The Story Behind Endgame And Natalie Portman

The Story Behind Endgame And Natalie Portman

Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame!

Avengers: Endgame truly lived up to its billing as the culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to this point, providing plenty of callbacks and many surprising cameos. Perhaps most surprising among those cameos was Natalie Portman as Dr. Jane Foster, who hasn’t been seen in the MCU since 2013’s Thor: The Dark World. However, this cameo was not all it appeared to be, as directors Joe and Anthony Russo explained:

Anthony: All she did new for this movie was-

Joe: The voice.

Anthony: A little bit of voice-over when she’s talking in the distance, that’s it.

Although we see Natalie Portman as Jane Foster in Avengers: Endgame, she didn’t actually show up to play the character again. Her appearance in the film was just old footage left over from Thor: The Dark World that was repurposed for the movie; the actress didn’t film any new scenes. She did, however, provide some voiceover for Avengers: Endgame, as the Russo’s told Entertainment Weekly.

In the film, there are shots of Jane Foster in the distance with some Asgardians, and Natalie Portman recorded voiceover of her character thanking them for taking care of her. It’s not easy to even hear what she’s saying, but it adds some background to the scene, showing that this is all happening in a living, breathing place. It’s also nice to know that it’s actually Natalie Portman’s voice we’re hearing.

Natalie Portman had indicated in the past that she believed she was done with the MCU; she didn't appear in Thor: Ragnarok and given reports that she was not happy with the situation that led to Patty Jenkins leaving as director of Thor: The Dark World, it seemed unlikely she’d ever be in a Marvel movie again.

So when Natalie Portman showed up to the premiere of Avengers: Endgame, fans wondered whether or not the actress had returned to the fold and if the long absent Jane Foster would be in the movie. It turns out she did and she was, just not in any major way.

In Avengers: Endgame, the shot where Jane gets up from her bed and Rocket Raccoon goes after her to extract the Aether off-screen was framed rather oddly. And since we didn’t see her and Rocket or her and Thor together, I think many of us assumed that Natalie Portman didn’t really film any new scenes and her appearance was either old footage or digital wizardry.

It would have been nice for her to actually see Thor again to close out that story, especially given that she survived the snap and how he was weeping over her in the Time Heist prep meeting. But it’s better than nothing, and Thor didn’t want to be there and probably didn’t want Jane to see him in his dilapidated state.

Thor did, however, see his mother Frigga in one of the film’s more emotional moments. She died before the Decimation and he was never getting her back, so their reunion and the God of Thunder getting the wisdom from his mother he so desperately needed arguably had more meaning than a reunion with Jane.

Still, it was nice to see Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster back in the MCU if only to remind us of how she played a big part in Thor’s early entry into the human realm. It’s also cool that the relationship between Natalie Portman and Marvel has thawed enough that she recorded the voiceover and showed up to the premiere. I wouldn’t expect this means that Jane Foster's Thor is coming in Phase 4, but you never know.

Avengers: Endgame is now playing. If you haven’t seen it, why did you read this article? And if you’re going to see it again, and why wouldn’t you, make sure you know what ticket to buy. Also, check out our 2019 Release Schedule to learn about all the other big movies coming this summer.

Rex's Journey From Star Tours To The Black Spire At Star Wars Galaxy's Edge Revealed

Rex's Journey From Star Tours To The Black Spire At Star Wars Galaxy's Edge Revealed

Back when Disneyland unveiled the original version of Star Tours, it was quite different than the version of the attraction we have now. Rather than having a confused C-3PO as your pilot, your tour ship was flown by RX-24, or R3X, a droid voiced by Paul Reubens who was even more inept at piloting the ship than 3PO. We already knew that R3X would be making his return to active duty in the new Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge land, but at Star Wars Celebration we learned there's a whole story as to how he got there.

During the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge panel at SWCC last week, Lucasfilm Story Group member Matt Martin revealed that, when the decision was made to turn R3X into a DJ at Oga's Cantina, he took on the responsibility of creating the story of how R3X went from becoming a Star Tours pilot to a cantina DJ. According to Martin...

The short story is, Rex kinda flunked his way out of Star Tours. Eventually, through some, misadventures found his way to the Rebellion. In the final battle of the Galactic Civil War, the battle of Jakku, had a very epic Tie Fighter chase, he ends up crash landing on Batuu. There he is rescued by the local droidsmith Mubo, where’s he repaired and made into a DJ for Oga’s Cantina.

While Matt Martin doesn't explain exactly how R3X became part of the Rebel Alliance, Imagineering Story Editor Margaret Kerrison says that what Martin wrote was something like 17 pages long, so it probably maps out a very specific story as to how R3X joined the Rebellion. That's a story I'd love to read.

R3X proves during the original Star Tours that he's not much of a pilot. He takes the wrong way out of the hanger and ends up completely missing his destination, the forest moon of Endor, and entering a meteor shower. Why the Rebellion would want somebody like that to pilot a ship I can't guess, but I suppose when you're fighting the Galactic Empire, beggars can't be choosers.

While it has never been seen in a movie, the Battle of Jakku is a major event that takes place following Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi that was the final nail in the coffin of the Empire. It's more than a little hilarious to imagine that somewhere in that battle R3X was up in space flying a ship. He's apparently been on Batuu ever since, but now, he's a DJ.

Paul Reubens returned to record a lot of new dialogue for R3X. This will certainly be a lot of fun for fans. While it's hard to argue that Star Tours isn't a greatly improved attraction now, R3X had a certain charm to him that is missing now..

Of course, actually getting to experience R3X at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge won't be easy. From all reports, Oga's Cantina, won't be a location with a great deal of space, even less if you want to sit down, and you can be sure it's going to be incredibly popular, if only because it will be one of the few places at Disneyland where alcohol can be purchased.

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opens at Disneyland May 31 and Walt Disney World August 29.

My Spy Trailer: Watch Dave Bautista Show A Kid How To Be A Secret Agent

My Spy Trailer: Watch Dave Bautista Show A Kid How To Be A Secret Agent

From his wrestling career to his various action-packed movie roles, Dave Bautista has proven himself to be a badass numerous times, and it’s no different for the upcoming My Spy. In this action-comedy, though, Bautista’s character is forced to teach a clever young girl the skills required to be a spy, and you can see how this amusing turn of events unfolds in the first trailer for My Spy below.

My Spy (I see what they did there) sees Dave Bautista playing JJ, a hardened CIA operative who’s not a people person, but believes is good at his job. Unfortunately for him, following an operation gone wrong, he’s demoted and has one more strike until he’s permanently barred from intelligence work. Making matters even more complicated is that the 9-year-old daughter of the family JJ’s been sent to spy on, Sophie, played by Chloe Coleman, learns what he’s up to. Further showing that JJ’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, he fails to remember that Chloe’s standing nearby and recording him while contemplating killing her to prevent her from blowing his cover. Not a good look, dude.

In exchange for Chloe keeping silent about his mission, JJ must teach her how to be a spy, and fortunately he has the good sense not to start her off with something like firearms training or walking away from explosions. Still, Chloe’s a smart girl, and she takes to the more cerebral elements of spy-dom quite well, like the lie detector test and creating a distraction to get past JJ (poor fishy).

As was the case with Vin Diesel in The Pacifier and Dwayne Johnson in Tooth Fairy, My Spy is Dave Bautista’s opportunity to play out the ‘tough guy who shows his softer side while spending time with kids’ kind of story. So while JJ will teach Chloe secret agent skills, she’ll show him how to have fun around people, even if it results in awkward, Shrek-like dances. However, it will be interesting to see what happens to their relationship as JJ gets deeper into his mission and learns how Chloe’s family is connected to the people he needs to apprehend. My Spy’s cast also includes Ken Jeong, Kristen Schaal and Parisa Fitz-Henley.

Along with this trailer, STX Entertainment released the first poster for My Spy, with Dave Bautista and Chloe Coleman rocking cool, leaning poses, which I suspect is another thing spies are taught to do.

Directed by Get Smart’s Peter Segal and written by Red’s Jon and Erich Hoeber, My Spy hits theaters later this year, so check back with CinemaBlend on where it ends up being specifically placed on the calendar. You can also scan through our 2019 release schedule to find out what other movies are coming out later this year, including other Dave Bautista releases like Avengers: Endgame and Stuber.

The Rock's Trainer Gives Advice On How To Get As Ripped As Dwayne Johnson

The Rock's Trainer Gives Advice On How To Get As Ripped As Dwayne Johnson

On top of Dwayne Johnson's electrifying charisma, a big part of what has made the wrestler-cum-actor the biggest action star in the world is his impressive physique. The Rock maintains a figure so ripped that it would make even the most chiseled action figures blush. There’s a lot that goes into getting that buff, but Johnson’s strength and conditioning coach Dave Rienzi has shared one of the core philosophies that governs his training approach for his client. He said,

One thing I always preach is intensity. A lot of people either aren't lifting the right weight or with the right intensity. And the rest periods between sets are very important—you're going to get much more of a benefit out of the muscle, no matter what your goals are, if you keep your rest periods shorter.

If you’ve ever listened to Dwayne Johnson talk about his workouts, or seen his massively followed Instagram account, you know that he brings the intensity. That is something emphasized by his trainer, who believes that is one element that is lacking from a lot of people’s workout routines. When Johnson lifts, he isn’t just going through the motions in a perfunctory way, he is putting real effort and intensity into it.

In his conversation with Men’s Health, Dave Rienzi also mentions the importance of rest periods between sets. A rest period is not supposed to be five minutes for you to chat with the other people at the gym, watch a video on your phone, or take pictures for the gram. Your rest period should be just long enough for you to be ready to do another set.

Naturally, this will be slightly different for everyone, but what Dave Rienzi is recommending is that a general rule of thumb is that shorter is better. Another thing he mentions is that people aren’t lifting the right amount of weight and while that may be true, the ‘right amount’ will be different for different people, and many may not know what that amount is without the help of a professional trainer.

My interpretation of Dave Rienzi’s advice is that when you workout, you need to workout; you need to workout hard and fatigue your muscles, of course always doing so in a safe manner with proper technique. This advice makes total sense given what we’ve seen of The Rock’s workouts. Dwayne Johnson is a busy guy; he doesn’t have time to dilly-dally. He is working out hard and for results.

Obviously there is a lot more than this that goes into getting as ripped as Dwayne Johnson. Proper nutrition and professional training play a huge role in how he achieves his physique and those resources aren't available to everyone. Even if you were able to mimic his workouts to a T (which you probably shouldn’t do right away if you’re just starting out), you would still be bound by your own genetics and what your body is capable of.

Still, The Rock and his trainer get results; results that have to be perfect every time he steps in front of the camera. So if you’re going to try to get as ripped as The Rock, following his trainer’s methodologies isn’t a bad idea.

You can next see what high intensity and short rest periods can do when Dwayne Johnson stars in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw on August 2nd. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see how it fits into the larger slate, and for details about all of this year’s biggest movies.

Bond 25 Will Reportedly Be Back On Its Feet ‘Within The Week’

Bond 25 Will Reportedly Be Back On Its Feet ‘Within The Week’

Yesterday, James Bond fans were hit with some pretty bad news as they heard that Daniel Craig had been injured on the set of the next James Bond film and that production had been suspended as a result. Luckily, however, it doesn't appear that the injury to Craig is particularly serious, as it's now being reported production is expected to resume within the week.

Yesterday it was reported that Craig had slipped while running, tweaking ligaments in his ankle. Craig was apparently in a great deal of pain and was flown to the U.S. for X-rays and to ascertain the extent of the damage. Luckily, The Sun, who also revealed the initial injury, is now reporting that the damage is less serious than was feared and production should only remain closed down for a few days.

This is some of the only good news that Bond 25 has received in its life span. The film first had trouble getting off the ground after original director Danny Boyle left the project.Then, the script, which started over from scratch at that point, went through a number of hands, and according to some reports may still be having issues.

The script problems caused Bond 25 to shift its release date back from February of next year to April. If Daniel Craig's injury had been more severe another potential delay may have been in the cards, but it now seems like that won't be necessary.

Craig's injury came near the end of Bond 25's time filming in Jamaica. We know, based on the plot synopsis of the new movie, that's where the story will start. Bond will have retired at the begging of the film, but friend and colleague Felix Lighter of the CIA will request the former spy's help. From there, we have no idea where things go. The film is still without an official title, not that James Bond movie titles on their own usually reveal much about the movies themselves.

Perhaps we'll learn more about the story once we know where production on Bond 25 is headed next.

This is far from the first time Daniel Craig has been injured filming James Bond movies. In fact, Craig has had much more serious injuries in the past that have delayed production for more significant periods of time. While playing James Bond is certainly going to be a physical role, we all have our limits.

Daniel Craig has been a great James Bond but at 51-years-old, maybe it's really not a bad thing that this is expected to be his final turn in the role. We certainly don't want to see him hurt himself in any serious way, and he's earned the right to rest. He may be getting older when it comes to playing James Bond but he's still got decades of acting ahead of him, assuming he remains healthy.

First Pet Sematary Reviews Are Up, See What Critics Are Saying

First Pet Sematary Reviews Are Up, See What Critics Are Saying

We are in a brilliant time for horror, as the genre is winning new converts thanks to what seems to be an alternating pattern of inventive new original films and fantastic remakes and sequels in hallowed franchises. After Jordan Peele’s Us blew the doors off the box office last month, April has brought the remake/new adaptation of horror master Stephen King’s Pet Sematary.

Considered to be one of Stephen King’s most terrifying novels, Pet Sematary was last adapted for the big screen in 1989, in a film that is well-liked by some fans, but one that probably needed a remake. So how does the new Pet Sematary fare? Pretty well it seems. The reviews are up for the film and CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars, praising it as an adaptation of King’s work. In his review, Sean said:

Pet Sematary, as a story, isn’t for everyone. It’s dark and sad, heartbreaking and complicated. But for fans eager to venture to the hallowed ground of King’s novel, this adaptation is a worthy and unsettling tour guide through the mind caverns of King.

That is encouraging to hear for Stephen King fans who have seen the author’s work run the gamut from unwatchable to masterpiece. That said, the story of Pet Sematary isn’t going to appeal to everyone, and it’s not meant to. Collider’s Perri Nemiroff echoes some of Sean’s points while highlighting how scary Pet Sematary is. She says in her "A-" review of the film:

Pet Sematary isn’t striving to be an easy communal crowdpleaser. Just like the source material, it’s a movie with a real thoughtful mean streak that’ll chill you to the bone, and ensure you remain sufficiently on edge well after it concludes.

It sounds like Pet Sematary is truly scary and will leave you feeling rattled long after the credits roll. Right before the credits, though, is where there seems to be some debate, with some reviewers feeling that this new film, while ultimately being a success, doesn’t quite stick the landing. IndieWire’s Britt Hayes gave Pet Sematary a “B-“ and said:

Succeeds in some areas where the 1989 version failed while ultimately failing to deliver an ending that resonates as deeply as its source material.

Others, like The Wrap’s Monica Castillo seemed to appreciate the new ending to the film how it leaves audiences with a lot to ponder in their post-Pet Sematary trauma. She said:

Its terrifying story about death still leaves audiences with much to think about long after the credits roll, and the twists that lead to a new ending are fun to follow.

Not everyone felt that this new Pet Sematary actually felt new though. In one of the film’s negative reviews, Nikki Baughan of ScreenDaily found the positive elements to be far outweighed by how trite the whole thing felt. She said:

Yet these are buried deep under a mudslide of horror cliches — jump scares, creepy kids, expositional newspaper headlines — that reduce this to just another run-of-the-mill horror remake.

Opinions like that seem to be the minority though, and some, like Slashfilm’s Chris Evangelista, fall on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. He found that this new Pet Sematary made changes that were for the better and allowed the filmmakers to tell a new version of the story that maintains the frightening and emotional impact of the source material. He gave the film extremely high praise in his 9 out of 10 review, and said:

Directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer take the terror that King forged, and mold it into something fresh, and exciting, and downright horrifying. Pet Sematary is one of the best Stephen King adaptations ever.

As of now, with an 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, it seems that Pet Sematary is another winning chapter in the ongoing horror renaissance. The film won't be for everyone and Stephen King die-hards and fans of the original film can probably go either way on the changes. Pet Sematary also isn't a particularly happy film, so if you're doing a double feature with Shazam! it's probably best to end with that delightful superhero film instead of going home on such a heavy note.

Pet Sematary rises from its grave when it opens in theaters on April 5. Check out our 2019 release schedule to see all the horror films and everything else you can look forward to this year.

This Rotten Week: Predicting Dark Phoenix And The Secret Life of Pets 2 Reviews

This Rotten Week: Predicting Dark Phoenix And The Secret Life of Pets 2 Reviews

The first weekend of June 2019 delivers two high-profile movies on the opposite end of the theatrical spectrum. One film is a much-anticipated and much-delayed comic book project, and the other is an animated sequel about talking animals. Get ready for the X-Men franchise's Dark Phoenix and The Secret Life of Pets 2.

Just remember, I'm not reviewing these movies, but rather predicting where they'll end up on the Tomatometer. Let's take a look at This Rotten Week has to offer.

The Dark Phoenix saga, is one of the most popular comic book storylines ever, and its movie treatment is finally hitting the big screen. X-Men: The Last Stand nodded to the arc tethered to an ever-powerful and unhinged Jean Grey who becomes at odds with the X-Men, but that one fell kinda flat. This latest effort from director Simon Kinberg at least pays more tribute to parts of the original storyline, with Jean’s powers coming from a cosmic force and something resembling Emma Frost (though she’s different) taking part in Grey’s corruption.

The rest of Dark Phoenix's plot is very much taking liberties with the original saga in order to contain and connect the narrative, for better or worse. This is the latest movie in Fox's quasi-rebooted X-Men franchise, with the prior effort, Apocalypse (47%), representing a major dud after the critical successes of First Class (86%) and Days of Future Past (90%).

I think Dark Phoenix will finish somewhere in between, though on the lower end. It doesn’t necessarily look amazing or terrible, but I think there’s enough meat to the source material to at least land Simon Kinberg's film on the positive side of the Tomatometer.

What would happen if your pets lived a double life? Sure, they put on all of the airs of standard pet living when their owners are around, but when left to their own devices, stuff just gets weird and wild. That idea was the basis for the original Secret Life of Pets (73%), and now audiences get to run it back a second time, seemingly without many changes at all. The Secret Life of Pets 2 looks nearly identical to the first.

That’s not always the worst thing in the world, to be sure. After all, it’s a kids’ movie with a built-in audience, and the little ones don’t often need a ton of variation. Illumination Entertainment clearly isn’t in Pixar or DreamWorks' class of animation studios, but their celebrity-filled films generally land in the positive zone. Their last few, in addition to the original Pets movie, include Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch (58%), Despicable Me 3 (59%) and Sing (72%). The Secret Life of Pets 2 is sitting at 71% through 31 reviews, but I think it drops over the course of the week.

Recapping last week:

The Rotten Watch scored two for three the last time around. Godzilla: King of the Monsters (Predicted: 45% Actual: 39%) landed within range, though that score kept dropping over the course of the week. Critics mostly agreed the movie’s visuals were on point, and the negative takes almost all stemmed from what many agreed was an utter lack of a storyline. Many agreed the script and characters needed plenty of work and ultimately failed the film, which is the first negatively reviewed flick in the Monster-verse franchise.

I admittedly missed the mark on the Ma (Predicted: 41% Actual: 61%) score, mostly because I failed to understand how critics would view the movie. Most agreed that Octavio Spencer really carried the show, while the positive-minded critics appreciating the film’s rather campy style and over-the-top take on the violence and gore. It didn't land for every critic out there, obviously, but it was enough to keep the score in the positive range.

And finally, the Elton John biopic Rocketman (Predicted: 87% Actual: 90%) was the other win, though truth be told, I had a head start on this score. In any case, critics have adored the glossed-up and pointedly sensational (but apparently accurate) take on the rise of the legendary musician through the early years of his accession into pop music's orbit.

Next time around, we’ve got Men in Black International and Shaft. It’s gonna be a Rotten Week!