April 2011 Archives

Eat up all of that Easter candy, but leave some room for popcorn because the summer movie season explodes onto the screen this weekend with Fast Five.  

Set in Rio, Vin Diesel returns as Dominic Toretto, and he has brought back everyone who has ever been in a Fast and the Furious movie (even the dude from Tokyo Drift!) to help pull off a heist after he, his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) and best pal Brian (Paul Walker) get double crossed by Rio's biggest crime lord, Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida).  

Not only is the trio on the run for breaking Dom out of jail, but the double cross has left them looking guilty for the murder of federal agents chasing after Reyes, so the gang also is being pursued by one of the FBI's best, Agent Hobbs (Dwayne "I will still call him The Rock" Johnson, and you know that means ... The Rock and Vin Diesel are going to throw down in the most brutal tussle this side of Jersey Shore!).

Can Dom and the gang steal the money and get away forever?

It looks like they saved all of the good stuff for Part 2.  July 15 cannot come fast enough.

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart have been branching out from the Twilight franchise with differing levels of success.  Now, Wolf Boy makes his move as a kid who may have been abducted years ago and raised by people he always believed to be his real Mom and Dad.  Sounds cool, but I am worried about the bigger, more action/conspiracy theme that seems to be emerging late in the trailer.

Will you be there on opening day?

Forget about all of that silly talk that took place earlier this year.  The Oscars in 2012 will be held on Sunday, February 26 as announced by The Academy today.  For those of you who are as geeky as me, the list of deadlines, voting and more can be seen at Deadline.com.  Go ahead and whip out that iPhone or Droid to put the dates in your calendar. 

This announcement comes as a relief to many Oscar fans, like me, who were afraid The Academy would hold the ceremony a month earlier in an attempt to lessen the impact of other pre-cursor awards and shorten the campaign season.  Luckily, this gives everyone the right amount of time to see all of the movies, as well as all of the analysis we get to engage in after The Critics Choice, Golden Globes and guild awards.

Now, can we get a good host?

Has anybody else seen the ads for this insane game show, Repo Games? 

The show follows a couple repo men as they go out and perform their duty to take back property from those who have not been making the payments on cars, trucks, etc.

However, there is a twist, and this is where it gets ugly.

Robert Pattinson chops off the Twilight hair and ditches the fangs to prove he can be more than a pouty, pale vampire as he plays a young man, Jacob, who loses everything during the Depression and runs off to join the circus in Water for Elephants.

He's joined by Reese Witherspoon as Marlena - the circus owner's wife and main attraction who captures Pattinson's eye.  Meanwhile, Christoph Waltz is that maniacal owner, August, who is full of evil at one moment and pure charm the next.  

Who will Marlena choose?

How much danger has Jacob gotten himself into?

I knew this was a different kind of Disney movie when the lion starts to pursue a warthog through the grass of the savanna, the warthog stands there looking at her and seemingly telling her through mental telepathy, "Remember Hakuna Matata?", and she does not.  She remembers warthogs are tasty.

If it is almost Earth Day, it is time for Disney to roll out a nature themed documentary.  In this year's look at the world around us, Samuel L. Jackson narrates the story of African lions and cheetahs on the savanna fighting for survival and keeping the species alive.  However, you must be prepared.  It's a jungle out there, and directors Keith Scholey and Alastair Fothergill (sounds like the name of a character in an Adam Sandler movie) aren't afraid to show us life and death on that rugged savanna.

We get to see to prides of lions engaged in a turf battle that makes the Crips and Bloods look like the Jets and Sharks.

Don't write off Dumbstruck as a movie about a bunch of dummies or sideshow freaks.  You will be amazed at the heart and soul on display, and get hooked by the exhilarating and devastating stories.  

In this documentary, director Mark Goffman brings us to the Vent Haven Convention - the world's largest meet up of ventriloquists.  Yes, it's an eclectic group of people, but Goffman focuses in on 5 of the most interesting and allows us to follow their lives from the dream come true story of Terry Fator, who won America's Got Talent and secured a $100 million contract to perform in Vegas, to the struggles of Wilma, who soldiers on with her show even though she's on the brink of losing everything and doesn't seem to be heading towards anything. 

As I mentioned Tuesday night as we discussed Charlie Sheen's visit to DC, the most controversial moment was not revealing he is a birther or saying something about Sarah Palin. 

It was the police escort from Dulles to Constitution Hall.

Where do we start?  After one of the craziest days in the crazy life of Charlie Sheen, the former star of Two and a Half Men took to the stage of DAR Constitution Hall Tuesday night at about 9 PM to joke about running for president, say some stuff about estranged wife Brooke Mueller and face down a few hecklers.

What will be the biggest controversy to emerge from Charlie's time in DC?

My buddy Kyle Osborne at EntertainmentorDie.com reports Charlie's show will start at 9 PM tonight at Constitution Hall according to Charlie's rep.

It has been a crazy day in Sheen World, so let's see what he has to say when he hits the stage.

UPDATE: Charlie Sheen has lost his bid for full custody of his twin boys.  The court has upheld the previous custody agreement, which gives estranged wife Brooke Mueller primary custody of the kids. 

Rumor has it Mueller is undergoing treatment for substance abuse and her mother will be taking care of the children during this time.  Sheen was seen leaving the courtroom at approximately 2 PM EDT, and might be on his way to DC as planned.  We'll keep updating throughout the day in an attempt to confirm he is in the air and flying to DC for tonight's show.    

UPDATE: Charlie, Brooke, Brooke's Mom, and Goddess Natalie all are in court today for the custody hearing over Charlie and Brooke's twin boys.  Denise Richards has offered to temporarily take custody of the boys while Brooke and Charlie deal with whatever you want to call it.

UPDATE: The judge removed media from the courtroom to deal with, "questions of abuse."  This case could go on long into the day, which isn't good for DC fans who want to see Charlie tonight. 

UPDATE: As of 12:30 PM, Constitution Hall says Charlie is still scheduled to appear tonight.

I know those of you with tickets to the Tuesday night, April 19 Charlie Sheen's My Violent Torpedo of Truth Tour stop at DAR Constitution Hall might not want to hear this, but TMZ is reporting Charlie is scheduled to be in Los Angeles for an emergency custody hearing regarding his two boys with wife Brooke Mueller, who just checked into rehab.

Yes, Charlie wants to make a personal plea to the judge to have immediate and full custody of the twin boys, and will be asking for permission to have them join him on the last two weeks of his tour, according to TMZ. 

Problem #1 - Can Charlie make the appearance in LA and jet back across the country to DC in time to walk onto the stage at Constitution Hall?  Any hearing wouldn't start until 12 PM EDT, we don't know how long the proceedings would take, and the flight from LA to DC could be anywhere from 5 - 6 hours long. 

Problem #2 - Will the judge order Charlie to keep the boys in LA at his mansion so as to not cause the young boys further disruptions in their lives?  These poor kids need some stability.  Granted, life with the goddesses and party pals in LA is not exactly growing up on Sesame Street, but it's easier on everyone involved than suddenly, without any planning, uprooting them and having them travel from town to town.

Problem #3 - Will Charlie have to volunteer to remove himself from the road to win custody and prove dedication to his children?  Let's face it, Charlie needs to score points with the judge.  A move like that might be completely necessary.

We'll keep our ear to the ground and eyes on the skies to track the story on Tuesday.

   

Nic Cage fought the law, and the law won.

Early Saturday morning, Cage was arrested after an altercation with his wife on the streets of New Orleans.  The actor, said to be very drunk, and his wife were seen walking home to a rental property where they are staying while Cage is in town making a new movie, Medallion.

According to TMZ.com, Cage and his wife got into an argument over the exact location of their rental home, and Cage was seen grabbing and pulling her down the street.

Much like you don't want the opening act to upstage the headliner at a concert, someone might want to pull that short cartoon featuring our favorite Ice Age character, Scrat, which runs before Rio.  It's so fantastic, it upstages an average, but funny, feature presentation.

In this animated film, Jesse "The Social Network" Eisenberg provides the voice of Blu - a rare macaw poached in Rio to be sold in America, and, after an accident, picked up by a sweet girl in Minnesota, Linda (Amy Mann).  Linda and Blu are best buddies for 15 years, until a strange, nerdy, oddly sexy scientist guy, Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro), shows up and informs her that Blu is one of only two of these particular macaws, and convinces her to bring Blu back to Rio so he can, ummmm, continue the species with Jewel (Anne Hathaway).  

Unfortunately, Jewel doesn't have much interest in this domesticated macaw who can't fly, but the two of them find themselves on the run again as more poachers try to grab them up and smuggle them out for profit.

Will Blu and Jewel find true love?

Can Linda and Tulio find them before it is too late?

Based on the true story, and it's up to you to figure out if you believe the version told here, Robin Wright stars as Mary Surratt - the owner of a boarding house in DC where the men who conspired to kill President Lincoln, Vice President Johnson and Secretary of State Seward used to hold their planning sessions.  After Lincoln's assassination, the country is in turmoil and mourning, so Secretary of War, and Lincoln confidante, Edwin Stanton (Kevin Kline), moves swiftly to have the conspirators rounded up and put on trial.

Surratt claims she is innocent with no participation in the plot, and young Civil War hero Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy) is cajoled into defending her by his mentor, Senator Reverdy Johnson (Tom Wilkinson).  Aiken is convinced of her guilt like most of the nation, but, as he dives deeper into the case, he starts to question Surratt's guilt, the process and the fairness of what is happening in the proceedings.

Is Mary Surratt guilty?

Does it even matter?

Get ready to start dancing the Macarena again because Scream 4 is spearheading 90's nostalgia with a vengeance.

On the 15th anniversary of the Woodsboro murders (and the 15th anniversary of the first Scream movie), Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) triumphantly has returned to her hometown on the last stop of her book tour (people still read books?).  Of course, trouble has followed as well.  

Someone has taken on the guise of the Ghostface Killer, and he's recreating those murders that took place 15 years ago.  While Sidney is put under 24-hour protection, the local high school kids, including Olivia (Marielle Jaffe), Kirby (Hayden Panettiere), Sidney's cousin Jill (Emma Roberts), Charlie (Rory Culkin) and more are trying to avoid being the next victim.

Can Dewey (David Arquette) and Gale (Courtney Cox) find the killer before it is too late?

Who will live and who will die?

For years, I have been telling you about THE GREATEST HORROR MOVIE EVER, The Woman In Black.  It's a British made-for-TV movie about a young lawyer sent off to a small town to wrap up the affairs of a deceased, but wealthy client.  Once there, the young lawyer keeps seeing a mysterious woman in black, who no one else wants to talk about it!

I am not lying when I tell you I had to stop the video 3 or 4 times because it was so intense.  Now, Daniel Radcliffe is starring in the remake.  I hope they don't ruin it, but this teaser trailer makes me think they will capture the proper spirit. 

We all remember the last time Charlie Sheen was in The Big Apple. 

Who could forget the naked porn star, $7000 in damages to his room at The Plaza, the lost watch, admitting to the cops he spent the night drinking and doing coke, and, lest we leave out this detail, ending up in the hospital with "an allergic reaction" instead of getting arrested?

I guess you could say things went better this time around, but not by much as The Violent Torpedo of Truth Tour was met with resistance and heckling Friday night, and a standing ovation on Sunday.

Randy, Risque Russell "Mr. Katy Perry" Brand makes an attempt to get caught between the moon and New York City in this remake of Arthur, but he's no Dudley Moore.  Yet, it's still a decent movie, contrary to the impression left by the studio's marketing efforts.   

Brand is Arthur - the heir to a massive fortune, who has no sense of responsibility and an undying love for alcohol and partying (No, it was not based on Paris Hilton).  All of his nonsense has forced his mother (Geraldine James) to give him an ultimatum.  The family business is suffering, since Arthur looks like a fool who will destroy it if he ascends to the position of big cheese, so Mom tells him to marry her top assistant and the brains behind the operation, Susan (Jennifer Garner).  If he doesn't, Arthur is cutoff.

Will Arthur marry Susan?

What will happen when he meets the love of his life, Naomi (Greta Gerwig)?

Based on the true story (and I know it is true because I have seen this girl on Good Morning America, and you can believe anything you see on TV), AnnaSophia Robb stars Bethany Hamilton - a Hawaiian teen who dreams of becoming a professional surfer.   As you can imagine, it's hard to get her out of the water, but all of the work is paying off as her career is skyrocketing, along with her pal, Alana (Lorraine "Yes, that is the daughter of Jack" Nicholson).  

However, tragedy strikes one morning when a shark comes out of nowhere and chomps off Bethany's left arm!!!!!!!

Will she have what it takes to bounce back and compete again?

Is it possible to do with one arm?

She didn't eat a peanut butter Snickers before surfing, did she?

Saoirse Ronan stars as Hanna - a 16-year old girl who has been raised in the middle of a forested tundra far away from modern conveniences like running water, cell phones and the internet. 

Her father, Erik (Eric Bana), has been hiding her and training her to be a lethal assassin, and we find out why when CIA Agent Marissa (Cate Blanchett) comes looking for both of them.  Now, they are on the run with a plan to separate and rendezvous in Berlin.  

Why does the CIA want Hanna?

Yes, I have been in a trailer kind of mood the last few days, but the movies have inspired hope and anticipation in my soul.

I know people might be getting a bit tired about stories featuring characters losing their jobs and seeing their businesses fail (hits too close to home for just about all of us), but Will Ferrell is showcasing his acting ability in Everything Must Go.

Check it out and let me know if you are as excited as I am.

Ryan Gosling wants to show us he can do comedy, and Steve Carell wants to remind us he can do heartfelt sweetness. Both look amazing in Crazy Stupid Love, which opens in July.

Julianne Moore was very excited about this movie when I spoke to her last summer.  Now, we know why.

Did Keanu Reeves bow through his Matrix money already? 

Does he want to buy a luxury yacht or a brand new mansion?

Whatever the motivation, Keanu Reeves revealed a new Bill & Ted sequel is in the works, and the script is supposed to be ready in the next 6 weeks. 

I smell disaster all over this one.  You are asking us to care about characters who have not been on screen since 1991, and were complete creations of their time.  Wouldn't it be sad and pathetic to see them as 50-year old stoners?

What will the sequel be all about?

Check out the video after the jump.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader

I have to admit, the biggest surprise about The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was the fact that they are still making Chronicles of Narnia Movies.

As World War II rages across Europe, the Pevensie kids are back, at least the ones still under contract (Georgie Henley as Lucy and Skandar Keynes as Edmund), and they have an annoying cousin, Eustace (Will Pouter, although, you might as well call this kid Cousin Oliver), joining them as they are summoned back to Narnia to help Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) find his father's greatest allies and defeat pure evil (yes, this is where I am supposed to insert the Paris Hilton joke, but I will let you do it).

Can they find the seven swords that are key to winning? 

Is Cousin Eustace up to the task?

Read more about Voyage of the Dawn Treader here.


Little Fockers

If you loved the first two Focker movies, are you in for a treat as they rehash and retell almost every joke and complication you saw in the first two movies!  There's so much recycling of jokes and plots, I thought Al Gore was one of the screenwriters.

Ben Stiller is back as Greg Focker - the male nurse who married Pam (Teri Polo) and has spent several years terrorized by her father, Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro).  However, Jack is starting to come to grips with his own mortality, so he is worried about who will become the family patriarch (Yes, Little Fockers is a movie that feels like it was written in the 1950's, until the dirty stuff kicks in).  Of course, he wants to see if Greg has what it takes be The Man, so he's off to Chicago for the grandkids birthday party, and a thorough examination of his son-in-law.

Will Greg pass the test?

Is there anything to laugh at?

Read more about Little Fockers here.

Tron: Legacy

Is it really a legacy when barely anyone remembers the first movie, and most of those who do remember it do not do so fondly?

Garrett Hedlund stars as Sam Flynn - the rebellious heir to the Encom fortune left behind by his long lost father, Kevin (Jeff Bridges).  He's not all that interested in the corporate world, and his only interaction with the company is an annual prank he pulls to annoy those who actually work there instead of collecting riches because they won the gene pool lottery and inherited it from Daddy, but I digress.

His father's old pal and trusted right hand man, Alan Brady (Bruce Boxleitner), has received a strange page from Kevin (pagers still work in 2010?), which leads Sam to go investigate his father's secret office.  Once there, Sam is sucked into a virtual computer world, and finds Kevin. 

Can the two figure out a way to get themselves back into the real world?

Read more about Tron: Legacy.



I Love You, Phillip Morris

Based on the true story (and the writers/directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra didn't have to embellish it all that much), Jim Carrey stars as Steven Russell - a man who has decided to live life to its fullest, even if that means stealing to do it.  After a mundane life as a married man and father, Steven has decided to be true to himself, come out of the closet, and live a life of luxury financed by a series of cons. 

Of course, he gets caught and sent to jail, but that is where Steven meets the love of his life, Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor). 

Can Steven and Phillip find a way to live life together?

Will they ever get out of jail?

Read more about I Love You, Phillip Morris here.





Casino Jack

Based on the true story, Kevin Spacey stars as Jack Abramoff - the most notorious lobbyist in the history of Washington, DC politics.  After a short career as a Hollywood producer, Abramoff set his sights on building an empire in DC as a lobbyist, restaurateur, scion of education and all around man about town.  However, he built that empire by swindling some American Indian tribes trying to build casinos, attempting to buy a floating casino in Florida and playing fast and loose with the law.

Casino Jack is entertaining, but needs more detail, background and storytelling.  Spacey, along with co-stars Barry Pepper and Jon Lovitz, do a great job creating the characters and making us laugh at their gonzo antics, but director George Hickenlooper and writer Norman Snider don't give us enough of the story to understand exactly what is happening and the extent of the illegality in motion.

Luckily, I'm a DC guy, so I knew the story, but, if you have a life and didn't follow the scandalous tale as it developed, you might find yourself trying to figure out what is happening on the screen.

Read more about Casino Jack here.

Charlie Sheen's My Violent Torpedo Of Truth/Defeat Is Not An Option Tour got off to a rocky start in Detroit over the weekend, but Charlie might have found redemption in Chicago. 

Is this crazy road show going to be able to survive and make it to DC on April 19?

Even after all of the insufferable promotion on NBC and NBC-owned properties (I was hoping for the chef-testants on Top Chef to capture that little animated bunny hopping across the screen and make a delicious stew), I'm still trying to think positive thoughts about Hop.   

James Marsden stars as Fred O'Hare - an unemployed dude in LA who isn't sure what he wants to do with his life.  While under a great deal of pressure from his father to get to work and move out of the family abode, no job interview ever pans out.  To get out of the house and live large for a little while, Fred agrees to housesit the boss's place for his sister, Sam (Kaley Cuoco).  

Of course, while there, Frank runs into E.B. (voice by Russell Brand) - the teen future Easter Bunny who has run away from home on the eve of his coronation to find fame and fortune as a drummer.  He's quite the handful, but the two find a kinship that might help both deal with their fathers and growing up.     

Will E.B. find his lucky break and make it big?

Will Frank be able to find a job and prove he's not some slacker?

Think of it as a Sci Fi Groundhog Day, but don't ever think Jake is cooler than Bill Murray.

Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Colter Stevens - a helicopter pilot shot down in Afghanistan who wakes up in the body of another man riding a Chicago bound train with a sexy gal pal, Christina (Michelle "I'd ride a train with her any day" Monaghan).  Stevens quickly discovers that train was blown up by a terrorist, and he is part of a mysterious mission where he must go back in time to the same 8 minutes before the attack over and over again until he learns who was behind it.  While he is not exactly sure what this is all about, according to his handler, Colleen (Vera Farmiga), Stevens's efforts will stop another attack that takes place later in the day.   

Will Stevens be able to find the terrorist?

Should he stop the train attack?

Will the mission be compromised when he starts to enjoy the company of Christina?

Is he in danger?

Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne star as Josh and Renai - a married couple moving into their dream house with the family.  As quick as you can say, "bump in the night," the clan is subject to some strange occurrences. 

Stuff is being moved around the house. 

Noises are calling to them from the attic, and their son, Dalton (Ty Simpkins), has fallen into a strange coma no doctor can explain.  

As more frightening incidents occur, will Josh and Renai be able to keep their family safe?

What is plaguing Dalton?  

Is the house haunted ... or worse?

Big fans of How I Met Your Mother (BTW, seen on DC50tv every weeknight at 6 PM and 6:30 PM) get to see actor Josh "Ted Mosby" Radnor show off his writing and directing skills as well, but it's co-star Malin Ackerman who proves to be more than a pretty face.

In one of those movies where twentysomething hipsters talk about their feelings, Radnor plays Sam - a struggling writer who meets a lost little boy, Rasheen (Michael Algieri), and starts to take care of him, while also trying to win the heart of Mississippi (Kate Mara).

Meanwhile, Sam's best friend, Annie (Ackerman), struggles with an illness that causes baldness, while fending off the romantic advances of a dorky co-worker, Sam #2 (Tony Hale).

Then, because we need more people talking and feeling the angst, the audience gets to take a peek into the lives of Mary (Zoe Kazan) and Charlie (Pablo Schreiber) as they struggle with staying together and weigh the possibilities of leaving NYC for LA (YIKES!). 

I'll leave it to others to discuss the controversy surrounding Miral.  I'd rather talk about how it is an interesting movie with good acting.

Based partially on the life of writer Rula Jebreal, think of Miral as the story of several generations of women with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as a backdrop.  Hiam Abbass stars as Hind Husseini - a Palestinian who starts a home and school for orphans after finding 55 children hiding from a military clash in 1948.  Throughout the course of several decades, we see the various people aided by Husseini, and her efforts to keep the school out of the political and military battle that wages on around them.

One of these young people is Miral (Frieda Pinto), who gets involved in the PLO and brings more attention to the school and her family than many want.