Throwback 20: The Negotiator

Originally published on Set The Tape

I feel like I have to address the elephant in the room in regards to The Negotiator before I get too far into this Throwback. I really enjoy this film, I have ever since I first saw it, but this is the first time that I have re-watched it since the allegations about Kevin Spacey’s past have come to light. Yes, this has changed how I look at this film, as I’m sure it would any project involving Spacey. However, the story, the performances, and the supporting cast in The Negotiator are so good that I found that I was able to put this aside and still enjoy the film for what it is.

Starring Samuel L. Jackson, The Negotiator tells the story of Danny Roman (Jackson), a brilliant hostage negotiator for the Chicago Police Department who finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy to embezzle large amounts of money from the department’s disability fund. His partner, Nick Roenick (Paul Guilfoyle), tells him that he has evidence from an unnamed source, but when he’s killed Danny not only becomes the prime suspect in his murder but is also framed for the embezzlement. Left isolated from his former friends and co-workers, Danny takes hostages in order to clear his name.

The Negotiator begins as a fairly standard cop drama; it has the hero cop save the day at the beginning, they go for drinks to celebrate with their co-workers, they suddenly find themselves disgraced, then they have to hand in their gun and badge. It’s a set up that has been done before in many other films, one that you’ll be very familiar with. It’s what happens after this, though, that makes the film stand out.

The majority of the film has Jackson and his hostages in one office set, whilst his former colleagues attempt to defuse the situation. Because of the fact that Jackson’s character is trained in how to defuse a hostage situation, you’re not sure which cops are there to do their job and which ones are part of the conspiracy, and the central mystery of who is behind everything adds extra stakes to the whole thing.

The Negotiator is light on action and heavy on dialogue, but it’s the perfect film for it. Gun fights and punches would feel completely out of place here as the film tries to take a more real world approach to the police force and how they would act in a hostage situation.

Thanks to the film’s supporting cast you never feel bored, or that the film needs an action sequence to make things exciting. So many of the members of the police force are cast with great actors that a lot of film and television fans will instantly recognise. Ron Rifkin from Alias, John Spencer from The West Wing, David Morse from The Green Mile, Paul Giamatti from Billions, Bruce Beatty from Straight Outta Compton, and Michael Cudlitz from The Walking Dead, to name but a small few of the amazing cast of great character actors.

With a sharp and well paced story, a really clever script, and an amazing cast to populate the world, The Negotiator is one of the better examples of a police thriller, one that takes a different approach and puts the focus on the police, rather than the hunt for a villain, in a story that keeps you guessing as to who the real bad guys are right until the end.


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Labour Councillor Quits Over Transgender Toilet Debate

Labour party member and Cambridge councillor Ann Sinnott has resigned her political position in protest over transgender rights.

Following the election of openly transgender Lib Dem councillor Sarah Brown, and her campaign to bring Cambridge Council into line with existing legislation and to change their guidelines to allow transgender people to use the correct bathroom facilities; Sinnott described the council of 'insidiously dismantling women's rights' and as being 'in dereliction of the law'.

Sinnott has said that she is 'not anti-trans', but 'pro-women', but objected to transgender people having fair and equal rights due to the risk of men identifying as women in order to access female spaces. She claimed that transgender people being able to use the toilet facilities that matched their gender would be a 'risk to women' in places where women 'expect privacy'.

Despite a number of UK press outlets linking transgender people being able to use the correct bathroom facilities to proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act, transgender people have been guaranteed access to toilet facilities under the law since the passing of the Equality Act of 2010. This appears to be a nuance that Sinnott is unaware of, as she only raised objection to trans people using public facilities in June this year.

Writing to The Times newspaper, Ann Sinnott said, 'Cambridge city council knowingly stands in dereliction of the law.I have no wish to be party to unlawfulness, nor will I collude in keeping this matter from Cambridge women, and other residents — they have the right to know.

'I do not want to be a member of a council that fails to recognise that female-only facilities are needed by women as a generality. Nor do I wish to be associated with a council that effectively treated Cambridge women with contempt, while it insidiously dismantled their rights.'

She has also said that, 'Any change the council makes has to have an impact assessment, and there was never an impact assessment carried out. Trans people are entitled to be protected along with everybody else and should not be discriminated against, but women are a protected group as well. Put any woman in a dark street at night and the overwhelming majority will say she is afraid.

'Women have the right to be protected and when you open up female-only spaces, you open them up to risk. If you are a female in public loos at night and there is a person who is clearly male, how does she know they are not a threat?'

Sinnott has conceded that making trans women use male facilities is not, however, the correct solution, but has instead proposed that specialised transgender facilities be made. 'People talk about having a third type of facility, maybe that is the way to go. They need to sort it out, but not at the expense of women and girls.'

When approached for comment by the press, Sinnott responded with an automated email replying, 'I resigned on Mon 30 July because the Council’s Equality Policy – by which female-only services in Cambridge Council owned facilities were abolished – is in breach of the Equality Act 2010.'


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Sources:
Pink News BBC Cambridgeshire Live

TV Rewind… Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1×07 – ‘The Hub’

Originally published on Set The Tape

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is the first show to bridge the gap between television and the Marvel movies, and used these connections a lot during the first half a dozen episodes, featuring characters from the films such as Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) and Nick Fury (Samual L. Jackson), name dropping the Avengers, and referencing events from the films. One this that the series hadn’t done until now, however, was to start to expand using people from the comics in any significant way (I’m not counting the tiny appearance of Franklin Hall). ‘The Hub’ changes this, bringing a fan favourite S.H.I.E.L.D. member into the series.

When Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his team pull an undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. agent out of an enemy base, in an intro that’s got a lot of fun and action, the group returns to The Hub, a top secret S.H.I.E.L.D. facility to receive their next mission.

This is the first time since the pilot episode that the series has actually felt like part of S.H.I.E.L.D., we’ve got a huge base full of operatives, a mission with air strikes, secret meetings, and clearance levels. Up until now Coulson and his team haven’t been acting like members of a real organisation, more a group of rogue agents operating however they want. Whilst this may make for a more relaxed viewing experience it doesn’t fit with the S.H.I.E.L.D. that we know from the films.

This episode seems to have set out to address these issues, actively highlighting the fact that the team aren’t like the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D., how Coulson is a very special case, and just how little Skye (Chloe Bennet) actually knows about the group. Skye’s reaction to being kept out of the loop because she doesn’t have the right clearance, and the rest of the team just accepting they’re not allowed to know certain things, is a harsh reminder that S.H.I.E.L.D. is a global security group, not a bunch of friends flying about in a jet having adventures.

The Hub itself is a great place to visit, reminding the auidence of the sheer scale of the organisation. Plus, it gives us two characters from the comics to further populate the show. First up is Jasper Sitwell (Maximiliano Hernandez), who eagle eyed viewers will recognise from Thor, Avengers, and a number of the Marvel One Shots from the DVD’s. Having another film character come back into the show, especially one that we know has a history with Coulson and have seen working with him before, is a good move.

The second new addition to the show, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole, is Victoria Hand (Saffron Burrows). Comic readers will remember Victoria Hand as the second in command of S.H.I.E.L.D. under Norman Osborne (then renamed H.A.M.M.E.R.) and secret ally to the Avengers. Here, she’s a level 8 S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and commander of The Hub. Burrows is brilliantly cast as Hand, she makes the character likable, unlikable, hard, professional, and incredibly dedicated. She’s the kind of agent that you’d want to have on your side, but would never want to cross.

After sending Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Ward (Bret Dalton) on a mission deep into enemy territory in order to destroy a deadly weapon, without a plan of getting them back out, she becomes the perfect foil for Coulson. They’re both high level agents, both incredibly dedicated to the organisation, and both the best at what they do, but they come at things from very different places. The confrontation between the two of them is one of the best scenes in the episode, and both actors are on top form throughout.

The episode is also really good for Fitz and Ward, giving the two of them a chance to bond in ways that we’ve not seen before, cementing the friendship between the two of them. Despite bickering throughout their mission they prove invaluable to each other, with each of them saving the other more than once. Their mission moves with such a fast pace and with high stakes that the pressure always feels present, but the show somehow still manages to pack in a load of character development and even some humour.

‘The Hub’ reminds viewers that S.H.I.E.L.D. is more than Coulson and his team, it makes the world of the show feel a lot bigger than it has until now, and promises bigger things in the future. A great action packed episode with brilliant character development, new and exciting characters, and development in both the Coulson and Skye story lines; ‘The Hub’ is the best of the series so far by a large margin.


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Super Baby Vegeta Revealed For Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2

Bandai Namco have released a brand new trailer for the next Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 character pack, focusing on the new fighter, Super Baby Vegeta.

The Dragon Ball GT villain who took possession of the hero Vegeta, the character was one of the first major threats in the third Dragon Ball series.

The upcoming DLC will also include Kefla, the fused form of the two new female Saiyan fighters that premiered in Dragon Ball Super. There is currently no confirmed release date.


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Transgender Teen Win Legal Battle Against School

17-year-old transgender student Drew Adams has won his legal battle against his local school board in order to be granted access to the correct bathroom facilities.

A student at Allan D. Nease High School, Adams transitioned to his male gender during the eighth grade in 2015, and was using the male restroom facilities since then. However, in June 2017 he was pulled out of class and told by the school guidance counsellor that he would have to use either the girls bathroom, or a unisex restroom in the school office, following an anonymous complaint.

Adams said that he found the schools decision to be 'insulting', and said that if he were made to use the unisex facilities in the school office he would miss valuable education as the facility is far away from where he has his lessons.

Adams and his family decided to take legal action against the school district for what they felt was a discriminatory decision.

On Thursday July 26th, Judge Timothy J Corrigan of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida ruled that the school board had engaged in unlawful discrimination. Corrigan said that, 'Everyone agrees that boys should use the boys’ restroom at Nease and that girls should use the girls’ restroom. The parties disagree over whether Drew Adams is a boy. I can only answer that question with the evidence given to me at trial.

'Drew Adams says he is a boy and has undergone extensive surgery to conform his body to his gender identity; medical science says he is a boy; the State of Florida says so; and the Florida High School Athletic Association says so. Other than at his school, Adams uses the mens’ bathroom wherever he goes, including in this federal courthouse during trial. Even the St. Johns County School Board regards Adams as a boy in every way, except for which bathroom he can use.

Nease High principal Lisa Kunze said at the trial when
asked if she considers Adams a boy, 'I do not'.

'When confronted with something affecting our children that is new, outside of our experience, and contrary to gender norms we thought we understood, it is natural that parents want to protect their children. But the evidence is that Drew Adams poses no threat to the privacy or safety of any of his fellow students.

'Rather, Drew Adams is just like every other student at Nease High School, a teenager coming of age in a complicated, uncertain and changing world. When it comes to his use of the bathroom, the law requires that he be treated like any other boy. As a boy, Adams must be permitted to use the boys’ restroom at school.'

Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, the attorney for the Adams family, said Thursday’s ruling sets the stage for other transgender cases. 'I think it will show to other school districts across Florida and across the country that they better watch out, and they can’t discriminate against transgender students. Otherwise they will be subject to lawsuits because they will be violating the Constitution and federal civil rights law.'

Erica Adams Kesper, Drew's mother said after the case, 'I am still heartbroken to know that the place my child spends more time than at home with me was discriminating against him for being transgender, but I am so relieved that the court has put a stop to this humiliating restroom policy. If there's something you don't know, do the research, look it up, learn the science. Learn what's going on in the world and be open-minded. I just trust Drew to be who he is, and it's the best support any parent can give.'

Adams, who is both an honour student who plans on attending medical school to become a psychologist, and a volunteer at the Mayo Centre, was also awarded $1,000 in compensation for damages caused by the school.

'I am so grateful that I can just focus on being a regular kid at school.' He told the press. 'I have so many other things on my mind, like getting into my top college choice, so I don’t want to have to worry about whether I can use the boys’ restroom. It was upsetting to think my school didn’t want me because I am transgender, and I hope no one else has to feel like that.'

According to court documents, when Allan D. Nease High School principal Lisa Kunze was asked whether she considered Adams to be a boy, she replied, ‘I do not.'


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Sources:
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Alaska Airlines Makes Gay Couple Move For Straight Couple

Alaska Airlines has faced criticism after news emerged that it recently forced a gay couple to leave their flight so that a straight couple could sit together.

Well known American business man David Cooley, owner of both The Abbey Food & Bar restaurant and nightclub The Chapel, has revealed through his Facebook account that he and his partner were removed from an Alaska Airlines flight after refusing to move to allow a heterosexual couple to have their seats.

Cooley and his partner had been seated in their assigned seats on board flight #1407 from JFK to LAX when they were approached by a member of the flight crew, who told them that Cooley's partner would have to move so that a couple could sit together. Not only was he told that he had to give us his seat, but that he would be moved from his Premium seat to Coach.

Cooley told the flight attendant that they were a couple and wished to remain together, but was instructed that if they did not give up their seat for the straight couple they would have to leave the aircraft.

'I have never been so discriminated against while travelling before. I was removed from an Alaska Airlines flight # 1407 from John F. Kennedy International Airport to LAX to give preferential treatment to a straight couple. After my travelling companion and I had been seated in our assigned seats for a while, we were approached by the flight attendant and my companion was asked to move from his premium seat to coach, so a couple could sit together.' Cooley wrote on Facebook. 'I explained that we were a couple and wanted to sit together. He was given a choice to either give up the premium seat and move to coach or get off the plane. We could not bear the feeling of humiliation for an entire cross-country flight and left the plane.

'I cannot believe that an airline in this day and age would give a straight couple preferential treatment over a gay couple and go so far as to ask us to leave. We will never be flying Alaska Airlines or their recently purchased Virgin Airlines Group ever again. Thank you to Delta Air Lines for getting us home safe. If you are an #LGBT person, please spend your travel dollars with an LGBT friendly airline like Delta.'

When approached by Gay Star News for a statement, Alaska Airlines responded to confirm that the incident did indeed take place, and is currently under investigation.

'When boarding flight 1407 from JFK to LAX, a couple was mistakenly assigned the same seats as another couple in Premium Class. We reseated one of the guests from Premium Class in the Main Cabin.

‘We are deeply sorry for the situation, and are investigating the details while communicating directly with the guests involved to try and make this right. Alaska Airlines has a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind, and our employees value inclusion for our guests and each other.'



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Sources:
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Green Mighty Morphin Power Ranger Coming To Build-A-Bear

Build-A-Bear has announced a brand new addition to their plush toy catalogue to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the Green Mighty Morphin Power Ranger Bear.

The 16 inch tall plush toy is currently available via the Build-A-Bear website for £21.50, with the option to add the characters iconic Dragon Dagger weapon, and the option to include a speaker that plays the series theme tune.

'It’s Morphin Time! With its awesome built-in bodysuit, Power Rangers Green Ranger Bear is an exclusive furry friend that blasts in just in time to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Power Rangers! Add morphinominal accessories like a plush Green Ranger Sword to your furry friend!'

The new bear is in the same style as the Red and Pink Ranger bears that were released in 2017, but no news has been announced yet as to if more rangers will be released in the future.


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Throwback 30: Die Hard

Originally published on Set The Tape

For a film that is often cited as one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time, it is a little surprising that Die Hard actually came out in mid-July in the US (although it was released in early February here in the UK). I was mildly surprised to learn this given that I regularly watch it around the weeks leading up to the Christmas holidays. The idea of watching it in the summer strikes me as a little off. When it comes to Die Hard, however, it doesn’t actually matter when it was released, or when you go and watch it, because it doesn’t rely on the setting of a Christmas party to make it one of the greatest action films ever made.

The story begins as a very personal tale of New York City cop Jon McClane (Bruce Willis) as he travels across America to be with his estranged family at Christmas. Separated from his wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) who moved to Los Angeles in order to chase a successful career, McClane wants desperately to have his family back and still loves his wife dearly. The personal drama stems from their inability to make their marriage work with their careers, even though an easy fix would be for John to move to LA to become a cop there.

Unfortunately their marriage woes are interrupted by one of the best movie villains of all time, Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), and his group of German terrorists as they take control of the building in order to seal the $640million in the vault.

Die Hard was the feature film debut for Rickman – and the first action movie role for Willis – and would go on to make both of its lead actors into household names. While you can argue that each actor received accolades for this movie based solely on their own merits, I can’t help but feel that the way they are designed against each other plays a big factor to their success. Willis is the streetwise hero, wearing a vest and covered in dirt and grime, whereas Rickman is his opposite; he’s cultured, wears an expensive suit and likes to maintain his composure. They are a Yin and Yang pair who complement each other wonderfully, which is a big reason for their success.

Previously in action films, villains were portrayed as madmen or thugs, but Rickman brings so much more to the role and flips the expected characteristics of the hero and villain.

What makes Die Hard truly entertaining is Willis as the battered and near broken hero. Stripped down to only a pistol (and no shoes) he has to take on over a dozen bad guys armed with machine guns and explosives in a location that he’s unfamiliar with, in a city that isn’t even his own. He’s a fish out of water, doing whatever he can not only to survive, but to stop the bad guys.

Compared to later films in the series, especially the fourth and fifth films, this is McClane at his most human and vulnerable. He isn’t performing over the top feats like driving a car into a helicopter, he’s not even able to find a pair of shoes to steal. He gets beat up, his feet get sliced, and by the end he’s stumbling around because he can barely walk. It is this humanity, this frailty, that makes John McClane so popular and relatable.

It is strange to think that at the time it was made, Die Hard was a gamble for the studio, but with a script that was changing even during production, an actor who had never acted on film in the villain role, and a hero whose film career had stalled, it was a huge risk for them. Thankfully, they took that risk. Without Die Hard we would have lost out on one of the greatest action films (and Christmas movies) ever, and would probably not have had the careers of both Bruce Willis or Alan Rickman. Die Hard is more than just a simple action movie, and with this being the 30th anniversary of its release that should be celebrated.


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TV Rewind… Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1×06 – ‘FZZT’

Originally published on Set The Tape

The sixth episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. finally takes some time to look at two of the most underdeveloped characters within the main cast, Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge). Whilst we’ve not had huge amounts of characterisation beyond Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Skye (Chloe Bennet) we at least have a feel for each of the team; but Fitz and Simmons have only really been there to perform science tasks and explain tech stuff to the audience. ‘FZZT’, however, not only gives them a chance to shine, but also gives an early indication that Fitz may actually be the best character on the show with the most talented actor.

When a number of firefighters that were present during the Battle of New York (the events of the final act of Avengers) start dying in mysterious circumstances, Coulson and his team are brought in to investigate. These deaths begin to show the differences between Fitz and Simmons. Simmons is thoroughly fascinated by case and is more than willing to get in close to the bodies to investigate, whilst Fitz is repulsed by them and freaks out about what a corpse is doing to the cleanliness of his lab.

For two characters that have been very interchangeable up to this point it’s nice to see them differ of something, especially something that has to do with science. These scenes are also played relatively fun, with a much more fluid and natural approach rather than the quip heavy humour the show has had to this point (seriously, it’s like you have to take comedy improv classes at the S.H.I.E.L.D. academy to become an agent or something).

When it’s discovered that a Chitauri helmet is responsible for the deaths, containing an alien virus, I was a little disappointing as it felt like the series was once again relying on a connection to the films in order to tell its stories. Thankfully, there’s little focus on the events of Avengers and things take on a much smaller, personal story.

The moment when the team find a firefighter that has been infected and is moments away from death is a really interesting scene. In most shows this would be something that would take place in the final act, and the infected person would end up saved. But here it happens midway through the episode and there’s nothing that can be done. The moment where Coulson sits with the infected man and talks to him about his own experience with dying, preparing him for what is to come, is very sweet and sad, and gives us some insight into how Coulson has processed his own experience. It’s a brave choice of a scene for a show that seems to have prided itself on its sense of humour, but the level of maturity and darkness it brings to the show is incredibly welcome.

Unfortunately for the team, Simmons has also been exposed to the virus and will soon be killed by the virus too, though the explosive electrical blast that comes with her death is also set to destroy their plane mid-flight, killing the rest of the team. This is when Fitz and Simmons are given the focus of the episode, working against the clock to try and save Simmons’ life.

The scene where Simmons has all but given up on finding a cure, but then Fitz willingly exposes himself to the virus in order to help her is a great one, and begins to really show how good De Caestecker is as an actor as he refuses to let his best friend die. The drama with Fitz and Simmons feels so real, so full of fear and sadness, that its some of the best scenes the show has given us yet.

When Simmons believes that there is no cure she jumps out of the plane in order to spare the rest of the team, only for Fitz to realise there is a cure and to try and follow her out. Whilst it’s sad that he doesn’t get to be the one to jump out after her, that honour falling to Ward (Brett Dalton), he was still putting on the parachute, still willing to leap from a moving plane for her; that willingness to possibly die to save her speaks volumes to his character.

Fitz and Simmons are easily some of my favourite characters as the show goes on, and Ian De Caestecker is an amazing actor, and this episode is really the beginning of a lot of why I love the two of them. It has action, drama, emotion, and huge moments, but all of them are focused on these two characters; the weird scientists who work in the back of the bus. ‘FZZT’ may not have big spectacle or action but it’s a wonderfully told personal story.


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Warhammer 40,000: Deathwatch #2 – Comic Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

The Warhammer 40,000 universe is huge, it’s filled with dozens of races, hundreds of characters, and thousands of hours of books, games, and comics. Despite this massive amount of lore it seems to be a rare occurrence when it ventures into the medium of comics, which is crazy given how visually striking the designs of Warhammer 40,000 are.

Warhammer 40,000: Deathwatch focuses on a small group of Imperial Space Marines that make up a part of the Deathwatch, a specially trained and uniquely equipped section of the Order Xenos, who are charged with the destruction of all alien races the Imperium comes into contact with. Made up of exemplary Space Marines from every chapter, they draw upon the best of the best to make the ultimate fighting force.

Centring the book on the Deathwatch is a great choice, and a really clever creative move. It enables the writer to focus on a handful of characters, rather than squads or even a whole army, and it means that they can include characters with vastly different personalities, experience, and gear that reflect aspects of their original chapters.

The five Space Marines that make up the heroes of the book are Dienekas Agathon of the Imperial Fists, Izrafel of the Flesh Tearers, Kaelar of the Celestial Lions, Rurik Warsong of the Space Wolves, and Tiberius of the Ultramarines. Sent to the mining colony of Sidra to eliminate an infestation of the vicious Ur-Ghul’s, their mission goes horribly wrong when an army of Orks arrives on the planet, trapping the five marines.

This second issue follows the Marines as they make their way through the ruined streets and buildings of Sidra, ascertaining the sheer volume of the Ork invasion they face, and trying to find a way to escape the planet. Despite the Deathwatch being some of the best Marines in the whole galaxy, we see over the course of the issue that they’re massively outnumbered as they’re hunted by thousands of Orks. It’s a nice change of pace to see the normally super-human Space Marines being the side against overwhelming odds, where their lives are in danger, as it would be very easy to fall into the trap of making them close to unstoppable.

The danger faced by the Marines is highlighted when Agathon has to fight an Ur-Ghul alone, a fight that results in his armour broken, and the loss of one of his arms. Having previously seen Agathon easily dispatch an Ork in single combat, it’s definitely a surprise when he’s so harshly beaten.

The five heroes of Warhammer 40,000: Deathwatch face dire odds, with no apparent way of escaping the horrors of Sidra, and their leader heavily wounded. This being the Warhammer 40,000 universe, where everything is grim and full of horror, there’s no guarantee that things will work out for them in the coming issues.


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