I'm waiting on certain Hollywood legends to find descendents in current cineplex stars. Far as I'm concerned, we're in dire need of a new Jack Lemmon, a new Shirley MacLaine, and a new Madeline Kahn, along with many, many others. But every so often, a millennial star finds a way to exhume the spirit of an old star while adding refreshing relevance. I present to you the following hypothesis in silver screen genealogy: Cameron Diaz is our new Goldie Hawn.
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Since Darren Aronofsky recently decided to vacate the director's chair of The Wolverine (presumably to tend to his fabled scarf collection), there hasn't been too much buzz as to who might replace him at the helm of the mutant -prequel sequel reboot -whatever it is. Because we here at Movieline are nothing if not servicey, allow me to offer up five suggestions as to who might take over America's favorite Canadian mutant as he travels to Japan, fights ninjas and falls in love with the daughter of Yakuza crimeboss.
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It's a pain to waste your time watching a bad movie, but how much more frustrating is it to watch an okay movie and realize how much better it might have been with just a couple tweaks here and there? The Adjustment Bureau was, as the President might say, likeable enough -- an intriguing concept, congenial stars, and a cool look to the whole thing -- but as Roger Ebert says, it's "a smart and good movie that could have been a great one if it had a little more daring." So what are the five easy ways that The Adjustment Bureau could go from DVD recommendation to a must-see-movie?
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The further away I get from the news that Henry Cavill was cast as Superman, the more I appreciate the Warner Bros. decision. Not because it proves there is some silly conspiracy to hire foreign-born actors to play American icons; rather, because Warner Bros. saved everyone from having to follow along with the endless wheel-spinning short lists that usually accompany the casting of most franchise blockbusters nowadays. (See: the Warner Bros. hunt for Lois Lane as reference.) Still, if we're going to be subjected to another short list, at least it can include names like Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Morena Baccarin and Cobie Smulders. All three actresses are reportedly up for the role of Nick Fury's sidekick The Avengers, which got me to thinking: Why isn't Cobie Smulders more famous?
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The King's Speech is riding high on guild love after its surprise win for Best Picture at the PGA Awards and Best Director for Tom Hooper at the DGA Awards; it may yet complete the trifecta tonight at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. At this point, it has to be considered the new odds-on favorite for Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards. But if Harvey Weinstein follows through on his plan to re-cut the film for a more profitable rating, then, frankly, it doesn't deserve a damned thing.
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The mass walkouts were the first indication that Mark Pellington's I Melt with You was heading for a rocky Sundance reception; even critics who'd made it through couldn't wait to spill out into the hallways and let the vitriol fly. I Melt with You was, effectively, the first hands-down bomb of the festival. But does Pellington's midlife-crisis male-bonding thriller -- which was picked up today by Magnolia Pictures -- deserve all the flack?
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This is the type of post that you'll scoff at simply as another example of us Movieline haters trying to hate. I assure you, though: It's not. I am not a hater. (In this case.) I love, love, love Jason Segel -- the man is a comic wizard, who is also capable of playing poignant, touching drama, and playing it well; see the last two episodes of How I Met Your Mother, or a lot of the downcast parts of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, for reference. I love that Jason Segel loves the Muppets -- so much that he cried when he met Kermit. I love the Muppets! Especially The Muppets Take Manhattan, which includes the perfect amount of melancholy, whimsy and song. That said: Enough, already, about The Muppets.
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The Social Network has become a well-night unstoppable awards juggernaut, picking up yet another accolade this weekend, this time from the National Society of Film Critics. Yet, despite all the kudos, I'm surprised that more people haven't complained about casting two white Englishmen in the roles of a Brazilian and an Indian American. Folks got worked up into a lather over The Last Airbender this summer; so where's the outrage now?
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Fresh from watching Daniel Radcliffe recite all the elements to the tune of a Gilbert & Sullivan song, Colin Farrell is reportedly in talks to join the Les Wiseman-directed remake of Total Recall. Normally, I'm against remaking/rebooting/re-imagining such a recent film, and especially one that is such a classic of the sci-fi genre as Total Recall is, but this is a rare case where the remake might be able to stand next to the original
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Sister site Deadline is reporting that Academy Award producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer have approached Hugh Jackman to host the 2011 Oscars and the soft-shoeing mutant turned them down, opting to concentrate on his Wolverine sequel. Pity since he was the best host the Oscar's have had in recent years. So who could fill the slot as host to Hollywood's Biggest Night? I've got a few humble suggestions after the jump.
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When the Emmys were held back in August, it was a forgone conclusion that Jane Lynch would win Best Supporting Actress for her work on Glee. As Sue Sylvester, Lynch was the breakout star from season one, the one Glee performer offered unanimous public and critical support. You know the story, of course: Lynch won, the order of the universe remained intact, and despite losses to Modern Family, Glee was able to head into season two with the label of "Emmy winner" (Ryan Murphy won as well for directing the pilot). So consider it more than a little disconcerting that just two months later, the Lynch has become so unnecessary to the plot of Glee, that she went entire episode without appearing. Worse, she wasn't even missed.
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Laugh all you want, but it's true: Besides perhaps only Randee Heller -- R.I.P. Ms. Blankenship -- there hasn't been a bigger breakout performer on Mad Men this season than Kiernan Shipka. Upped to a series regular for the first time, Shipka has handled her increasingly adult situations -- ahem -- with the aplomb of someone twice her age. It begs the incredibly, ridiculously premature question: Can little Sally Draper be an Emmy nominee in 2011? Ahead Movieline offers 4 reasons why that might not be as far-fetched as you think.
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"Those are sort of the Internet things that one person says and then 15 more people Twitter [it] and then it becomes this sort of phenomenon." So said Jon Hamm earlier today on Live with Regis and Kelly when asked about the rumors that he'd don the red cape to star as Superman. Deep breath, Mad Men fans: we're all in the clear, for now. But if this Internet meme becomes reality, would Superman kill Don Draper?
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Sister site Deadline has revealed that, contrary to previous denials, the BBC is indeed making plans to license a Mandarin-language version of The Office. But am I the only who feels a little uneasy about such a thing?
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Can you feel the excitement? In a mere four days, Inception will hit theaters, melt your face and take its rightful place as the biggest non-animated film of the summer. At least until Salt comes out next week and blows Inception out of the water. Wait, what? Ahead, Movieline dissects why Angelina Jolie's summer action spectacle is poised to win the box office war with Christopher Nolan's pedigreed mind-bender.
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