INTERVIEW WITH FRAN KRANZ

WARNING: Contains some Cabin in the Woods and Dollhouse spoilers

Fran Kranz seems like a nice guy. So it’s interesting then that in two of his best known roles, one way or another he’s brought about the end of the world twice. While he was in Melbourne for Oz Comic Con, we spoke to him about horror, theatre, bongs and total world annihilation.

Kranz is well known to Joss Whedon fans for playing programmer Topher Brink on Dollhouse and the stoner Marty Mikalski in Cabin in the Woods. He explains “it was nothing but Joss Whedon for like three years or something!” Kranz was originally working on Dollhouse, and “then in the hiatus between the two seasons we shot Cabin in the Woods.”

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THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: COMPETENTLY ADEQUATE

Spidey is all slinged out

Can we all just agree, Spider-Man is the best superhero out there? He’s not a brooding emo like Batman or a stuffed-shirt conservative like Superman. He’s completely vulnerable, unlike Wolverine and he isn’t impotent like The Hulk.

Why do we love him so much? Because his origin story could happen to any of us.

We all got beaten up at high school in front of the hot girl. We all excelled at science. We all lost our parents at an early age. And his radioactive spider bite could have happened to anyone.

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WHY YOU NEED TO SEE CABIN IN THE WOODS

Trying to explain Cabin in the Woods is like a time traveller trying to warn someone about their future without creating a paradox. You need to say just enough to set them on the right path, but also leave enough out so that everything isn’t ruined forever.

People need to see this film, but telling them why is like navigating a minefield – you can only provide the most scant of plot outlines, can barely fit it into a proper category, and generally just end up spouting the names of those involved .

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INTERVIEW WITH SEAN MAHER

Sean Maher is perhaps best known for his role as Dr Simon Tam on Firefly, a show which despite being axed in its first season is still the subject of rage, speculation and hot debate. Last week he was in Melbourne for Oz Comic-Con, and took some time out to speak to us about Reavers, ‘Super Joss Whedon’, and how the question of why the story hasn’t been continued on either the big or small screens becomes so much more pertinent now in the wake of The Avengers.

The first thing that becomes apparent is Maher’s continuing enthusiasm for the series and the closeness he still has with his cast mates. “I feel so blessed to be part of a phenomenon, for lack of a better word. I had no idea when I signed on to the pilot that ten years later I would still be talking about it, because it’s not like it lasted seven seasons.”

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TAKE THIS WALTZ [REVIEW]

Take this Waltz is a film which makes no solid decisions, doesn’t moralise, and won’t attempt to solve any of your problems. Directed by Sarah Polley, instead, it aims to break the cycle of cliché, and sticks as close to reality as possible. Much like life, there are no real resolutions, the characters are flawed, and you walk away not really knowing whose side you should come down on.

Margot (Michelle Williams) is a writer who doesn’t write the things she wants to and has been married to Lou (Seth Rogan) for five years. Their relationship has devolved into one that is almost reminiscent of siblings; they have no children, no pets and Lou would rather cook chicken than respond to Margot’s sexual advances. When she meets her neighbour Daniel (Luke Kirby), an artist and rickshaw driver, she begins to debate whether her attraction to the new is worth throwing away the old.

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