Bounceback, which is a romantic comedy I did. It premieres at South by Southwest this Saturday.

The Marine 3 is your second movie for WWE Studios. Did that come about because of your performance in The Day?

I did The Day, which was a post-apocalyptic action film, and that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and WWE acquired it. It was really fun to get to work with them throughout post-production and to do promotion for that. I was at SummerSlam, which was my first ever wrestling event, and it was so much fun. I had a chance to go in the ring with Mike and Wade Barrett, who both couldn’t have been nicer. They were going into production for The Marine and I got a chance to meet with the director, Scott Wiper, and I just loved his take on the story. I read the script and thought it was really compelling and the arguments that Neal McDonough, the villain, has are so crazy because they’re partly true, but then he just goes over the top and takes it too far. When you’re reading the script it’s like, “He does make a point,” then it just goes too far. And I like that character of Lilly. She’s a hostage, but she isn’t a damsel in distress. She fights, she looks for the air holes and I like the spirit she has.

This is also your first time starring in a movie with a WWE superstar, right?

Yes, it is. Mike was amazing, and if I didn’t say that he would body slam me.

But you would say that anyway, right?

Lilly (Ashley Bell) looks for some alone time with her boyfriend (Jeffrey Ballard) before chaos ensues in "The Marine 3: Homefront".

I actually begged him to body slam me but he didn’t because he said it would be very painful. And I do think he’s right about that. But working with Mike was incredible. Here he is playing an American hero, a Marine, and when he was filming he spent so much time working with the troops. I also have spent some time with wounded warriors and when I spent time with former Marines and they found out I was doing The Marine, they said, “Who’s playing the Marine? Is he going to train with real Marines? Is he going to get it right?” Mike actually had real former Marines on set showing him how to hold a gun, showing him how to go through a building, how to de-arm situations. It was really cool to watch that accuracy portrayed.

The Marine 3 is not only your second WWE film, but also your second WWE film with Michael Eklund. You and Eklund had the strongest performances in The Day, and in The Marine you find yourselves once again on opposing sides of the fight. What was it like working with him again?

Michael is an incredible actor. For both scripts, you read that character, then Michael comes to set and brings a completely difference perspective and just electrifies the scene. It’s been great to work with him twice. He’s been a villain in both films we did together.

The Marine 3 is obviously a sequel in a franchise that has also included films starring John Cena and Ted DiBiase and The Last Exorcism Part II is a sequel. Do you foresee there being a sequel to The Day so we can find out what happens to your character?

Lilly (Ashley Bell) welcomes her brother Jake (The Miz) home in "The Marine 3: Homefront".

I do hope for a sequel to The Day. I loved playing that character of Mary. I’d done my own physicality for The Last Exorcism and they said, “You’re going to have to do all your own stunts [for The Day]. You’re going to have to lose weight. You’re going to have to work with a shotgun. You’re going to have to run out of burning buildings in a wet dress in 18-degree weather.” They almost tried to talk me out of it, but I replied back, “You haven’t given me a reason to not do this. This sounds like a dream come true.” I love the character of Mary and I bother the producers and director every couple months to see if there’s a shot of going back to explore that.

Sounds like you don’t mind roughing it up a little bit. Any chance you might consider training to compete in a WWE ring someday?

Oh, I’d get smushed! It was fun to go in the ring for SummerSlam and I like WWE’s films. I like their aesthetic and working with Michael Luisi for The Day, I love that ending, I love the story that the film told, I love the plight of the characters, I love that there were real characters and there was action mixed in with that. With The Marine, this is a fast-paced action movie; it’s cut beautifully, Mike did an incredible job, Neal is remarkable, it’s a fun, entertaining action movie. I grew up watching heroines in action movies, so to be part of this, I really got caught up watching it.

Even though you have no plans to wrestle, given that you’ve enjoyed working with WWE so much on these two films, do you see yourself doing more WWE films? If so, are there any particular superstars you’d like to work with?

What always excites me about a project is the script, especially this time around working with Scott Wiper. If there’s another way to collaborate again, that would be incredible. Being on an action set is a lot of fun. My childhood was spent running around with Nerf guns in the back yard, so to play with grenade launchers and rifles and run around on an abandoned cruise ship was like recess for me. If the right project comes up, that would be great. But I feel like I can’t be anybody but Team Miz. My loyalty is to Mike; he’s my older brother in this film and when he says he’s awesome, he means it.

After this weekend’s premiere of The Bounceback, what else do you have coming out in the near future?

The Bounceback is going to be premiering at South by Southwest as is a film I did called Chasing Shakespeare, which is like a romantic epic. I’m really excited about that film and I’m also stepping behind the camera and directing a documentary called Love and Bananas about the plight of Asian elephants in Cambodia. In Cambodia we were in convoys, had security detail and were up in helicopters going through the jungle, so it was a real-life action movie.

“Dead Man Down” is an intriguing love story wrapped in violence

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Victor (Colin Farrell) and Beatrice (Noomi Rapace) develop a twisted and tender romance in "Dead Man Down". Photo by John Baer.

With its recent slate of releases, WWE Studios clearly wants to be taken just as seriously in the film world as it is in the realm of sports entertainment. And with the stylish gangland romance Dead Man Down, WWE is pulling out all the stops to prove that it can be associated with films that have more depth than your average action or horror thriller.

With his American theatrical debut, Danish director Niels Arden Oplev (best known for directing the original Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) creates a dark and twisted love story centered on the vengeful motives of two scarred souls. Colin Farrell plays Victor, one of the top members of a gang led by Alphonse (Terrence Howard). Unbeknownst to Victor, the alluring Beatrice (Noomi Rapace, who starred in Oplev’s Dragon Tattoo), who lives in the skyscraper across from his, has not only been watching him, but caught one of his violent acts on camera. Rather than turn him in, however, she uses this footage to blackmail Victor into helping her seek revenge on the drunk driver who received minimal legal punishment after causing the accident that left half of her face (and much of her psyche) horribly scarred.

Alphonse (Terrence Howard) is a gang leader receiving cryptic messages in "Dead Man Down". Photo by John Baer.

But Victor’s already has a plot of his own in the works as he pits rival gangs against each other as he picks off the guys who killed his family and unwittingly left him alive. As Victor and Beatrice’s emotionally-driven desires to kill become more entwined, they develop a morbid (yet tender) attraction for one another that looks as if it will climax just as they carry out their dirty deeds. It’s not the best recipe for love, but it seems to work until Victor’s plan begins to fall apart and Alphonse gets closer to figuring out how close his would-be assassin is.

The entire cast puts in commendable performances, including Dominic Cooper, who plays the overzealous rookie who unknowingly causes Victor’s plot to unravel, and current WWE Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett, whose presence as Alphonse’s lead henchmen is quite imposing. The film culminates with a spectacular shootout that, despite a glaring continuity error, is both captivating and poetic. If Dead Man Down is the type of film we can expect from WWE Studios in the future, it could become a championship contender in Hollywood before long.

www.deadmandownmovie.com

Bret “Hit Man” Hart picks the best of his lesser-known moments in “The Dungeon Collection”

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The illustrious career of Bret “Hit Man” Hart has been well documented with previous WWE DVD releases, most notably 2005’s Bret “Hit Man” Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be. If that release was the equivalent of Bret Hart‘s greatest hits collection, the new release Bret “Hit Man” Hart: The Dungeon Collection is like his B-sides and obscurities compilation.

With interview footage where Hart recalls his earliest days in the wrestling business, training in the famed Hart Family Dungeon by his father Stu, The Dungeon Collection truly spans Hart’s entire career from its inception in Stampede Wrestling through his final days in World Championship Wrestling. Don’t let the title fool you, however. Though it does include a 1978 Stampede match between Hart and Dynamite Kid (and a 1985 match against Kid from the Capital Centre), as well as Hart’s recollection of the Wild West feel that his father’s promotion maintained, this DVD set does not include any footage from Hart’s actual training from the Dungeon. Instead, it features matches picked by the Hit Man, some from his personal tapes and many of which have been largely overlooked due to higher-profile matches featured on previous DVD collections.

Unlike most of WWE’s retrospectives, which feature a documentary about the featured superstar, followed by a collection of matches, The Dungeon Collection intersperses Hart’s insightful recollections with the matches themselves. As a result, you get a more thorough examination of what makes each match special to Hart and why he has chosen these particular matches that might otherwise seem somewhat insignificant in the grand scheme of his career. But once you see some of these matches and realize how important they were to his growth as a performer, it’s kind of hard to believe they haven’t been discussed and acknowledged previously.

Prior to becoming one of the most decorated and respected stars in WWE history, Hart had to pay his dues wrestling for territories throughout the United States and around the world. And considering the controversy surrounding his departure from WWE to WCW following the infamous Montreal Screwjob, it’s a shocking revelation to see that Hart wrestled for Georgia Championship Wrestling (the precursor to WCW) in the late ’70s, as illustrated by the rather grainy footage of a match between Hart and Buzz Sawyer from 1979. From there, Hart recalls how his brief stint down South helped him realize his potential in the wrestling business before returning to Stampede for a grueling match against Leo Burke for the North American Heavyweight Championship.

From opponents who might otherwise have faded from the memories of wrestling fans such as the Islanders, Jean-Pierre Lafitte and The Patriot to main event challengers such as Mr. Perfect, Ric Flair, the Undertaker and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Dungeon Collection highlights some outstanding moments that have long been overshadowed by Hart’s numerous title reigns and other career-making moments. And with Hart introducing each match with respectful anecdotes about the circumstances surrounding each bout, it’s easy to see why these moments are so meaningful to Hart. Hart also recalls more rare encounters on foreign soil such as his first match against Andre the Giant in Milan, a stellar contest with Tiger Mask II in the Tokyo Dome and highly-athletic bout with Bam Bam Bigelow in Milan.

The Dungeon Collection serves as a great companion to previous Hart DVD releases in that the match-ups featured here help illustrate exactly why rivalries with Perfect, Austin, Diesel, Sting and brother Owen were so integral to establishing Hart as one of wrestling’s all-time greats. And as Hart himself attests at the DVD’s conclusion, it’s definitely a unique trip down memory lane that needed to be documented.

www.wweshop.com

Georgia Wrestling Now welcomes The UkuLady and Francisco Ciatso

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Georgia Wrestling Now has been known to get a bit weird at times, but this week may be the weirdest one yet. Our first guest is wacky children’s show host The UkuLady, who recently had an interesting encounter with WWE Hall of Famer Abdullah the Butcher at his House of Ribs & Chinese Food that can be viewed below. After she gives her own colorful review of his food and persona, Wrestling with Pop Culture and Team All You Can Eat’s Matt Hankins talk to the “King of Florida” Francisco Ciatso about his time as a WWE developmental wrestler, being a member of Rampage Pro Wrestling‘s Rampage Nation and his upcoming matches for Ring Warriors, Full Impact Pro, Vintage Wrestling and more. Listen live every Monday at 7 p.m. and call 347-324-5735 for questions or comments.

The "King of Florida" Francisco Ciatso and Drew Adler challenge Blackout (Murder 1 and Kory Chavis) for the RPW Tag Team Championship on March 10.

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“Jack the Giant Slayer” rises much higher than you might expect

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Elmont (Ewan McGregor), Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson) and Jack (Nicholas Hoult) plot to escape the giants in "Jack the Giant Slayer". Photo by Daniel Smith.

Jack the Giant Slayer looks like a terrible movie. The fact that it’s based more on the Jack and the Beanstalk folk tale than he 1962 film Jack the Giant Killer was a bit of a letdown from the get-go. Not because there’s anything wrong with Jack and the Beanstalk, but just because I was really hoping to see a remake of a film that includes a leprechaun in a bottle and Ray Harryhausen-like stop motion effects. Despite my reservations, however, it turns out that Jack the Giant Slayer is a really fun adventure movie that blossoms from the moment it begins thanks to clever dialogue, amazing costumes, better-than-expected computer effects and commanding performances by an understatedly all-star cast.

Recently seen as a lovable living dead guy in Warm Bodies, Nicholas Hoult (read my recent interview here) stars as the farm boy simpleton Jack, whose head is full of adventure that his real life doesn’t normally live up to. Though it is forbidden for a commoner like Jack to associate with the princess, it turns out he and Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson) are both very imaginative people looking for ways out of their current predicaments. When Jack stumbles into the type adventure he has previously only read about in the form of worthless bag of beans, and when the princess flees the castle to avoid an arranged marriage to Lord Roderick (Stanley Tucci), the two unexpectedly end up in Jack’s shack one night. With all the ingredients for adventure now in one place, just add water for instant fairy tale excitement.

Elmont (Ewan McGregor) is about to be a snack for the giants!. Photo courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.

Good thing it’s a rainy night, which makes it easy for one of Jack’s mysterious beans to come in contact with water after falling through a crack in the floor. The beanstalk that erupts, carrying his house (and the princess) to the land of the giants in the clouds, is just the type of adventure starter they’ve both been awaiting. The king (the always delightful Ian McShane) sends Elmont (Ewan McGregor in a dashing suit of armor) and his men up the beanstalk to rescue the princess. During this treacherous climb, Roderick’s intentions to usurp the throne become evident (especially to Jack, once Roderick realizes he has the magical beans). And once they reach the top of the beanstalk, they soon realize that those legends about battles between humans and giants have been real all along.

After Roderick assumes power over the giants (thanks to a crown that has powers similar to The Hobbit‘s ring), Jack becomes the unlikely hero tasked with rescuing the princess and warning the king of Roderick’s plot. The king, in the meantime, has reluctantly ordered his people to chop down the beanstalk (after Jack and Elmont send an afroed giant plummeting to his demise), potentially sacrificing his own daughter in order to save his kingdom from a giant invasion.

Fallon, leader of the giants, is voiced by Bill Nighy and John Kassir in "Jack the Giant Slayer". Photo courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.

The race to save the princess before the beanstalk falls is like a cross between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Wizard of Oz, with the surviving adventurers traversing gigantic terrain and avoiding becoming dinner for their slovenly superiors. But the head giant (a two-headed monstrosity voiced by Bill Nighy and John Kassir) isn’t as dumb as he looks and figures out a way to take his battle back down to his diminutive enemies. The scenes where giants dispose of humans can be pretty brutal, but Jack ends up with the best kill as his inventiveness makes for the best use of a bean you’re likely to ever see in a film. The fairy tale ending is suitably unpredictable (something director Bryan Singer has done well with previous films such as X-Men and Superman Returns) and even though there is no leprechaun in a bottle, there is a brief appearance one of fantasy filmdom’s most famous little people, Warwick Davis.

www.jackthegiantslayer.com