Fantasy Acting League: Round Ten

As I always start my Fantasy Acting League rounds, sorry for the delay. There is a slightly good reason for some of the wait. We are actually missing a round (not a problem, Empire releases thirteen issues a year, so we still get 12 rounds), because only two actors scored points. It seemed a waste of time to write up a whole article for a few measly points, so I decided to skip ahead a month and just add Chris Pratt’s two points and Samuel L. Jackson’s five points to this round. Calculations added below.

The other massive reason for the delay is that I have been off busy directing a feature film. Yes, I have dabbled in direction with a few charity awareness adverts (still fighting through board meetings to get a buyer), and my upcoming web series, Call Me Church, but this October I made the leap at making a big film. It is a 60 minute feature film that is one scene away from completion already and will hopefully be hitting various film festivals over the course of next year. Now, I can say very little about it at the moment, but if it all goes to plan, it should be mainstream enough to be eligible for reviews on a few WordPress blogs and it also features two of the best child performances I have ever seen. And that’s not just because they had me as a director. More information on this movie will be available sometime next year, but, for now, I just want to share this pretty exciting news with you.

But now onto the league. And this month is a pretty rollercoaster one. The missing round might have had a tiny point margin, but this time around, almost everyone scored something. Some people scored masses of points. Just when you thought the league was settled, a whirlwind happens and throws everything into the wind. Spoiler alert: Cinema Parrot Disco is no longer top.

This Round’s Movies

Arrival
American Pastoral
100 Streets
Dog Eat Dog
Nocturnal Animals
The Light Between The Oceans
Rupture
The Accountant
Keeping Up With the Joneses
A Street Cat Named Bob
Indignation
Trolls
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
Inferno
Storks
The Girl On The Train
The Magnificent Seven
Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children

The Teams

Vinnieh – 2 (+14) = 16
Chris Pratt – 2
Henry Cavill – 0
Channing Tatum – 0
Julia Roberts – 0
Diane Lane – 0
Jennifer Lawrence – 0

What About Movies – Prudence – 12 (+18) = 30
Benedict Cumberbatch – 0
Michael Fassbender – 6
Emory Cohen – 0
Cara Delevigne – 0
Alicia Vikander – 6
Rooney Mara – 0

Debra Vega – 18 (+27) = 45
Tom Hanks – 5
Idris Elba – 4
Michael Fassbender – 6
Marion Cotillard – 0
Jennifer Lawrence – 0
Felicity Jones – 3

Fairytale Pictures – 15 (+32) = 47
Michael Fassbender – 6
Michael Shannon – 6
Dane DeHaan – 0
Teresa Palmer – 0
Alison Brie – 0
Felicity Jones – 3

Ramblings of a Cinephile – 11 (+41) = 52
Idris Elba – 4
Ryan Reynolds – 0
Michael Fassbender – 6
Emily Blunt – 1
Margot Robbie – 0
Jennifer Lawrence – 0

Views From The Sofa – 13 (+42) = 55
Michael Fassbender – 6
Ryan Gosling – 0
Idris Elba – 4
Margot Robbie – 0
Felicity Jones – 3
Jennifer Lawrence – 0

What About the Twinkie – 0 (+58) = 58
Ryan Reynolds – 0
Chris Pine – 0
Tom Hiddlestone – 0
Margot Robbie – 0
Jennifer Lawrence – 0
Scarlett Johannssen – 0

Drew – 10 (+50) = 60
Michael Shannon – 6
Jason Sudekis – 0
J.K Simmons – 4
Natalie Portman – 0
Scarlett Johannssen – 0
Chloe Grace Moretz – 0

Marked Movies – 23 (+39) = 62
Michael Shannon – 6
Tom Hanks – 5
Michael Fassbender – 6
Naomi Watts – 0
Rooney Mara – 0
Alicia Vikander – 6

Slip/Through Movies – 18 (+45) = 63
Michael Fassbender – 6
Tom Hanks – 5
Idris Elba – 4
Felicity Jones – 3
Maika Monroe – 0
Scarlett Johannssen – 0

Oracle of Film – 15 (+48) = 63
Tom Hanks – 5
Seth Rogen – 0
Idris Elba – 4
Alicia Vikander – 6
Maika Monroe – 0
Jennifer Lawrence – 0

Back To The Future – 6 (+58) = 64
Woody Harrelson – 0
Chris Pratt – 2
J.K Simmons – 4
Scarlett Johannssen – 0
Margot Robbie – 0
Kristin Wiig – 0

Rhyme And Reason – 17 (+49) = 66
Idris Elba – 4
Michael Fassbender – 6
J. K Simmons – 4
Maika Monroe – 0
Felicity Jones – 3
Scarlett Johannssen – 0

Abbi Osbiston – 18 (+49) = 67
Idris Elba – 4
Michael Fassbender – 6
Chris Pratt – 2
Tilda Swinton – 0
Scarlett Johannssen – 0
Alicia Vikander – 6

Sporadic Chronicles of a Beginner Blogger – 27 (+41) = 68
Michael Fassbender – 6
Michael Shannon – 6
Tom Hanks – 5
Jennifer Lawrence – 0
Anna Kendrick – 10
Scarlett Johannssen – 0

Movie Rob – 15 (+55) = 70
Ben Affleck – 5
Casey Affleck – 0
Chris Pine – 0
Scarlett Johannssen – 0
Anna Kendrick – 10
Kristen Stewart – 0

Mr Movie – 6 (+65) = 71
Bryan Cranston – 0
Will Smith – 0
Michael Fassbender – 6
Kristin Wiig – 0
Margot Robbie – 0
Jessica Chastain – 0

Cinema Parrot Disco– 10 (+68) = 78
Michael Shannon – 6
J.K Simmons – 4
Woody Harrelson – 0
Rooney Mara – 0
Teresa Palmer – 0
Kristin Wiig – 0

Verbal Spew – 25 (+54) = 79
Michael Fassbender – 6
Idris Elba – 4
Samuel L. Jackson – 5
Margot Robbie – 0
Scarlett Johannssen – 0
Anna Kendrick – 10

FIRST PLACE
What About Movies – Lily – 22 (+59) = 81
Michael Shannon – 6
Michael Fassbender – 6
J. K Simmons – 4
Alicia Vikander – 6
Kristin Wiig – 0
Rooney Mara – 0

How The Teams Scored
Chris Pratt – 2 (The Magnificent Seven – Supporting Artist: 2; Two Stars: 0)
Samuel L. Jackson – 5 (Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children – Supporting Artist: 2; Three Stars: 0; Empire compliments performance: 2)
Tom Hanks – 5 (Inferno – Lead Role: 3; Two Stars: 0; Empire compliments performance: 2)
Felicity Jones – 3 (Inferno – Lead Role: 3; Two Stars: 0)
Michael Fassbender – 6 (The Light Between The Oceans – Lead Role: 3; Three Stars: 1; Empire compliments performance – 2)
Alicia Vikander – 6 (The Light Between The Oceans – Lead Role: 3; Three Stars: 1; Empire compliments performance – 2)
Ben Affleck – 5 (The Accountant – Lead Role: 3; Two Stars: 0; Empire compliments performance: 2)
Anna Kendrick – 10 (The Accountant – Supporting Role: 2; Two Stars: 0; Empire compliments performance: 2/ Trolls – Lead Role: 3; Three Stars: 1; Empire compliments performance: 2)
J. K Simmons – 4 (The Accountant – Supporting Role: 2; Two Stars: 0; Empire compliments performance: 2)
Michael Shannon – 6 (Nocturnal Animals – Supporting Role: 2; Four Stars: 2; Empire compliments performance: 2)
Idris Elba – 4 (100 Streets – Lead Role: 3; Three Stars: 1)
Emily Blunt – 1 (The Girl on the Train – Lead Role: 3; Two Stars: 0; Empire criticises performance: -2)

Round Analysis

Lolz, I tried

Where did that come from? It goes to show that no matter how late we are in the competition, there is still time for some last minute rushes for victory. With a stacked team, both Verbal Spew and Lily from What About Movies raced ahead and planted themselves as first and second. Verbal Spew rocketed ahead from mid-table with the addition of Anna Kendrick. Even if both of her films were fairly middling, having two released together is a surefire way to outwit opponents. The only actress avaliable to pick who could have topped Kendrick this week was Amy Adams who had both Arrival and Nocturnal Animals (both very successful movies, arguably made by her performances), who scored a remarkable 15. Other players, including Lily, made sure their entire team was armed with solid actors. It was a very good time for a character piece starring both Vikander and Fassbender in lead roles to come out. It was also the right time for Michael Shannon to do his teams some favours.

However, scroll up the table a little and you realise that it isn’t as though Spew, Lily or even CPD are racing ahead. The middle of the table is pretty much only a point or two away from the person in front of them. This is where the game gets really exciting, because as has been proven, it only takes the right actor getting a surprise hit for someone in the middle of the pack to leapfrog to the front. Two more rounds left. And I have no idea who is going to win it!