Beauty vs Beast: And Then There Was Fassbender

Jason Adams fromMNPPhere for a new week's round of our "Beauty vs Beast"poll,wherein we ask you to choose between a "good"guy and a "bad"guy and roll and around and muck up the in between what that means.One of our modern masters in mucking up that in between has a new movie out this weekend - Steve McQueen returns withWidows,out on Friday.If you'd like my long-form thoughts on ithere's my reviewfrom last week,but if you just want short-form,here: it's great!Go see it!

I will say there's one thing I was disappointed by withWidowsthough,and that's the absence of McQueen's lucky charm Michael Fassbender,who'd starred in every one of his movies before now.And that's where we turn for this week's contest.(I'm worried about Fassbender in general,who's all but disappeared from acting since The Snowman soiled our cinemas last year - come back,Fassy!)

survey software

PREVIOUSLYAlthough we should be celebrating Parker Posey every daywe really celebrated the heckout of her last week for her 50th birthday - for our poll it was her incest-minded Bouvier twist who took top honors,swallowing up 64% of the vote along with all that scenery.SaidJames From Ames:

"Jackie O left me awestruck.It's such a star-making role and performance that it's almost painful to think on,given that Hollywood never capitalized on this huge talent.My cousin,10 years younger than me,was obsessed with the real Jackie O and wore that pink suit for Halloween.She didn't like my suggestion to add brains to the look,and I found out she had never heard of this great film!"

Michael Fassbender is embarrassed by his Magneto

by Murtada

Michael Fassbender gives good quote.Following a career retrospective tribute at Toronto this week,he was interviewed on stage by TIFF artistic director Cameron Bailey.Fassbender came on candid and ready to tell good stories.Here are excerpts from the conversation as reported by Vulture:

He reportedly cringed while watching a clip fromX-Men:Days of Future Past(2014):

"I don't actually like that performance there,to be honest.I just think it's me shouting.It's just like some dude shouting."

He based the android David in Ridley Scott'sPrometheus(2012) on David Bowie and Greg Louganis:

"My mom was a fan of Greg Louganis and I just remember watching the Olympics thinking his walk was so funny and mesmerizing,the economy of movement."

He thought he was miscast asSteve Jobs(2015)

"He [Aaron Sorkin]wrote all that stuff!It was so dense!It was such a mountain,and I'm a slow learner,so when the script arrived for me and the opportunity came to play the part,I really thought,This is not me.This should be somebody else.It's a miscast scenario."

Co-star Liam Cunningham moved into his place to rehearse their long 23-minute interrogation scene inHunger(2008)

We got up every morning,cooked porridge,and we started rehearsing."We did it every day for 11 days.The goal was to do it ten to 15 times a day and then Steve [McQueen] would come in in the evening and watch us,give us some notes,next day same thing.

Fassbender is at TIFF with his latestTrespass Against Us,which is about a conflict within a clan of Irish outlaws.It's the feature debut of music video director Adam Smith,co-stars Brendan Gleeson and has an original score by The Chemical Brothers.

What is your favorite Fassbender performance?And has he ever made you cringe?

On this day in history as it relates to the movies...

For no reason whatsoever that's what we're blogging at this moment!(Just humor me,okay?My back is in spasming pain.)

1865- The Thirteenth Amendment was ratified,abolishing slavery in the U.S.but 151 years later the topic is still on everyone's minds: see TV'sUnderground(any of you watching this?),the exciting news about Harriet Tubman on the $20 andtwo new biopics about herin the works,plus recent and current Best Picture types (Lincoln,12 Years a Slaveand possiblyBirth of a Nation)

1891- Carnegie Hall (then named Music Hall) opened in NYC so that one day "JUDY!JUDY!JUDY!"could be recorded for posterity

1914- Movie star Tyrone Power was born andwe still don't have a biopic102 years later even though Zac Efron would be perfect in the role

1927- Pat Carroll is born so that 62 years later we might enjoythe genius of her voice inThe Little Mermaid

1955-Damn Yankeesopens on Broadway and quickly becomes the movieDamn Yankees(1958).

1981- Bobby Sands dies of a hunger strike in prison.His last daysinspire a movie which is just extraordinaryand introduces the world to the genius filmmaker/muse partnership of  Steve McQueen & Michael Fassbender (Hunger,Shame,12 Years a Slave).

2000- Freshly minted Oscar winner,mesmerizing new screen presence,brother-kissing and blood-vial wearing Angelina Jolie marries Billy Bob Thornton further confusing / fascinating the world.That same day in movie theatersGladiatoropens which delights the world,Oscar voters,and drunk Elizabeth Taylor

Gladiator!