by Patrick Gibbs
The Academy Award nominations just came out, and after a Golden Globes win, Michael Keaton is looking like the frontrunner for Best Actor. After a long period out of the spotlight, it's great to see this guy back on top. If he wins, this will mean that Val Kilmer is is the only Warner Bros. Batman that does not have an Oscar (though Ben Affleck's are for writing and producing). Today, we are going to be taking a look at Superheroes at the Oscars: more specifically, stars who have played superheroes and have been nominated or won Oscars, and more importantly, have been honored in statuette form themselves.
Hugh Jackman, Nominated in 2013 for Les Misérables The star studded film adaptation of the classic Broadway musical is beloved by some, despised by some, and largely considered good but not great by everyone else. Jackman also acted as host of the Academy Awards, and was beloved by die hard musical theater fans and considered a dud by almost everyone else (not entirely his fault, his writing was terrible.) But of course, Jackman is best known to audiences as the Wolverine.
WOLVERINE X-MEN MOVIE ACTION FIGURE FROM TOY BIZ This 6” figure is a dead ringer for Hugh Jackman, apart from the face and the body. Maybe I'm going too hard on it because so many figures in this scale tend to have a more authentic look to them, but he's kind of ugly. Admittedly, there are moments in the first film where Brian Singer went for a more animalistic look, but most of those were in the early section before he ended up in the uniform. It's not terrible, by any means – you can tell who he's supposed to without any trouble – I just feel like this character and actor deserved better (if I had a nickel for every time I've said that about Jackman's Wolverine in between X2 and Days Of Future Past, I could buy a small country). ARTICULATION: The figure has knee and elbow joints, very slight side to side head movements, and a torso that turns all the way around (just like the real Wolverine). The arms and torso are connected so that they move in tandem, and moving one arm up and down will move the other arm as well, so it's probably a good thing that his claws are made out of plastic instead of adamantium. When I was looking at him for this article, I found myself actually playing with the figure, old school style, making him fight and act out a whole scene (I live alone) and that certainly has to count for quite a bit. ACCESSORIES: A bent piece of a steel girder and other scraps of metal (which have been used by Magneto to trap our hero), and which he can break free of using his fierce strength.
Russell Crowe, Nominated in in 2000, 2001 and 2002, Winner in 2001 for Gladiator Russell Crowe really should have pulled a Tom Hanks and won back to back Oscars for Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind (the latter being the more showy and complex performance), but a big part of the blame for his loss in 2002 has to go to Crowe himself for bad boy behavior that ruffled feathers. I strongly feel that he should have also received a nomination for LA Confidential, which ironically got its lone major Oscar for Kim Basinger, who gave the least noteworthy performance in the film.
MAN OF STEEL™ JOR-El ACTION FIGURE FROM MOVIE MASTERS® I'm an unabashed fan of Crowe as an actor (deal with it), and since there's no Maximus Decimus Meridius figure (yet), this one was a long time in coming. I love this figure. It looks like Crowe, and the body armor is surprisingly detailed. And, for an extra touch of authenticity, this figure can't sing. ARTICULATION: The figure has elbow, knee and ankle joints. Jor's arm movements (especially his right) are limited by his body armor, but he can throw a good punch, boxing style (his experience in Cinderella Man served him well) and his leg movement is great. The head moves side to side. ACCESSORIES: Jor El comes with an El family symbol display base to stand on, which would be awesome if it actually did a damn thing to help him stand up. One lousy little peg designed to fit his right foot is not a enough to hold up a figure of this weight (he actually stands up better with it than without it). Fortunately, having trouble staying standing is nothing new to Russell Crowe. My only complaint is that he does not come with a hotel phone to throw at his opponents.
Christian Bale, Best Supporting Actor Winner in 2011 for The Fighter, Best Actor Nominee in 2014 The pairing of Christian Bale, fresh off of the bad press for his infamous rant while shooting Terminator: Salvation and hot tempered director David O. Russell (famed for on set clashes with George Clooney and Lily Tomlin) seemed like a match made in YouTube heaven, but it led to two nominations (The Fighter and American Hustle) and one win for Bale.
THE DARK KNIGHT ACTION CAPE BATMAN (Mattel) Best Batman toy EVER. Standing at 14 inches, this figure perfectly captures the look of Bale as not the hero Gotham deserves, but the one it needs, although he doesn't have a cape. Yet. ARTICULATION: It has very basic arm and leg movements (arms move up and down and legs move forward), and the head moves very slightly side to side.
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