May 2010 Archives

After a life full of turmoil, health problems, massive fame and embarrassing infamy, former child star Gary Coleman passed away Friday.  Hopefully, he can find the peace in death he never seemed to have in life.  

If the movie never gets made because of Lindsay's legal troubles, at least, we have the poster.

Before heading off on her infamous trip to Cannes, Lohan shot photos being used in posters for her next movie, Inferno, the story of porn star extraordinaire Linda Lovelace.

The movie could be Lohan's last chance at rescuing her decimated career, so every move, poster, trailer and commercial will be watched by me to see if she has any hope of fulfilling the promise we all thought she had after Mean Girls. 

See additional posters and photos at www.TylerShields.com.
   

Tyler Perry's star studded film, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf, has lost Mariah Carey, who has dropped out after ordered to do so by her doctor, according to US Magazine. 

I agree with Popeater, who points out Carey and her husband, Nick Cannon, denied rumors of pregnancy a few weeks ago, but have remained silent during this new round of speculation. 

Also, this is not the kind of movie you drop out of unless you have an amazing reason.  With co-stars like Whoopi Goldberg, Janet Jackson, Kimberly Elise, Kerry Washington and more, Oscar talk won't be far behind.    

With Nick promoting the premiere of America's Got Talent, maybe he will make an announcement in the next few days? 

If Sex and the City was Star Wars for girls, then Sex and the City 2 is The Empire Strikes Back. 

They don't care if you like it.  The devoted are heading to the Cineplex and they are ready to celebrate.  Luckily, they have a good reason to smile.   

I cannot remember another time in Hollywood history when a movie as heavily promoted as MacGruber failed this badly, especially one that wasn't too bad. 

Shrek still has some mojo as Shrek Forever After hauled in $72 Million this weekend to easily top the box office, but the failure of MacGruber cannot be ignored.

MacGruber didn't come in second.

It didn't come in third. 

Oh boy, it didn't even come in forth or fifth. 

The Saturday Night Live skit made into a feature length film brought in a paltry $4.1 Million this weekend, to rank #6 in box office take this weekend (I have a feeling Shrek may have made $4.1 Million in NYC and DC combined).

Poor Will Forte, it wasn't that bad, but MacGruber will be mentioned in the same breaths as Gigli, Pluto Nash and Cutthroat Island.  After showing his naked booty throughout the movie, Forte better get prepared to be the butt of many jokes for the rest of his life.

Shrek (voice by Mike Myers) should be living life happily ever after (it has been three movies already, get on with it!), but something just isn't working for the lovable, tubby ogre. 

While he has three great kids, Fiona (Cameron Diaz) is the best wife a dude could want and the entire world loves him (maybe a bit too much), Shrek isn't happy (is it male menopause?).  Domesticated bliss has our hero down in the dumps, feeling emasculated and wishing he could have life the way it used to be in his muddy, isolated swamp.  Now, he might get his chance.

Will Forte stars as his Saturday Night Live character, MacGruber - an explosives expert, real American hero, Navy SEAL, Army Green Beret, Marine and skilled lover all rolled into one. 

After his wife's tragic murder on July 4, 1999, everyone thought he was dead as well, but his former commander, Col. Faith (Powers Booth), wants to bring him back into action.

It might not be the biggest movie of the year. 

You probably haven't even heard of it. 

However, Mother and Child has what might be the first Oscar caliber performance of the year. 

Lindsay Lohan and her lawyer say LiLo is stuck in France and had her passport stolen, so she couldn't make it to court today.

The judge said that's bull, and issued a warrant for Lohan's arrest! 

After comparing director/producer Michael Bay to Hitler, which caused the Transformers' crew to write a letter publicly attacking and ridiculing her, it looks like Megan Fox's 15 minutes of fame are over.  They are making Transformers 3, and she's out.

This is good for everyone involved.  The atmosphere on set would have been poisonous with all of the anger and bad blood between Fox, Bay and the crew.  An actress who wants to be there will be happier and bring new energy to the sequel, while Fox gets to pursue projects she will be positive about.  Win - Win.

The giant cloud of ash rising from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano has caused all sorts of havoc across Europe, but it's now threatening America's national treasure. 

The woman who can singlehandedly effect Stolichnaya's stock price, Lindsay Lohan, is stuck at the Cannes Film Festival and might not make it back for her court date!
 

While in DC this evening premiering his new reality TV program and receiving the G.I. Spirit Award from the G.I. Film Festival, actor/director/producer Ricky Schroder dropped a bombshell on the audience - after 9/11, he tried to enlist in the Army, but they wouldn't take him.
 

He might be wearing chainmail, but he's no Iron Man.  He might as well wear the tights and pointy shoes! 
 

Every once in a while, we need to see a story about true love in all of its sappiness.  The sappy, sticky, sweet Letters to Juliet wants to be that movie for you no matter how much you try to fight it (in that way, it's like the Swine Flu).
 

I know most will call Just Wright a romantic comedy, but it feels more like a fairy tale to me (in the good way and the bad way).

Cases of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are more prevalent and better diagnosed than at any time in our military's history, and Glenn Close has taken a look at an innovative, effective and touching way people with PTSD can get help from man's best friend. 

Soldiers, sailors, flyboys and Marines (my Uncle was a Marine, so I refuse to call them jarheads) have been featured in movies for as long as movies have existed. 

However, the portrayal of the men and women in the military has evolved from John Wayne-style simplistic jingoistic fervor to realistic, nuanced and complex portrayals of the real challenges they face.  All of this is on display at the GI Film Festival May 11 - 16 here in DC.

Anyone who follows politics won't find it a revelation to discover that some abuse the system and line their pockets with ill gotten gains (I could never figure out how to do it, so I went into reviewing movies), but this story is a doozey.  It's so hot, Kevin Spacey will be appearing in a movie all about it, but you don't have to wait until later in 2010 to be shocked, surprised and saddened.

The summer movie season has begun, so I am wearing my speedo, rubbing that white stuff on my nose and looking for the coolest shades on the planet.  You know it is going to be a good summer when the biggest, baddest, most thrilling movie of the decade has delivered a sequel that lives up to the original.  Iron Man is back, and he still rocks.

The business of movies is changing in overt ways this week as we see more trailers being placed before the hot summer movies, while another video/DVD rental chain bites the dust.

Down Under rocker and movie star Russell Crowe was promoting his new movie, Robin Hood, when he let some info slip on a future project that might be dead due to one star's decision to walk away from the movie.

Crowe told reporters Beyonce has dropped out of planned remake of A Star is Born.  He was set to star as the aging musician who finds a young talented lady, helps train her, then falls for her. 

Beyonce was set to play the role of the young singer, which has brought a great deal of fame to Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland in previous versions of the story.

Now that Beyonce has moved on, who should Crowe be paired with?  Kelly Clarkson?  Katy Perry?  Ke$ha?  Lady Ga Ga? Jennifer Hudson?
       

There was some worry the sequel might be delayed, or not happen at all, but Warner Brothers has announced Batman will return on July 20, 2012 and director Christopher Nolan will be back at the helm. Of course, this doesn't answer the biggest question, who will be the villain?

After battling The Scarecrow, The Joker, and Two Face, who is left? 

We have heard Johnny Depp could play The Riddler. 

Philip Seymour Hoffman could be The Penguin. 

Even Angelina Jolie's name has been thrown around as a possible Catwoman.  I wouldn't bet on any of them.

I have a feeling Nolan wants to surprise us, and he has always shied away from the campier Batman stories from the past, so Penguin and Catwoman might not be original enough or daring enough for the director. 

At the end of The Dark Knight, the people of Gotham City think Batman is a bad guy who is wanted for the death of Harvey Dent, so the villain in the next Batman movie needs to be someone who uses this to his advantage to rise to power in Gotham City, even though he is despicable. 

Who fits the bill?
 

One mugger got the surprise of his life the other night in LA when an attempt to pilfer someone else's cash led to a run in with his favorite actor.

Johnny Depp was in LA to record a guitar solo for British singer Stephen Jones.  As they left the studio late at night, a man wielding a broken bottle approached Jones, but Depp wasn't going to have any of that under his watch.

Acting more like Batman than Captain Jack Sparrow, the Pirates of the Caribbean star stepped in between the two and told the mugger to back off.  In a moment that could only happen in Hollywood, the mugger responded, "I ain't stealing from Captain Jack," and put the bottle down.

Maybe this is how we can cut down on crime in America.  Hollywood stars can accompany people walking home late at night or patrol mall parking lots.  Of course, only stars we like can participate to make it work, so Jesse James can't participate.