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Benedict Cumberbatch fearing for his life after terrifying home invasion

<p>Benedict Cumberbatch and his family have reportedly been left fearing for their lives as a knife-wielding man broke into the star’s North London home and threatened him.</p> <p>The <em>Daily Mail </em>reported that 35-year-old Jack Bissell, who previously worked as a chef at the Beaumont Hotel in Mayfair, kicked his way through the front gate of the Marvel star’s multimillion-dollar property, allegedly shouting, “I know you’ve moved here. I hope it burns down.”</p> <p>Cumberbatch, 46, his wife, Sophia Hunter, 45, and their three children were reportedly in the home at the time of the break-in and could hear the intruder screaming outside, according to <em>Page Six</em>.</p> <p>Bissell also allegedly took one of the family’s plants and threw it at the garden wall, and ripped the intercom off the building after spitting on it.</p> <p>The intruder reportedly fled the scene before police arrived but, authorities were able to track him down due to DNA evidence he left on the intercom.</p> <p>Bissell was reportedly arrested, fined and slapped with a three-year restraining order from the Cumberbatch family.</p> <p>A source told the outlet, “Naturally all of the family were absolutely terrified and thought this guy was going to get in and hurt them.</p> <p>“Luckily it never went that far. Benedict and Sophie have had many sleepless nights since, worrying that they may be targeted again,” the insider said.</p> <p>“The fact that it was a targeted intrusion makes it a lot more scary.”</p> <p>During the trial, prosecutors said Bissell allegedly told a nearby shopkeeper that he had planned to break into the actor’s home and burn it down.</p> <p>Bissell pleaded guilty and was sentenced on May 10. However, details surrounding the date of the incident have not been disclosed.</p> <p>According to the Daily Mail, facts of the case could not be reported until they “successfully challenged blanket reporting restrictions this week”.</p> <p>No clear connection between Bissell and Cumberbatch has been established.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty / Instagram</em></p>

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REVIEW: Dr Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Warning! This article contains spoilers.</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Dr Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) has returned with his flying cape sidekick to save earth - but this time there’s more than one that needs help.</p> <p dir="ltr">The unshakeable do-gooder, with his grey-winged hair, is pulled into a deadly game of cat- and-mouse.</p> <p dir="ltr">Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) is a terrifying witch who chases America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) across different dimensions for her superpower - the ability to jump through the multiverse.</p> <p dir="ltr">Maximoff leaves a trail of destruction in her path and it falls to Dr Strange to put an end to her madness.</p> <p dir="ltr">If he fails, then you can wave goodbye to this earth and all the other earths floating out there in the infinite cosmos.</p> <p dir="ltr">Hollywood is pumping out superhero movies at such a fast rate, it’s almost impossible to keep up with the pace as a viewer.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>The Multiverse of Madness</em> assumes you have watched at least one <em>Avengers</em> film, part of the <em>Wanda Vision</em> series and the first <em>Dr Strange. </em></p> <p dir="ltr">Oh, and don’t forget <em>Shang-Chi</em> and the <em>Legend of the Ten Rings</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">If you haven’t seen any of them, good luck trying to understand who is who.</p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aWzlQ2N6qqg" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p dir="ltr">There’s plenty of action and exploding heads to keep the unversed audience member entertained.</p> <p dir="ltr">Director Sam Raimi weaves in elements of horror along with a few jump scares.</p> <p dir="ltr">His personal touch falls short of making the superhero franchise feel new. At its best, it just adds a fresh twist to an overdone genre.</p> <p dir="ltr">There is only one annoying little detail in the film. It’s so teeny-tiny, but it hurts as much as a rose thorn stuck in your side.</p> <p dir="ltr">It’s nothing to get worked up over. Right?</p> <p dir="ltr">Wrong.</p> <p dir="ltr">Most, if not all, superhero films are packed with undertones of American patriotism.</p> <p dir="ltr">Superman wears a red cape and a blue, tight-fitting onesie (the colours of the American flag); Iron Man is held captive in a cave in the Middle East before he blasts his way to freedom <em>(America, f*** yeah!)</em>; and Captain America needs no explanation (his name says it all).</p> <p dir="ltr">In most cases, at least, these references aren’t screaming in your face. They dwell in the background so you can continue to enjoy the film at its surface level.</p> <p dir="ltr">That’s not the case with Dr Strange.</p> <p dir="ltr">America Chavez is a central character who is not only named after the United States, but she is also dressed in a jacket with the stars and stripes printed onto the back of it.</p> <p dir="ltr">She is, literally, a walking flag of the country.</p> <p dir="ltr">Every time Dr Strange spoke about saving America, I couldn’t help but cringe as I had a sneaking suspicion he was not referring to the young girl.</p> <p dir="ltr">When the character needed a dialogue break, his monster-bashing sidekicks were filling in the blanks with their own toe-curling lines about America.</p> <p dir="ltr">She needs to be saved, her powers could be used for bad if they fall into the wrong hands, with great power comes great responsibility.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Blah, blah, blah. </em></p> <p dir="ltr">For all its shortcomings, Raimi manages to pull off an entertaining two hours and six minutes.</p> <p dir="ltr">The action is backed up by strong performances from Cumberbatch, Olsen and Gomez. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em><strong>Written by Aidan Wondracz.</strong></em></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: YouTube</em></p>

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