"It’s got Ben Affleck as a big, dumb mook, and, well, he’s pretty good at it. And it’s got Jennifer Lopez playing her most interesting character since Out of Sight [...] But those two are the reason that Gigli arrived with such built-in hostility from moviegoers and critics, because this was the film where the duo met and fell into the PDA-heavy romance that become such a constant, unceasing annoyance in the months that followed. It was a classic example of buyer’s remorse — through tabloids and entertainment 'news' programs, we couldn’t get enough Bennifer coverage, and then, in the blink of an eye, we’d had enough, we were done with them, and we didn’t want to see anything that had anything to do with them." Yeah! Sheesh. Actually, no, but still. [Flavorwire]
As someone who sparked to Paul Feig's Bridesmaids back when it first played SXSW last year in no small part because it gave Kristen Wiig the showcase she deserved, it's hard to imagine a Bridesmaids sequel going forward without the SNL star. But with Wiig reportedly reluctant to reprise her role for another go-round with the Universal hit that seems a very good possibility, according to The Hollywood Reporter. And so I ask, fellow Bridesmaids fans: Who wants a Bridesmaids 2 without Wiig?
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This past October, we looked long and hard briefly at the most pirated films of all time -- a fairly predictable list that included blockbuster titles like Avatar, The Dark Knight and Transformers. Today, TorrentFreak has released a more current snapshot of the movie-stealing industry: A list of the top ten pirated films this year. Surprisingly, there are a few films on this list that you probably paid to see.
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Marlene Dietrich is one of the most talented, intelligent, and iconic actors of all time, and not just because everyone from Madeline Kahn to Madonna and Suzanne Vega has invoked her image with staggering results. The ferocious screen icon and cabaret star is the very definition of a vision, a cutting and defiant actress with gusto and guts galore. On the occasion of her 110th birthday, let's commemorate her finest work.
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The death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il this past Sunday inspired hope in some and fear (that Kim's mysterious 20-something son Kim Jong-un will continue his father's tyranny) in others. But for Sacha Baron Cohen -- the comedic actor/writer/producer who reveled in staging uncomfortable situations in his mockumentaries Borat and Brüno -- Kim's death inspired a publicity push for his upcoming comedy The Dictator.
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Earlier this fall, Forbes figured out which dead celebrities are still making millions from the grave. In the continual spirit of measuring Hollywood stars by their bank accounts, Forbes has calculated which of today's actors and actresses provide studios with the best return on their investments. Can you guess the five most bankable stars in Hollywood today? I'm betting that you can name at least two...
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Few Tweeting, iPod-owning, Netflix-streaming, eternally online citizens of the 21st century would lament the advances and conveniences that digital gadgets and technologies afford, but what if you still love that which is made increasingly obsolete? In the film world, that widening gap stands between classic celluloid and digital projection; as studios like 20th Century Fox begin experimenting with digital-only distribution, where does that leave the folks who cherish the magic of watching films on, you know, film?
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Way back in June, Spyglass Entertainment debuted the first trailer for The Vow, the latest Rachel McAdams romance film involving memory loss. It was depressing to see our former Notebook sweetheart diving headfirst into another melodramatic title. Like McAdams's Vow character though -- who is struck with amnesia after a parked car accident involving an overplayed Meatloaf single -- I forgot about the former starlet's downwardly spiraling filmography...until today's new preview for The Vow reminded me, it's about time someone stages a career intervention for Rachel McAdams.
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It's been a rough week for Brett Ratner, whose big, ostensibly crowd-pleasing ensemble comedy Tower Heist debuted to lukewarm box-office figures and whose promotional endeavors have found him invoking his sexual history and bedroom technique to cringe-inducing effect. Today Ratner apologized for a "joke" he made over the weekend, responding to a viewer during a Tower Heist Q&A that "rehearsal's for fags." Wait, what? This is the guy co-producing the forthcoming Academy Awards? [UPDATE: Now he's a homophobe and a liar.]
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And you thought your Contagion Matt Damon costume was elaborate. This past weekend, one celebrity/sometimes actress trumped all of the ghoul-like get-ups you and your uninspired friends will wear in an entire lifetime by jumping into a skinless corpse bodysuit...and employing two extras in surgeon costumes to push her down the red carpet on an autopsy table. Can you guess who is responsible for the most elaborate Halloween costume thus far?
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The Guinness Book of World Records isn't just for nausea-inducing photos of 50-inch fingernails and fat twins on motorcycles anymore. The sprawling oracle of milestones far and wide has gone practical this week, revealing the screen actor whose body of work has accrued the highest collective gross in history. It's not the most obvious fellow, but considering his ubiquity, franchise successes and long trail of cultural landmarks, it makes sense. Think hard, and read on for the answer to the trivia question you'll be flinging with relish all weekend.
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Yesterday it was announced that Ben Affleck and Matt Damon will tackle their first major feature project together since Good Will Hunting -- a biopic about Boston mob boss Whitey Bulger that will star Damon and be directed by Affleck. It's worth wondering though -- is a mob film the right follow-up to the esteemed break-out project that earned both actors/screenwriters Academy Awards and established them as marketable Holllywood stars?
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This coming winter will bring us two major showdowns: Glenn vs. Meryl in the Best Actress race, and now ferocious exes Madonna and Guy Ritchie are officially duelists: Her W.E. debuts Dec. 9, and his Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows follows up on Dec. 16. Place your bets now: Which of these dubious, aggressively modern "old-fashioned" films will critics and audiences enjoy/tolerate more?
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Earlier this month, Netflix released a list of their ten most-rented movies ever. It was a strange selection that shocked and saddened us -- Sandra Bullock's films The Blind Side and Crash ranked first and second, while the abominable, Jack Nicholson-Morgan Freeman terminal illness buddy comedy The Bucket List finished third. But weep for America's horrendous taste no more -- TorrentFreak has ranked the most pirated titles of all time and they are much more respectable selections. Can you guess what they are?
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I don't know how in touch you are with Dane Cook's film career, but this December, the comedian-turned-actor stars in a kidnapping drama called Answers to Nothing. As a philandering husband whose wife is determined to get pregnant in spite of his infidelities, the leading role -- which appears to be completely (and purposefully) humorless in the trailer -- could be a step in a new direction for the 39-year-old stand-up. But can Dane Cook even be taken seriously as a dramatic actor at this point in his career?
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