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The Film Feud of the 90s: Steven Seagal vs Jean-Claude Van Damme

The 90’s begin. Action cinema is at the height of popularity, headed up by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, with Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson also throwing their hats into the mix. The video boom would contribute to a huge surge in new action heroes being launched through that decade, and a few of the cinematic also-rans of the 80’s would quickly become VHS stalwarts (Chuck Norris, Michael Dudikoff, and Dolph Lundgren).Two men chased and nipped at the heels of Stallone and Schwarzenegger. As Arnold and Sly began misfiring with ill-conceived comedies, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal were threatening to elbow a placing at the Planet Hollywood table. By the time Van Damme was knocking out heavy hitters like Universal Soldier and Timecop, and Seagal was moving from his mega hit Under Siege (notable as much for its excellent duo of villains in Gary Busey and Tommy Lee Jones as it was for Seagal himself) to his big budget.

directorial debut On Deadly Ground, the pair were a solid choice or two away from usurping Arnold and Sly. There had often been a simmering rivalry between Arnie and Sly which was accentuated in the press as well as sly digs in their respective films (‘Schwarzenegger was president!!’) but that was nothing compared to the two in their wake. In the end On Deadly Ground, Seagal’s ego drenched and subtlety free eco-ego pic, bombed and Van Damme, by the mid-90’s was making poor choices (including his own ill-fated directorial debut, The Quest). Still, when both were in their prime and at their peak popularity the rivalry between the pair was intense.From Van Damme’s side there was a simple quiet dismissal and catty comment whenever asked about Seagal back then. From Seagal’s point of view, whenever the subject of the Belgian came up, the response was pure vitriol.Seagal would, with regularity, on talk show circuits or media interviews, belittle Van Damme as a movie star and more so, as a martial artist. In fairness, the atypical Seagal fight sequence during those peak years had a rough, grounded and ruthlessly efficient toughness, that differed greatly from the balletic and almost overly pretty Van Damme fight sequences. There was a certain repetition and formula to the Van Damme fight. Opponents would stand and wait to be kicked in the face.In a Seagal fight sequence, he would repel a barrage of attacks and opponents wouldn’t always wait one at a time. What looked more realistic? Well even as someone with a Van Damme preference over Seagal, the classic Seagal film fights looked more ‘authentic.’ Movies aren’t always about the ‘authentic’ though. Still…it was leading Seagal to openly question Van Damme’s real life credentials.Seagal wouldn’t be the first, nor last either. Ask Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson, a renowned World Champion Kickboxer turned action star who famously challenged Van Damme to a fight (Van Damme declined). Rumours were rife that Seagal also challenged Van Damme to a fight, who declined, and indeed vice versa that on one occasion at a party hosted by Sly Stallone, that Seagal made a hasty exit upon hearing JCVD had turned up wanting to square up (which Stallone himself claimed).By the mid-90’s both men had similar reputations on set as being difficult to work with and as being particularly rough on stunt men. Their backgrounds were very different. Van Damme came to America with no money and through force of will forged himself a break (Bloodsport) and began progressively rising through incrementally bigger projects.Seagal, an Aikido master, one of the few westerners to study and achieve his rank in Japan, was somewhat more mysterious (rumours of him being involved in the CIA were far fetched but he had a mythos). Seagal had made a few connections through his Martial Arts dojo. He’d instructed James Bond himself Sean Connery (breaking Connery’s wrist during the shoot for Never Say Never Again). Those film connections lead to him being given a surprising amount of creative control for his debut Above The Law. This was a Warner Bros. picture with a rising director (Andrew Davis, who would later make The Fugitive) and moderate budget. Whilst Van Damme rose through smaller companies before hitting the biggies, Seagal hit the ground running (and didn’t his ego just know it!).Both rose to their heights by adhering to formula. A Van Damme film, albeit with some riffs here and there, and occasionally a high concept (Universal Soldier, Timecop), were pretty formulaic. Seagal was even more formulaic. After Above The Law, a slew of almost interchangeable (but enjoyable) actioners, Hard To Kill, Out for Justice and Marked For Death would lead to Under Siege (which is Seagal’s monster hit and remains his best all round work). Even well past their respective peak years and deep into their video market placing there’s still the animosity. Van Damme has seemingly moved to quell it somewhat, but Seagal has often found it hard to resist a dig, or quickly dismissed the subject and moved on. There is no love lost. In the end, who had the more prolific career?Both men would claim to have won the battle, though Van Damme having more prolifically churned out profitable films back in the 80’s up to mid 90’s probably has the best case. Indeed, as actors, whilst Van Damme has honed his craft and sought to improve immeasurably over the years (best showcased in JCVD or more recently, The Bouncer), Seagal has never seemed to develop, merely losing enthusiasm with every passing year. Certainly in that auspicious debut there was a charisma and command and naturalism that suggested Seagal (albeit breaking out not far off hitting 40) could become an interesting performer. It never happened. Both men in their prime… who wins the fight? Who had the better film career? Let us know in the comments below or on our social channels.

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‘I am officially off the market’: When Margot Robbie revealed she made the ‘conscious’ decision of not dating actors


Margot Robbie revealed her decision to not date actors because of the media scrutiny that came with a public relationship of two high-profile actors
Back in 2015, A-lister Margot Robbie made a declaration that she would not be dating any actors. The actress may have alluded to her fiance Tom Ackerley, who she married the following year in 2016. In an exclusive interview with Marie Claire, she revealed that being in a relationship as an actor herself came with its own set of challenges. She believed that dating someone who was popular would add on to the media scrutiny.

Margot Robbie opened up on why she made a conscious decision to not date actorsTalking to Marie Claire, she claimed, “I am officially off the market.” She then shared the reasoning behind her decision and added, “I made a conscious decision not to date actors.” She continued to explain, “But not because I hate actors. That’s a nasty generalization to make, and that’s not the case. People take such an interest in your love life when you have a profile, it puts a lot of stress on a relationship.”
The Barbie actress continued, “So two people with profiles, I figure it’s just double the amount of scrutiny, and I’d like to avoid that at all costs.” This came after reports of her locking lips with Tarzan co-star Alexander Skarsgard started making rounds. It was reported that she was caught kissing the actor during the Sundance Film Festival.

Margot Robbie revealed she opted for a minimal lifestyle even after becoming an actorIn the interview, Robbie also opened up about how she was adapting to fame. She shared, “I have a normal 24-year-old life. If I were a waitress, I’d probably have the exact same lifestyle. I’d go to the same clubs I go to already, live in the same house with the same housemates, hang out with the same people.”
However, Margot Robbie tied the knot with Tom Ackerley who is an English producer and actor. The duo met on the sets of 2013 movie Suite Francaise where Tom was working as an assistant director. Post marriage, both of them launched their production company LuckyChap Entertainment.

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Monica Bellucci and Tin Burton at lunch in the restaurant in Selci Lama


For All Saints’ Day, the Hollywood star from Tiferno returned to his native Umbria to enjoy a moment of relaxation and then visit his parentsOn the occasion of the All Saints’ Day celebrations, the Hollywood star of Tiferno origin, Monica Bellucci, returned to her native Umbria to enjoy a moment of relaxation and to visit her father Pasquale and her mother Brunella.Flanked by her current partner Tim Burton, she went to lunch, together with about twenty old friends, at the Osteria del Musicista, which has always been her favorite restaurant, in Selci Lama.Menu dedicated to typical dishes of the area, which includes an appetizer with breadsticks lined with coppa, duck in porchetta and grilled pork livers, polenta with wild boar sauce accompanied by the very typical cappelletti in broth.To conclude, a dessert based on fried “ciaccia” with Nutella and roasted chestnuts.
Having paid the bill and greeted the restaurant owner and lifelong friend, Roberto Polchi, Monica brought home cappelletti and broth for a family dinner.

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‘Rocky’ Was Quite Different In His Original Screenplay, Sylvester Stallone Claims


Sylvester Stallone took his friend’s advice on a rewrite of the original screenplay to Rocky. A few tweaks later, he was on his way to major success.
In the new Netflix documentary Sly, Stallone discussed how he initially conceived of the project, which had a much harder edge. In the early version, Rocky was depicted as a “thuggish” character, inspired by Martin Scorsese’s crime drama, Mean Streets.

But Stallone’s perspective changed when a friend read the script and thought the boxer was too cruel for audiences to actually care about him.
Stallone recalled her crying.

“She goes, ‘I hate Rocky. I hate him. He’s cruel. He hits people. He beats them up.’”
Stallone took it to heart, and asked what he could do to soften the character.

“I said, ‘what if you stop short of it?’ Like, maybe he almost did. He could have, that’s his job, but he doesn’t?’ ‘That’d be nice,’” he added. “I said, ‘What if he had a girlfriend or something?’ ‘Yeah, that’s nice.’ So I go back, start writing that: ‘Girlfriend. Nice.’”
$117 million in box office later, a franchise was born.

Stallone also revealed that actor Dolph Lundgren sent him to the hospital during one fight scene in Rocky IV.
“Dolph Lundgren… he pulverized me,” Stallone says in the documentary. “Later that night, my heart started to swell—which happens when the heart hits the chest—and then my blood pressure went up to 260, and they thought I was going to be talking to angels. Next thing I know, I’m in intensive care, where I’m surrounded by nuns, and I thought, ‘OK, that’s curtains.’”
Stallone was in the hospital for nine days following the incident, praying for “one more round.”
“For the first minute of the fight, it is going to be a free-for-all,” Stallone told Lundgren. The Swedish actor joked in a separate interview that all he did was “obey orders,” explaining, “[Stallone] was the boss. I did what he told me.”
Doctors allegedly told Stallone that he received a blow to the ribs that made his heart rattle around in his ribcage, a condition typically seen in head-on collisions. “I did hit a bus, of sorts,” Stallone joked.

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