The Most Bad Ass Characters in the Most Un-Bad Ass Professions

We all know that the movie world can be a tad-unrealistic. Therefore the personalities of certain characters may not match how those characters actually act. Therefore, when a character has a boring profession it’s possible for that character to be pretty bad ass. The explanations get shorter as the list gets higher, namely because the element of bad ass in the character is more obvious.

10. Amy Adams as Sister James in Doubt

Doubt was a movie where character after character stand up to each other. But the best scene is one where Sister James stands up to the scariest movie character of 2008 (Behind the Joker). “Well I happen to like Frosty the Snowman!” She stands up for her beliefs, herself, and a (possible) good man for the church. This makes her a bad ass, regardless of the habit she wears.



9. Charles Martin Smith as Oscar Wallace in The Untouchables

Accountants have a rough reputation when it comes to cinema. I originally wanted to make this countdown “10 badass movie accountants” but I could barely find any. Oscar Wallace would be one to originally fit the bill as the stereotypical accountant. He has the dark rimmed glasses and the short stature as he emits a whiny voice moaning about Al Capone’s taxes. Then after Sean Connery gives him a gun, he starts acting like a real agent. Then, once his friend his shot at, during a raid, he begins tearing up bootleggers one by one. How does he finish it all off? By taking a drink of the then illegal liquor, this is nothing short of bad ass.



8. James Stewart as Jefferson Smith in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Although I have respect for the boy scouts, they aren’t exactly bad asses. And although I have respect for senators they aren’t exactly bad asses. Therefore when you think of a scout master that is selected to become a senator you think of probably the least bad ass person around. But that is exactly what Jefferson Smith is not. In the beginning he’s just an American loving country mouse that doesn’t know what to do with himself when he takes his seat in the senate, but by the end of the movie he is taking on the most powerful and corrupt senators in Washington. He even talks back to his mentor, “NO SIR, I WILL NOT YIELD!” Hell yeah! Sit down, Joseph Paine!



7. Jamie Foxx as Max in Collateral

While accountants have a rough stereotype in the movie business, it’s the exact opposite for cab drivers. They’re profession is not exactly bad ass but they are always portrayed as such. Max is one of these particular cab drivers. In the beginning he acts as any man would when he finds out a contract killer is riding in the back seat of his cab but by the end of the movie he begins to show some attitude, even though he’s not the one holding the gun or in any power.



6. Adam Sandler as Barry Egan in Punch Drunk Love

It goes without saying that the salesman of non breakable plunger handles isn’t very bad ass. But when you mess with his girl, don’t mess with him. Barry starts off as a quiet and shy nervous salesman and grows into someone that doesn’t take shit from anybody. This movie and this guy shows that no matter what your job love turns you into a pretty bad ass.



5. Robert DeNiro as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver

The second cab driver on this countdown. Travis was a man that saw the city as disgusting and like a true bad ass did something about it by tearing it up. Even though he was nothing but a cab driver he wasn’t a cab driver you wanted to mess with.



4. Joseph Gordon Levitt as Brendan Frye in Brick

Being a student is hardly bad ass. You’re too immature to be cool. You do nothing but study. You can’t get away with anything because you will just be sent to the principal’s office. Brendan Fry doesn’t let any of these weights slow him down. From the first scene to the last Brendan is someone that talks with style and handles himself like nothing short of a badass.



3. Ron Livingston, David Herman, Ajay Naidu as Peter Gibbons, Michael Bolton, and Samir in Office Space

This one is a package deal. These guys have the least bad ass job of anyone on this countdown. It isn’t even sure what they do exactly. They sit behind a desk and type in codes into a system. They also deal with TPS reports. But you should see these guys when they handle a faulty copy machine or implement a virus into their own company.



2. Ed Norton as the Narrator in Fight Club

The Narrator was just an average insurance agent that hated life. He had some bad ass thoughts but never expressed them. Then once he met Tyler Durden he started voicing these horrible thoughts and not caring what people thought about him or what he thought about himself.



1. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark

What? The gunslinger and Nazi fighter had an unbadass job? Yes because technically his job wasn’t all the action but he was a professor in archeology. So even though he runs away from giant balls and shoots ninjas over his shoulder…he still has a pretty unbadass job.

Looks like fun

The trailer for Sherlock Holmes has just been released and it is not what I thought. It is a bit more silly than I imagined it would be and it doesn't seem very serious but it still seems like it could be fun to watch and I will definitely be taking a look. Between the bumbling of the characrers and the "wordart-esque" font, it doesn't seem like the most tame of movies. It definitely has the Guy Ritchie flare which I don't mind in the least. Therefore, although I won't be taking it seriously it looks like something that I could definitely enjoy.

Who Could Play Sinatra?

It was just announced that Scorsese will be directing a bio-pic on Frank Sinatra, which is pleasing news becuase I think that is something a director like Scorsese can handle. But with this news the question now arises: Who could play Ol' Blue Eyes?

Originally actors that came to mind were veterans of Scorcese films. Daniel Day Lewis and Robert De Niro, specifically. Although they are great actors, I can't see them fitting the part exactly. Daniel Day-Lewis will be singing in the upcoming film, Nine, and will, hopefully be good. But, we can't know that for sure, not to mention Daniel is a pretty big lad, about a half a foot taller than Frank. Bobby could be seen as the character maybe a few years ago but now looks more like the later Sinatra then Sinatra in his early years.

Sean Penn
I think that Penn can do anything. Maybe I am still in awe from Milk but I feel that he has the look down pat and can do any transformation.

William Hurt

The man has the blue eyes and the Italian attitude but he is a little bit too old.

Jude Law

This is by far my favorite pick. He looks just like him and has shown that he could do the American thing in both Cold Mountain and I Heart Huckabees. All he needs to do now is get down the exact voice and attitude.

Hugh Jackman

I have never been a fan of this actor, probably becuase he's never really done anything worthy of praise on the silver screen. However, after seeing the oscars I have realized that this guy is one hell of a performer and can hit the personality of a performer like Frank Sinatra. All he would need to do is change a few physcial characteristics.

John Travolta

He's a bit on the heavy side now, and hasn't shown us anything in a while. But, back in the day the actor would invest himself fully into the character's that he played and feel that if he changed a few things he could pull off Frank.

Matthew McConaughey

This is the biggest stretch of all of the actors. This guy has shown us that he can act in one movie and one movie only, A Time to Kill. So he has the look and the acting chops but can he pull off the transformation? I'm not too sure.

Kevin Spacey

America ignored him when he played Bobby Darin in Beyond the Sea, when he deserved the praise. This movie shows that he can pull off the mannerisms of a performer much like Sinatra he just needs to loosen up. Something that Kevin Spacey is no stranger to doing.

The bottom line is that Scorsese's at the wheel. So it will be a great flick, regardless.

A Good Start

The following is an opening to The Brothers Bloom....



If this is any indication to how the rest of the film will be, we are looking at a damn fine movie. The writing is clever and the rhyming is so natural, but it's accompanied with great direction and fine editing, with the possibility of an amazing soundtrack. I didn't think that Rian Johnson could top Brick and he still might not, but this movie will at least be a respectable follow up.

What year is it?

This has been mentioned before but it seems that the madness has spread.









All of the films like very original and inventive and I look forward to each one. But I just can't help but shake how unusual it is that they are all coming out in the year 2009. Perhaps it's mere coincidence, or perhaps it's something more...

Wow

So Kevin doesn't like Michael Cera, to tell you the truth I am not much of a fan either. However, I just saw the trailer for Paper Heart and although he looks like he is playing his same dull part. The movie seems like the one of the most inventive and moving projects to hit theaters in at least a few years. You be the judge



....and yes that is the weird Asian from Knocked Up

The 10 Most Anticipated Summer Movies of 2009

It's time to take out the popcorn and just sit back and enjoy big budget mindless entertainment. The only problem is that this summer has got alot of life in it. What is going on? I don't want to think about movies! I want to just mindlessly laugh at fart jokes. But becuase Fatties Fart 3 isn't going to be released just yet. I guess I could settle for some deep and enjoyable entertainment. Here are the movies I am looking forward to the most.

500 Days of Summer

Kevin addressed his excitement for both this movie and the next one in a previous article but I figured I would give the two some more attention. This looks very much like a Woody Allen style movie. It’s not a love story but a story about love and It begins from the end of the relationship. I love movies like this and I feel that this is one that has its own style. The two leads, Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are also magnificent on their own so I can’t see any harm in them being put together.

Away We Go

Sam Mendes fresh from his artistic and dark look at marriage, Revolutionary Road, has decided to take many risks. He has gone to a more independent and lighter film than his usual subject matter. He has taken on a cast of mainly NBC Comedy stars and comedians themselves. The result: Is unknown at this point but it looks absolutely charming. The actors look like they are on their A-game and Sam Mendes looks as if he will not disappoint. People have been in an uproar about the graphics from the trailer and poster being like that of Juno. But first of all, Didn’t people like Juno? And second of all, if we were to judge a movie by the poster and trailer than Pearl Harbor would be a great movie and we all know that isn’t true.

The Boat that Rocked

The early reviews of this Richard Curtis film haven’t been too positive but I still am interested. You take a great cast saying dialogue from a great writer and put them on a ship with many women and have them play rock music. I can’t see that being anything less than enjoyable.

The Brothers Bloom

I have already shared my excitement about this film but it really does look great. You can never go wrong with a con film, especially one that is done by Rian Johnson

Funny People

This one people may tend to disagree with but I still think this could be one of the best from Apatow. Adam Sandler has some acting chops. He doesn’t show them off often but Reign over Me and Punch Drunk Love have shown off some fine work by the comedian. Seth Rogen is very versatile and can play any role. The bottom line is Judd Apatow may be starting to turn a corner into dramedy which is something I’m sure a lot of people want to see. Not to say he isn’t the king of comedy but I think that most comedic minds have the potential to make some good drama.

Public Enemies

I have also talked about my excitement for this one. The new trailer just makes this look even better and if Michael Mann can deliver, which I have faith in, then this can be some cinematic summer gold that really belongs in the fall season of movies.

Taking Woodstock

Ang Lee is a great director that has already shown his versatility. Whether it be two lovers fighting in bamboo trees or two cowboys loving in pine trees, he knows how to make a deep movie. His next movie will involve a lot of characters smoking trees in Taking Woodstock. I wouldn’t have expected this to be Demetri Martin’s premier movie but it is a very interesting idea regardless, where Demetri Martin plays the man who owns the property where Woodstock takes place. I have always been interested in the hippies and movies about them so expect me to be in line for this one regardless of the director and star.

Terminator Salvation

This is one of the few action movies I have up here and I am somewhat unsteady about the director, McG making anything good but Christian Bale has failed to disappoint and with the exception of the third movie, neither has the terminator series. I suppose this one is a toss-up but it will definitely be enjoyable.

Up

The trailer had me laughing the whole way through. Pixar has never let me down. (Yes I even liked Cars, believe it or not).

Year One

Regardless of Kevin’s feelings toward Michael Cera, I feel that Jack Black is a very underrated comedian who can do a real good job with what he’s got. This movie reminds me of History of the World Part I and for that reason alone, I am going to see it. Let’s just hope it does its own thing and doesn’t copy Mel Brooks.

Honorable Mention: Inglorious Basterds
When I heard the director, the cast, and the idea for this movie I was totally on board. But the trailer did not excite me as much as I hoped it would. I would hope that Quentin will deliver like he often does and that I was wrong to put this movie in Honorable Mention.

Why Paul Dano is going to be the greatest...

Paul Dano is making all the right moves in his career. In my opinion it should be only a few more roles before he is raking in the Oscar hardware by the bushel. You could say he sewed his wild oats young by appearing in The Emperors Club (a Dead Poets Society knockoff...with civ) and The Girl Next Door. But since 2005 he has been acting his ass off and hasn't looked back. He was in The Ballad of Jack and Rose opposite one Daniel Day Lewis in 2005. 2006 saw LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE...ahem sorry I just love that movie. And the star studded Fast Food Nation. 2008? 2008 showed us he best acting yet in There Will be Blood. Just when you think he has tapped out for a little while he is coming back with two stellar looking movies in 2009. One comedy (Gigantic) and one Drama (Explicit Ills) both look like they could make the top ten list of movies this year.
What is best about Paul Dano is that he can actually act. Seeing him in movies he is able to avoid the typecasting that he could have easily fallen into. He is different in each role and seems to be able to pick good roles that he actually wants to do. The best of luck to you Mr. Dano.

...and Michael Cera will not

Juno, Superbad, Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist. What do these three movies have in common? If you said Michael Cera stars in all of them, give yourself a pat on the back or a star or something. Now what else do they all have in common? Cera is the same character in every movie. I'm sorry to everyone out there who loves this guy but he is virtually a carbon copy of himself in every movie. He hasn't changed since his days at Arrested Development. Now you may be saing Kevin he doesn't change because he doesn't have to! He is great as a comedic straight man and he compliments Jonah Hill and Seth Rogan beautifully! True he can do that quite well, but I can just watch Superbad on DVD now instead of seeing the same preformance in different clothes in the movie theater. I guess what has me so mad is his new movie Year One. He plays a caveman in it. I'm thinking ok yeah finally he will have to at least change his voice a little with some grunts right? The answer is a resounding WRONG. IT'S PAULIE BLEEKER WITH A LOINCLOTH. Take a look for yourself. And Mike? If you read this, take a challenging role. Do something where you don't sound like the same person. Or just fire your agent. Please.

The Arcade Fire in Trailers

The trailer for Where the Wild Things Are came out a few weeks ago. It is unquestionably the best trailer of the year and if the trailer is any indication the movie will be one of the best of the year. I was racking my brain as to the appeal of the trailer. There is so much to love in it. The moving and emotional images. The flat out amazing portrayal of the monsters. But I think what I love the most is that all of the images are blended seemlessly to the tune of the song "Wake Up" by The Arcade Fire, which managed to pack an emotional punch.



This isn't the first time that The Arcade Fire was used for a trailer. I felt that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was an okay movie that had its flaws, but the movie looked like an absolute masterpiece when this TV spot was released which included scene from the movie shown to the tune of "My Body is a Cage" by The Arcade Fire.



This could be a lesson learned that if you want a movie to look good then it may be wise to throw The Arcade Fire on with some of it's clips and you got yourself a masterpiece. I do have tremendous faith in Where the Wild Things Are. It has taken the place of Public Enemies as my most anticipated film of 2009.

I've always liked Sam Rockwell

This movie looks like a breakthrough for my boy Sam. He was darkly humerous in Choke and amazing in The Assassination of Jesse James. The movie seems like an interesting concept but it seems like the typical sci-fi bullshit. I can seem Sam doing alot with this movie though. Watch out for him.

Rian is back!

....granted, he never left. His last movie was only three years ago, but in this funny little town called hollywood, when you're gone for three years, you tend to be gone for a while. His last film was Brick, which he wrote and directed. An exceptional and ingenious mystery, Rian Johnson took an unusual risk by taking a mature and interesting dialogue of a film noir and put it in the setting of a high school murder. The plot is simple: A loner student attempts to solve the mystery of his ex-girlfriend's murder and undercovers a high school underground drug ring. But the dialogue is rich, the filming provides a great deal of tension, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance is a solid invesment into the character. Bottom line is, that Rian Johnson made a splash in the indie world with his sleeper hit.

His next movie is The Brothers Bloom, a con movie with a well known A-List cast.



It seems like a much different movie than Brick. While Brick was a dark comedy this movie is alot more light. I personally am not quite sure about the movie but it does seem very promising. Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo seem to have amazing chemistry together. While Rinko Kikuchi seems to have created a character that is both sexy and comedic. The writing seems to be clever in a lighter sense then Brick so although the movie may be different, I hope it will have the same impact.

Ron Weasley is growing up

Daniel Radcliffe is in a play where he's naked with a horse. Emma Watson had a bathtub scene in Ballet Shoes and now Rupet Grint is in the movie Cherrybomb. The film is about three teenagers involved in drugs and crime. The last Harry Potter movie won't be released until 2011 but these three teenagers want to shed their children's book characters and show that they have some serious acting chops. The movies have helped all three actors. The movies grow darker and so do their characters, but now they want to show they can do other projects besides Harry Potter. Emma and Daniel already proved it but I was waiting for Ron to make his mark. Well it seems that he has from this trailer....



I think I need to see a little bit more footage but it looks like a pretty interesting movie and I want to see if Rupert can move past Ron. I have faith in him

The Oscar Beard

Earlier in the week, Kevin mentioned some of the movies that are coming out this summer, which are indie flicks. There is one that is standing out in my mind more than any other for the summer and that is Sam Mendes’ next project, Away We Go. About an expecting couple (John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph) that travel to find where they belong. This film stands out for me, for several reasons. One of them could be my love for Sam Mendes projects or it could be the interesting and somewhat risky casting choices. It could even possibly be that I just want to finally see a movie that doesn’t depress the shit out of me. However, one thing that excites me about this movie is it’s utilization of one of Hollywood’s most affective and unknown tricks: the Oscar Beard.

For several years actors have changed their facial hair in an attempt to possibly be viewed as more serious. The Oscar Beard is grown out by actors not just so they could win awards but showing they would like to be viewed as more serious, or more prestigious. It marks that the actor is doing something different. Even if he/she is playing the same god damn role, it still seems as if they are doing something different. It can be viewed as purely an Indie movie thing but mainstream players sometimes do this in mainstream movies as well.

Sometimes the actors don’t grow the beard for the sake of Awards or respect in Hollywood because they have already garnered both. Body of Lies was a movie where both Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio went through physical changes. Leonardo DiCaprio grew out a beard that was extremely long and extremely unattractive. He wanted to stray from looking good in this movie because he was trying to display a rough and course field agent instead of his typical role of attractive guy. I normally appreciate DiCaprio’s work and although I wasn’t a fan of his work in this movie. I truly admire his choice in the Oscar Beard.

The Oscar Beard doesn’t always end in success on the awards front but it does do well in regards to garnering respect. Steve Carrel was always thought of as just some fake news anchor underneath Jon Stewart until he came into his own on The Office. But even then he never really received much respect from Hollywood. Until he grew out a beard for Little Miss Sunshine, I personally think his performance was wonderful and so did many others. Was it because of the beard? The world may never know. We could just ask Paul Giamatti who grew a beard for Sideways and was robbed, some people (including me) believe criminally, from even an Oscar nomination, but he still made some ripples playing the depressed wine connoisseur. However, a year later he shaves the beard and lands an Oscar nomination for Cinderella Man. Some could make this an argument against the Oscar beard…but would he have even gotten that role if it wasn’t for his stubble in Sideways? Think about that.

Ryan Gosling jumped into the indie world full blast with Half Nelson, a fantastic movie with a heartbreaking performance from a supremely gifted young actor. The beard might have nothing to do with this one but he happened to be donning one when he received an Oscar nomination for his work. Through this performance (and possibly because of the beard) he has made a name for himself from the goofy kid in Remember the Titans, to the heartthrob of The Notebook, to a serious actor that will be going places in the future.

The Oscar Beard can sometimes be an epic failure and not becuase of the beard but becuase of the downright shitty performance. In this case, it doesn't matter if the actor wears a beard or not but he does look more pathetic with the beard becuase you recognize his failure at trying to become a serious actor is more recognizable. The most prominent example is Dane Cook in Mr. Brooks. An actor that is way too much of an amateur to handle drama in a movie that was grossly mis-cast and far from perfect.

The two most famous Oscar Beards were worn by people that have already made big names for themselves in Hollywood. Robin Williams was regarded as a successful comedian for many years before Good Will Hunting. He was even given several different nominations for past comedic roles. But he went serious, by growing a beard and playing a more subdued and beautiful character then his typical persona. The role, performance, and beard won him the Oscar for best supporting actor. George Clooney was already voted the sexiest man alive before he won his Oscar and had quite a bit of star power under him with already several movies under his belt. But it was when he wore the beard in Syriana that he received his Oscar for best supporting actor nine years later, which shows that the academy still loves when actors grow facial hair.

We cannot give all credit to the beard. Many of these performances are actually rather good and deserve recognition. I even think that John Krasinki, someone that normally doesn’t wow me, looks like he is going to deliver. But perhaps the reason they are given attention is because the actor looks slightly different and therefore we pay more attention to that performance. So while the beard isn’t the performance, it sure illuminates it.

Looks like it should be an "Indie-an" Summer

Ah the weather is getting better, the birds are singing, and the flowers are blooming. Yes spring is finally here. And that can mean only one thing...time to start thinking of the upcoming summer blockbusters! But if you hate Michael Bay or explosions in general fear not, there is hope. From the looks of it there are some really great movies coming out from some new preformers and veterans alike.

1) 500 Days of Summer
-Ok wow. I try not to giddy about a trailer (save Where the Wild Things Are) but this gem is just amazing from the looks of it. First off is the beautiful and talented Zooey Deschanel. She is the great actress in Elf and Eulogy AND she is the lead singer of She & Him (along with M Ward). In my book she is indie gold. Add to that Joseph Gordon-Levitt who was genius in Brick and you get one great leading couple. Tom (Gordon-Levitt) tries to find out where things went wrong during his 500 day relationship to Summer (Deschanel) (Get it?). I already find myself rooting for the pair to come together in pure RomCom fashion. Do yourself a favor and check out the trailer then go see it in theaters July 24th.



2) Away we Go
-John Krasinski with a beard. Acting! I love The Office, and I love Jim in The Office. But I am really glad that Krasinski is stretching out and testing his acting chops a bit. Under the direction of Sam Mendes (American Beauty) he and Maya Rudolph play an expecting couple searching for a place to call home. The script should have plenty of wit and charm as it is from an original screenplay by Dave Eggers (Author of a Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius). Oh and the icing on the cake? Jim Gaffigan stand up extroadinair is in it. Expect a coming to terms comedy about coming to term in theaters June 5.



3) Explicit Ills
-Set in the middle of Philadelphia, this drama centers around the lives of some seemingly unconnected people. Starring Paul Dano and Rosario Dawson it looks to give some great preformances about real life in a real city. This came out March 6th so go right now to the movies and watch it. Oh and speaking of Paul Dano...




4) Gigantic
-Paul Dano stars in this comedy about Brian Weathersby, a matress salesman who wants to adopt a baby. His parents (Jane Alexander and Ed Asner) had him later on in their years. His love interest? Zooey Deschanel (it's going to be a good summer for me). Her father is played by John Goodman and he provides the intimidation of an overbearing father. It is written and directed by newcomer Matt Aselton but from the looks of the trailer he has a good feel for what a movie should look like. Catch it in theaters on April 3rd.


5) Transformers...Just kidding

Ok there it is 4 movies to go enjoy from now till at least july that are sans explosions and cheesy action dialogue. Unless that stuff is your thing. If then stay tuned for a preview of the explosioniest movies of all time.
Oh and here is a clip of She & Him. I'm serious, check them out.



-Kevin

New Kids on the Blockbuster

We have decided to make a title change from "Seany P Does Hollywood" which was a bit egocentric on my part to "New Kids on the Blockbuster".

It represents the fact that we are just starting to do this but were here and we got opinions and we're gonna damn well share them.

New Contributor

Hey everyone (if anybody actually reads this thing)
I just signed on to co-write Seany P does Hollywood so expect some great new posts to come in the future...we might need a change in the title...but yeah strap down for some good times and great discussions. Also, become a follower! Let us know what we should write about and what we should shut up about. Hope to see you soon!
Kevin Randazzo

This is Truth. Plain and Simple.

I have recently been going on a Charlie Kaufman binge. I just saw Synechdoche, New York and although the writing was brilliant I miss when Kaufman combines his vision with that of a director. I have been thinking alot about Eternal Sunshine and no movie made me smile more than that one. Being John Malkovich is one of his oddest films. But I have to say that Adaptation is his best film to date. The screenplay is rich with beautiful lines and monlogues (like this one) and it just has one of the most ironic and engaging storylines.

No real news here, just a love for Charlie and a hope that he makes many more

Where the Wild Things Are Poster is Released

I haven't been as excited as most are for the movie. It definitely won't be one that I will miss but the amount of back and forth that it has been going through in the past few years and all of the dust it has kicked up is slightly disheartening. There was also some unofficial footage released that just didn't seem to do it for me.

However, this was one of my favorite books as a child and it's something that I am interested in seeing. Spike Jonze is a very good director, he wasn't really the one I would think of to create this movie but I do have faith in him.

The poster is probably the best part of the movie and has ingnited my excitement for the movie. It's in line to be one of the best pieces of movie advertising this year. Here it is....

Pretty good, eh? I like it at least

Wall-E Meets the Watchmen

Eastwood's Next Project has a few pics

Clint Eastwood is directing an Untitled Nelson Mandela project and the first few behind the scenes pics have surfaced.

The movie showcases the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa. The film stars Morgan Freeman as guess who and Matt Damon as the captian of the South African Rugby team. I never imagined either of these actors playing these roles but I remain both curious and hopeful. I am rather excited for the film and think that anything that these three guys touch turns to gold, so I have faith in the film. It's also refreshing to see a movie where actors play real people and it's not a bio-pic. Not that I'm hating on bio pics but they do tend to get repetitve.

Special Thanks to The Bad and Ugly for the following picture and several others

Happy St. Patty's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all. I hope that you have a great one and enjoy yourself. I know that when going to college it truly doesn't matter if it's a weekday or not. The celebration continues. Remeber to celebrate a day when St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland by getting completely wasted. However, if you are with your families or a little bit too mature for anibriation then might I reccomend watching the greatest irish movie ever.

Some of you may have heard of it. It's called The Quiet Man. It stars John Wayne as an American boxer determined to escape his troubled past by moving to Ireland, where he finds love but also the obstacles that come along with love. What amuses me most about the film is how the small Irish town is portrayed and you simply fall in love with all of the characters. This scene shows the tone of the movie and is a good ol' fashoined irish fight. It had spoilers but the movie was made in the fifties and well....it's kind of a predictable ending.

The Watchmen (Review)

A group of superheroes are forced into retirement when President Nixon, in his fifth term, passes the Keane Act which outlaws vigilantes. Then when one of their own is murdered, the one former superhero that hasn't given up his ways, Rorshcach, sets out to find why his friend was murdered. This is the plot of Watchmen. Zack Snyder's latest work since his cult hit 300. It's an adaptation of the extremely intelligent and well written graphic novel of the same name. As an ardent fan on the graphic novel, it was almost inevitable that I wasn't going to like the movie and I didn't have high hopes going in. But it was because the movie was too faithful to the graphic novel, that I wasn't a fan of the movie.

A successful adaptation from a book to a movie means that the movie has to be nothing like the book and needs to instead be it's own vision. One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest is a fine example of an adaptation that stays true to a good adaptation. If Milos Forman did the movie exactly the way that Ken Kesey wrote the book the movie would be a confusing mess. This is not what Watchmen was but its reliability to the novel left things unsatisfying.

I am not disrespecting Mr. Snyder in any way. I think he is a very talented director and his vision can save even the poorest of plot lines. I would have just hoped that he would've taken more liberties than he did. The liberties he did take helped push the movie along and made it more of a movie than a fictional documentary but it still left many things awkward and unanswered.

The performances in the film varied from wonderful to horrible. I would like to hope that we will be seeing more of Jackie Earle Haley, who played the mysterious Rorschach, in the future. He made a very complicated character his own, transforming himself into the darkest of characters, giving him the most powerful performance of the movie.

Jefferey Dean Morgan, who plays the Comedian, joins the list of dark and complicated characters in the movie. His part was very small but he managed to play it with a cold complexity that made him and his character very enigmatic and fun to watch. Matthew Goode turned a character that was simply arrogant in the novel into a more subtle villainous character.

I have yet to find out who had the bright idea to hire Malin Akerman for the role of Silk Spectre II. It isn't a very crucial character but it was a character that was sorely miscast nonetheless. She was extremely attractive and this was the first problem was that Laurie Jupiter (Silk Spectre II) is meant to be someone much older and past her prime. I know this makes me a hypocrite for being upset about them doing something different from the novel. But some liberties that are taken don't even fit the main idea of the story, like casting Laurie Jupiter as someone much younger. Her performance was also extremely forced watching her act was something that was very uncomfortable for me to watch.

The soundtrack to the movie was something else that was completely off. There is a difference between a good soundtrack and a soundtrack with good songs and the Watchmen soundtrack was a soundtrack with good songs but not a good soundtrack. Every time a song would begin playing in the movie I raised my eyebrows wondering how this song could possibly fit with the tone of that particular scene in the movie. There were some songs that fit very well. The beautifully shot opening credit sequence accompanied by Bob Dylan's Times are Changin' was very well placed with the basic tone of the film. But putting songs by Jimi Hendrix and Simon and Garfunkel in what should be more emotional and thrilling scenes just didn't seem right.

It wasn't bad but it was just a poor adaptation that could have been done better.

2 out of 4 stars.

Fred Durst a Director????

Anyone that has seen the trailer for the new film The Education of Charlie Banks was sure to be surprised when they found the words "a film by Fred Durst" blaze across the screen. Most people looked upon the name in disbelief. I know I was one that did just that. I looked upon the name and thought, "No. It's a different Fred Durst. It's not the Fred Durst that did all for the nookie. It's not the Fred Durst that was the lead singer to Limp Bizkit." Well after some research I found out that the Fred Durst on the screen is that same Fred Durst.

I was surprised to find this out but wasn't necessarily upset. Limp Bizkit was never really taken seriously as a musical artist, but perhaps that's all the more reason that maybe things could work out for him in the movie business. He was also a musician that was able to relate to a younger generation. This movie centers around teenagers and teen angst so he might be able to capture the atmosphere that he was able to show through his music.


Early reviews have said that Fred Durst has found his true calling as a director and I am not willing to dispute this until I see the movie. Also Fred has directed several of his music videos, so he has experience in the technical aspects of film.


Regardless of the director, the movie looks absolutely fantastic. I can't decide what from the trailer draws me to the movie. It could be beautiful and hypnotic background song from Fredo Viola or a cast of slight unknowns that people have seen in this movie or the other that have all seemed to grow up and really bounce off each other well. It could be the curiosity to see how first time director Fred Durst will fair. Bottom line is, the movie should be given a chance.


Unfortunately, the movie will only be released in limited and I probably won't be able to see it until it comes out on DVD but I still plan to make a rental out of it.

Below Radar: Justin Long

Justin Long graduated from the same high school as me. This may be the reason that I began to follow his career when it started but the reason I have continued to watch him is because he has surprised as someone with a lot of comedic talent.

He began to be spotted on Hollywood's radar in Dodgeball. He was the kid that got hit by the wrench. Or the kid that got crushed by the rather large cheerleader. One thing that was for sure, he made audiences laugh through his physical comedy. This was my first chance to be able to tell people that this kid went to my high school. I would say, "the kid that got hit with the wrench. Yeah, he graduated from the same place as me." It wasn't exactly a badge of honor but it was a perk for every day conversation.

He took on a lead role in the lesser known Waiting... A movie, where he played the straight man to a very funny cast. He wasn't able to show a lot of his acting chops in this one. That material didn't really allow for that. But he still showed that he could be a straight man and play very well against some comedic heavy hitters such as Ryan Reynolds and Anna Farris.

He began to grow comfortable in his leading man status in the much lesser known and very underrated, Accepted. It wasn't a great movie but he made do with the dialogue he was given, proving himself worthy of leading man status.

Throughout his career, he has done several hilarious small parts along the way. No one plays gay funnier than him. He is one of the few good parts of the very flawed The Break-Up as the gay receptionist that made the movie almost tolerable. He started off Zack and Miri make a Porno, as a gay porn actor with a deep voice and cheesy confidence that set the tone to a very funny movie. He provided an entertaining moment in Idiocracy as a stupid doctor. He even took on the task of providing comic relief in the action movie Live Free or Die Hard. His most famous work is unfortunately in the Mac commercial series which everyone has seen.

Justin showed a different side to him when he starred in the most recent romantic comedy He's Just Not That Into You. This film, though very flawed, showed that Justin Long doesn't always have to make us laugh to entertain us. He showed that he could span further than comedy.

Justin Long has not had the lead in any masterpiece. He has never caught the attention of anyone serious and his goofy mug has never really been taken seriously but I can see a lot of potential and he is going to be big in the next few years. Justin Long has 8 projects he is working on currently, not all of them comedy. The future looks bright for this star. I would keep my eye on him.

The Calm After the Storm

The Oscars are over. It's over and now the cold loneliness of the winter has set in. It's the most relaxing time because there is nothing to see and instead of being intellectually stimulated (as James Franco puts it) from a movie, we can just sit back and enjoy a movie. Therefore let's all just sit back and enjoy the movies, finally. At least until the independent films begin to trickle down in the next few weeks!

Public Enemies

I have always been a fan of Michael Mann. He puts an original touch to everything he creates and films key emotional scenes with pure honesty. He is able to show personal conflict like no other. Whether it be through a cab driver and a contract killer in Collateral or a thief and a cop in Heat. The intensity of his atmosphere can even save some of his worse movies. Miami Vice was one of the worst movies of the summer of 2006. There was no character development and I had a hard time even believing that Crockett and Tubbs were partners. Yet I enjoyed the visual art that Michael Mann provided. So even if the story sucks, I will still have some enjoyment from the movie. Therefore, as a director Michael Mann has given us some great films and Public Enemies will be no exception.


From the trailer, the films looks to be shot in a vintage style much like Michael Mann's typical realistic filming that he uses often. This is going to be a film with a personal feel that Michael Mann often provides.


I am also very excited to see the performances in this movie. For the past few years, Johnny Depp was played a very many eccentric characters showing us his versatility. He has played every part to perfection but I am very pleased that he has finally been able to ground himself into a realistic character. I think that Johnny Depp has shown his versatility but needs to show us his subtlety more often. He did so, when he landed his second Academy Award nomination in Finding Neverland and was a joy to watch him play someone normal. Johnny Depp looks to have the foundation of a fantastic supporting cast on his side including the beautiful Marion Cotillard and the powerful Christian Bale. Both look to match Depp beautifully


While on the subject of performances, Michael Mann has directed several actors into performing amazing roles. He also has led several actors, including Russell Crowe, Will Smith, and Jamie Foxx, to Oscar Nominations in the past. Perhaps maybe there will be some performance nominations for this movie in the future. Until then, just sit back and watch what will probably be the best film of the summer.