A rep for Eminem says the rapper’s daughter, 16-year old Hailie Mathers, did NOT slam Taylor Swift as a very promiscuous young woman today, following a series of Tweets attributed to the teenager. Amidst rumors of Swift dating Harry Styles , Twitter was abuzz a few hours ago over the following words posted by @hailiejade_x: “If Taylor Swift is really dating the love of my life Harry Styles I will not be happy… Dear Taylor Swift, please stop whoring around with every guy you see. We all know you’re only doing it so you can make another album.” HARSH! Following major backlash from T. Swizzle supporters, the user wrote “Wow, I didn’t mean for people to react to my tweet in the way that they have it was just a bit of fun! Sorry Taylor Swift for my immaturity.” But Eminem’s rep tells E! News that Mathers was never behind the insults and the account has since been deleted. Good, we say. Good riddance!
The Oscar-winning producer of this year’s anti-Obama doc 2016 Obama’s America is calling foul after the Academy released its Documentary Shortlist for Oscar consideration earlier this week. [ Related: Academy Names 15 As Best Documentary Oscar Contenders; ‘Central Park Five’ Snubbed ] Gerald Molen, who produced 1994’s Schindler’s List (with Steven Spielberg and Branko Lustig) won the Academy Award for Best Picture said political bias is to blame for 2016 not making the cut of 15 titles to advance to the next round. Directed by Dinesh D’Souza, the pic took in a cool $33.44 million domestically, earning more at the box office than the 15 who did advance to Oscar-nomination eligibility combined. Molen, however, said D’Souza believed the Academy – which is criticized by conservatives of being largely liberally biased – might snub the doc. “Dinesh warned me this might happen,” Molen said with a laugh, according to THR . “The action confirms my opinion that the bias against anything from a conservative point of view is dead on arrival in Hollywood circles. The film’s outstanding success means that America went to see the documentary in spite of how Hollywood feels about it.” 2016 Obama’s America is not the only box office cash-cow that didn’t make the short list for 2012. Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz’s Katy Perry: Part of Me did not join the fifteen. Though not quite as successful as 2016 , the Katy Perry movie did gross over $25.3 million domestically (and over $32 million worldwide). Both D’Souza’s 2016 and Michael Moore’s 2004 not-so-subtle anti-Bush smash Fahrenheit 9/11 may indicate an emerging cinematic convention: Anti-presidential incumbent non-fictions turn out the crowds, but not the Oscar nominations. Fahrenheit outstripped 2016 at the box office, taking in over $119 million in 2004 dollars and it even scored the Cannes Palme d’Or that year. But it did not receive an Oscar nomination. Still, the Oscar snub has caught the eire of its filmmakers and they’re not above throwing a bit of light-hearted shade to some of those films that did make the list this week. “I want to thank the Academy for not nominating our film,” D’Souza said. “By ignoring 2016, the top-performing box-office hit of 2012, and pretending that films like Searching for Sugar Man and This Is Not a Film are more deserving of an Oscar, our friends in Hollywood have removed any doubt average Americans may have had that liberal political ideology, not excellence, is the true standard of what receives awards.” [ Source: THR ]
Slamdance set its competition lineup Wednesday with 12 Narrative titles and 10 documentaries joining the film festival’s roster at the 19th annual event which coincides with the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT. This year, 13 World Premieres and seven U.S. debuts will screen in competition, chosen out of 5,000 submissions. “Our goal is to showcase exhilarating filmmaking with a revolutionary take on our world,” commented Slamdance president and co-founder Peter Baxter on the festival website. “These filmmakers have a tremendous ability to innovate, explore and revitalize the independent filmmaking landscape.” The 2013 Slamdance Film Festival will take place January 18 – 24. The festival’s competition lineup follows with descriptions and credits provided by Slamdance. NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION: The Narrative Competition is comprised of American and International productions. All 12 films are feature debuts with budgets of less than $1 million, and were programmed entirely from blind submissions. Best Friends Forever / Director: Brea Grant, Screenwriters: Brea Grant, Vera Miao (USA) World Premiere Harriet and Reba hit the road in this darkly comedic apocalypse tale that explores the boundaries of friendship, the danger of hipsters, and nuclear fallout. Cast: Brea Grant, Vera Miao, Sean Maher, Glen Powell, Kit Williamson, Alex Berg, Alex Fernie, Stacey Storey Big Words /Director and Screenwriter: Neil Drumming (USA) World Premiere A lively drama that captures members of a once-promising hip-hop group, now in their late 30’s, as they struggle with regret, disappointment, and change on Election Night 2008. Cast: Darien Sills-Evans, Dorian Missick, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Yaya Alafia, Zachary Booth, Amir Arison, Jean Grae The Court of Shards / Director and Screenwriter: Jan Eilhardt (Germany) World Premiere In this experimental narrative, two disabled women fight in their own way to maintain their independent loves and lives against an overpoweringly caring family. Cast: Caroline Fricke, Silvia Giehle, Natalia Bondar, Frank Hoffmann, Doris Egbring-Kahn The Dirties / Director: Matt Johnson, Screenwriters: Matt Johnson, Evan Morgan, Josh Boles (Canada) World Premiere Two best friends think it would be funny to make a movie about getting revenge on the bullies at their school. One of them isn’t joking. Cast: Matt Johnson, Owen Williams, Krista Madison, David Matheson, Brandon Wickens, Josh Boles, Alen Delaine, Jay McCarrol Fynbos / Director: Harry Patramanis, Screenwriters: Harry Patramanis, Jonathan Glatzer (South Africa) US Premiere On a lavish and remote property, within the walls of a glass house, six lives intersect and lay bare their secrets and psyches in this twisting drama. Cast: Jessica Haines, Warrick Grier, Cara Roberts, Chad Philips, Susan Danford, Sthandiwe Kgoroge, John Herbert Billy Chen Presents: Ghost Team One / Directors: Ben Peyser, Scott Rutherford, Screenwriters: Andrew Knauer, Arthur Pielli, Scott Rutherford, Ben Peyser (USA) World Premiere A subversive, comedic take on the found footage genre, where two roommates deathly afraid of ghosts both fall in love with a girl who believes their home is haunted. Cast: Carlos Santos, Fernanda Romero, J.R. Villarreal, Meghan Folcone, Tony Cavalero, James Babson, Scott MacArthur, Craig Stott Hank and Asha / Director: James E. Duff, Screenwriters: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison (USA) World Premiere In this voyeuristic love story, an Indian student in Prague and a lonely New Yorker correspond online through video letters – two strangers aching for human connection in a hyper-connected world. Cast: Andrew Pastides, Mahira Kakkar He’s Way More Famous Than You / Director: Michael Urie, Screenwriters: Halley Feiffer, Ryan Spahn (USA) World Premiere A struggling actress will stop at nothing to get her movie made in this sharp comedy, bolstered by absurdist touches and a bravura lead performance. Cast: Halley Feiffer, Ryan Spahn, Tracee Chimo, Jesse Eisenberg, Mammie Gummer, Michael Urie, Ralph Macchio , Natasha Lyonne, Ben Stiller Joy De V. / Director and Screenwriter: Nadia Szold (USA) World Premiere An expressionistic, gritty look at the intersection of madness and love that follows a young con-artist who wakes up to discover his pregnant wife is missing. Cast: Evan Louison, Claudia Cardinale, Josephine de La Baume, Iva Gocheva, Victoria Imperioli Kohlhaas / Director and Screenwriter: Aron Lehmann (Germany) US Premiere An obsessed director and his cast seek to adapt the true story of a 16th-century revolutionary when their actions behind the scenes begin to mimic the book’s subject. Cast: Robert Gwisdek, Jan Messutat, Thorsten Merten, Rosalie Thomass, Michael Fuith, Heiko Pinkowski Visitors / Director: Constanze Knoche, Screenwriters: Leis Bagdach, Constanze Knoche (Germany) US Premiere Three adult siblings are surprised by their parents’ announcement that they are cutting off finances in this commanding and evocative look at the oppressive results of stasis. Cast: Uwe Kockisch, Corinna Kirchhoff, Irina Potapenko, Jakob Diehl, Anne Muller, Anjorka Strechel, Bernhard Schütz, Andreas Leupold, Janusz Kocaj, Mehdi Nebbou What Isn’t There / Director: Marie Jamora, Screenwriters: Marie Jamora, Ramon De Veyra (Philippines) US Premiere In this lyrical exploration of love, music and expression, a self-imposed mute returns home for Christmas and the anniversary of his twin brother’s accidental death. Cast: Dominic Roco, Annicka Dolonius, Boboy Garrovillo, Dawn Zulueta, Felix Roco, Alchris Galura, Mercedes Cabral, Marc Abaya DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION: The Documentary Competition is comprised of American and International productions. All 10 films are directorial debuts with budgets of less than $1 million, and were programmed entirely from blind submissions. Battery Man / Directors and Screenwriters: Dusan Saponja, Dusan Cavic (Serbia) US Premiere Thanks to the powers he discovered by accident, Biba Struja has spent his entire life experimenting with electricity and proving to himself and others that it cannot harm him. Cast: Slavisa Pajkic Bible Quiz / Director: Nicole Teeny (USA) World Premiere Seventeen-year-old Mikayla memorizes books of the Bible on her quest to win the National Bible Quiz Championship and the heart of JP, her quiz team captain. The film explores coming of age in the face of faith, doubt, fierce competition and teen love. Cast: Mikayla Irle, JP O’Connor, Christopher Teeny, Brandon Duffy, Rich Nelson, Rachel Dawson, Rachel Holley, Gary Irle The Bitter Buddha / Director: Steven Feinartz (USA) Cult-Comic Eddie Pepitone’s life is on display in this unhinged portrait of creativity, enlightenment and rage. Cast: Eddie Pepitone, Zach Galifianakis, Sarah Silverman, Patton Oswalt, Sean Conroy, Paul Provenza, Dana Gould, Marc Maron The Brotherhood of the Traveling Rants / Directors: Gavin McInnes, Steve Durand, Bryan Gaynor (USA/Canada) World Premiere ‘Godfather of hipsterdom’ Gavin McInnes goes on a stand-up comedy tour with his best friend from high school and things go from bad to worse to downright catastrophic. Cast: Gavin McInnes, Steve Durand, Bryan Gaynor The Institute / Director: Spencer McCall, Screenwriters: Uriah Findley, Spencer McCall (USA) Is it a cult? Is it a game? Or is it a life-changing adventure? Cast: Daniel Shoup, Arye Michael Bender, Carolee Gilligan Wheeler, Garland Glessner, Michael Wertz, Kiyomi Tanouye, Geordie Aiken, Jeff Hull The Last Shepherd / Director and Screenwriter: Marco Bonfanti (Italy) US Premiere Renato, the last traveling shepherd left in Milan, has a dream – get to the inaccessible center of the city to meet the children who have never seen a flock of sheep. Cast: Renato Zucchelli, Piero Lombardi, Lucia Zucchelli, Patrizia Frisoli, Hedy Krissane, Barbara Sorrentini (voice) My Name is Faith / Directors: Jason Banker, Jorge Torres-Torres, Tiffany Sudela-Junker (USA) US Premiere Faith, a 13-year-old girl who suffers from Reactive Attachment Disorder, attempts to heal from the trauma inflicted by her birthmother’s lifestyle. Running Wild: The Life of Dayton O. Hyde / Director: Suzanne Mitchell (USA) World Premiere The inspiring journey of a remarkable cowboy who triumphs in his quest to protect wild horses and the American West. Cast: Dayton O. Hyde Where I Am / Director and Screenwriter: Pamela Drynan (Ireland) World Premiere The courageous story of Gay American writer Robert Drake and his struggle to recover and return to the scene of a crime in Ireland, where, he was left for dead more than 10 years ago. Cast: Robert Drake Without Shepherds / Director: Cary McClelland (Pakistan/USA) World Premiere Six bold individuals struggle to find their role in the turbulent waters of Pakistan and build a better tomorrow. Cast: Vaneeza Ahmad, Arieb Azhar, Abdullah Khan, Imran Khan, Ibrahim Waheed, Laiba Yousafzai
Here’s an easy formula to get attention for your Worst Movies of 2012 list. Take the unfathomable big-budget box-office failure that’s likely to top a lot of these year-end thumbsuckers — and make it number two. Next, single out an ambitious film by a trio of filmmakers with a passionate following. Put it at the top (or is it the bottom?) of your list and wait for their fans to scream. That’s what Time magazine , in the role of media Old Georgie, has done with its “Top 10 Worst Films” list for the year. Writer Mary Pols chose the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer’ s collaboration Cloud Atlas as the year’s stinkiest over Disney’s summer bomb John Carter. And I’m calling bullshit. Before I explain, take a look at Pols’ entire list: 10. One For The Money 9. T he Odd Life Of Timothy Green 8. What To Expect When You’re Expecting 7. Alex Cross 6. The Lorax 5. This Means War 4. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter 3. Hyde Park on Hudson 2. John Carter 1. Cloud Atlas Most of those movies are largely formulaic and, in some cases, cynical attempts to put asses in seats. They should be on the list, particularly the aptly named One For The Money and What to Expect When Your Expecting, which would have tied for worst movie had I been doing the ranking. (Even though Jennifer Lopez is the mother of twins in real life, I cannot summon the suspension of disbelief to buy her as a parent in the movies.) Yes, Cloud Atlas is an unwieldy, problematic movie that could have used a good streamlining in terms of the sheer number of stories that were adapted from David Mitchell’s novel, but a film this ambitious — and unabashedly spiritual at its core — does not deserve to be on a list of the year’s worst. Movieline’s chief critic Alison Willmore explained it beautifully in her review: Cloud Atlas strives continually for transcendence and only sometimes grasps it, but the sincerity with which it pursues the emotion and the very idea of the reverberating impact selfless actions can have is quite moving. It’s rare, these days, to see a movie declare its aims for greatness so openly and without a leaden sense of self-importance. And though the film doesn’t achieve all of its goals, it does offer an indelibly powerful vision of a throughline from the past to today and on through the end of things, that expresses faith in the ability of people to overcome animalism. It’s spiritual but entirely humanistic, and salvation, when it comes, arrives from within or from other people — an outrageous, silly and beautiful ode to the better nature of mankind. You won’t see anyone writing that about What to Expect When You’re Expecting. [Time] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Here’s an easy formula to get attention for your Worst Movies of 2012 list. Take the unfathomable big-budget box-office failure that’s likely to top a lot of these year-end thumbsuckers — and make it number two. Next, single out an ambitious film by a trio of filmmakers with a passionate following. Put it at the top (or is it the bottom?) of your list and wait for their fans to scream. That’s what Time magazine , in the role of media Old Georgie, has done with its “Top 10 Worst Films” list for the year. Writer Mary Pols chose the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer’ s collaboration Cloud Atlas as the year’s stinkiest over Disney’s summer bomb John Carter. And I’m calling bullshit. Before I explain, take a look at Pols’ entire list: 10. One For The Money 9. T he Odd Life Of Timothy Green 8. What To Expect When You’re Expecting 7. Alex Cross 6. The Lorax 5. This Means War 4. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter 3. Hyde Park on Hudson 2. John Carter 1. Cloud Atlas Most of those movies are largely formulaic and, in some cases, cynical attempts to put asses in seats. They should be on the list, particularly the aptly named One For The Money and What to Expect When Your Expecting, which would have tied for worst movie had I been doing the ranking. (Even though Jennifer Lopez is the mother of twins in real life, I cannot summon the suspension of disbelief to buy her as a parent in the movies.) Yes, Cloud Atlas is an unwieldy, problematic movie that could have used a good streamlining in terms of the sheer number of stories that were adapted from David Mitchell’s novel, but a film this ambitious — and unabashedly spiritual at its core — does not deserve to be on a list of the year’s worst. Movieline’s chief critic Alison Willmore explained it beautifully in her review: Cloud Atlas strives continually for transcendence and only sometimes grasps it, but the sincerity with which it pursues the emotion and the very idea of the reverberating impact selfless actions can have is quite moving. It’s rare, these days, to see a movie declare its aims for greatness so openly and without a leaden sense of self-importance. And though the film doesn’t achieve all of its goals, it does offer an indelibly powerful vision of a throughline from the past to today and on through the end of things, that expresses faith in the ability of people to overcome animalism. It’s spiritual but entirely humanistic, and salvation, when it comes, arrives from within or from other people — an outrageous, silly and beautiful ode to the better nature of mankind. You won’t see anyone writing that about What to Expect When You’re Expecting. [Time] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Teen Mom 2 aired another episode last night, and Jenelle Evans’ obsession with Ke$ha continued to play a major role. Someone’s totes buying her new album today! Read on for THG’s official +/- recap! Jenelle Evans , in case you missed it, failed a drug test on last week’s episode and was given the choice of 45 days in jail or an extended time on probation. She wanted to do the time and just get it over with, as probation would entail more drug tests she’d obvi fail, but jail would mean missing the Ke$ha concert! F*%K! In the end, it was all a moot point as she failed ANOTHER drug test and was sent directly to the can. Stupid toxic wooden pipe will get you every time! Minus 30 . But miraculously, her friend posted bail for her and they made it to the concert just in time! Plus 50 , because sometimes, things work out for a reason!!! “Ke$ha is my favorite artist ever, she’s just like me,” Evans said. “I listen to her all the time in my car, everywhere I go, always singing it in my head.” Or out loud. See video below. Plus 20 . Of course, she’s far more dedicated to Ke$ha than she is to staying off drugs, getting a job or being a decent mother, so Minus 150 for that depressing fact. Predictably, Jenelle’s mom Bahbrah was less than thrilled, and the two got into an epic screaming match. Pretty amazing even by their high standards. Plus 100 . Jenelle Evans ‘Sings’ TIK TOK Elsewhere … Kailyn Lowry and Jo Rivera’s custody fight took center stage, with Jo proving what an immature human being he is. Kailyn has her moments, but come ON dude. Despite already getting Isaac every week, Jo was being so hard on Kailyn, almost just because he can it seems. Why manipulate her like that? D!ck. Minus 50 . We know things work out better for her on the romantic front soon enough, but hopefully Jo gets it together and grows up as well for the good of the little guy. Also, here’s hoping his rap career takes off … sorry, tried to see if we could type that with a straight face. Spoiler alert: We bombed worse than his first single. Leah Messer Calvert had a good week, at least. She met Jeremy Calvert , the man we all know will become her husband and the father of her third baby. They seem happy, so Plus 100 , although with Leah, you can only be so optimistic. She and Corey seemed stable as well, and look how that turned out. Speaking of Corey, rumor has it he just got married again too. Sigh … Chelsea Houska ‘s on-again, off-again drama with Adam was in full force. This was an “off” week for the Year Round Brown employee and that douche. We’re just waiting for the day Randy comes to blows with this kid. It’s got to slowly eat away at her dad that he’s even in the picture at all romantically. Fortunately for Chelsea, she did pass her GRE at least. Plus 100 . EPISODE TOTAL: +140! SEASON TOTAL: -1,610!
We’ve come to expect high-concept portrayals of the human condition from the Sundance Film Festival , but next year, virtual humans will get some art-house love, too. I’m talking about G.J. Echternkamp’s feature-film debut, Virtually Heroes , which will get a Park City at Midnight premiere at the festival in January. This is the Sundance synopsis for the film: Two self-aware characters in a Call of Duty -style video game struggle with their screwy, frustrating existence. To find answers, one abandons his partner and mission, seeking to unravel the cheat codes of life. Soldiers searching for meaning as they try to escape an endless cycle of pointless violence? If screenwriter Matt Yamashita set the story in Eastern Europe and Echternkamp shot it in black and white, you’d probably already be hearing Oscar buzz. But Virtually Heroes is set in a video game, which is why it will be a lot more fun. I’m going to see as soon as physically possible for the following four reasons: 1. Produced by Roger Corman Roger Corman has propagated the careers of a a remarkable array of filmmakers via his prolific B-movie production. I’m talking such little-known directors as James Cameron , Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese and low-level actors Jack Nicholson , Dennis Hopper and Robert De Niro . So when he decides that Virtually Heroes director Echternkamp and screenwriter Matt Yamashida are worth a chance, you should too. 2. Expert Video Gamers You know a film is low-budget when it doesn’t have a trailer. But like any upcoming video-game release, the producers have been flooding the Internet with screenshots, many via the movie’s Facebook page . And these shots show they know what they’re talking about. You also know the director knows video games when he laments that he couldn’t afford as many rocket launchers as he wanted. Also, Virtually Heroes doesn’t just incorporate the standard gaming status display on the screen, which you can see in the above shot. That display features a baseball bat with the infinity symbol, which is a classic shooter-game conceit. Every other weapon has limited ammunition, but the melee weapon — in this case, the bat — can be used forever. Oh yeah, and anyone who includes teabagging in a live-action movie knows what they’re doing. For those who haven’t been beaten in Halo , teabagging is a gamer taunt that involves repeatedly crouching your character over the body of a defeated enemy. That’s the closest you can come to sexual innuendo when your character has a smooth armored crotch and a “crouch” button. 3. Parody Plot Virtually Heroes isn’t set in a specific shooting game, which means it can effectively be set in all of them. With no established canon to respect, it can hop from setting to setting, reference to reference — each scene in a different level in video game lingo — to make whatever jokes it wants. The movie’s settings range from Vietnam to the Old West to Pirate-themed combat and it appears that the damsel in distress is immediately re-kidnapped every time the soldiers in question save her. This requires them to trek through another level, questioning their existence while taking the piss out of Nintendo’s Mario. The parody theme is continued with Mark Hamill turning up as “The Monk”, a wise, brown-robed hermit the heroes consult in search of true wisdom. When you can ask Luke Skywalker to make fun of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and he says yes, that’s worth the price of admission alone. 4. The Director Knows His Satire This may be Echternkamp’s first feature film, but his directorial debut was another sharp parody project. His 2002 short Resurgence II is about an inept film director dedicated to creating an avant-garde masterpiece by using, it’s revealed, a mail-order “Art Film Flo-Chart” Corman must have seen that and thought: Yes, this man is ready for the B-movie big time. I agree. Luke McKinney loves the real world, but only because it has movies and video games in it. He responds to every tweet . Follow Luke McKinney on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter .
The highly anticipated Les Misérables is on track to become this year’s Chicago — a crowd-pleasing, award-winning, budget-busting musical extravaganza that will sharply divide audiences on the respective talents of its singing, emoting, showboating stars. The stakes are raised by the actors having sung their parts live on set — accompanied by a piano, with the orchestra added in post-production — instead of recording the songs in the safety of a studio and lip-synching during their scenes. The debates over who proved a genuine triple-threat and who embarrassed themselves will last for weeks as we barrel into Oscar season, but let’s get the ball rolling now by ranking who we’re expecting to dazzle us — and who’ll disappoint. Spoilers — for a 27-year-old musical and a 150-year-old novel — below. Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean. Ever since he slashed and sneered his way to the big screen in X-Men , we’ve been hearing nonstop about the one-man entertainment machine that is Hugh Jackman. Although he’s been a staple on Broadway for the last decade, Les Miz is Jackman’s biggest opportunity yet to show off those fabled lungs. There’s reason to expect much from the Tony-winning actor; his live performances amply attest to his vocal clarity and range and effortless panache. But there’s always a chance that Jackman might become a victim of high expectations — or drown in the fuddy-duddy cheesiness of his musical theater background . Anne Hathaway as Fantine. Hathaway’s supporting turn as the doomed, consumptive prostitute is the closest thing Les Miz currently has to an Oscar clinch. After a surprisingly foxy performance as Selina Kyle in this summer’s The Dark Knight Rises and a tabloid- and award-friendly 25-lb weight loss — perhaps she got some dieting tips from co-star Christian Bale? — all eyes are on her. The actress’s musical resume is thin, but previews show an emotion-choked rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” that might not work for, say, the radio, divorced from the context — but sounds perfect for an extended death scene. Russell Crowe as Inspector Javert. Like his colleagues Gadget and Clouseau, Inspector Javert is a somewhat ridiculous figure: an uptight dunce who can’t see what’s right in front of him. Crowe seems slightly miscast as the relentless lawman; Javert doesn’t deserve the actor’s heartbreakingly wounded eyes. The tantrum-prone actor has received a lot of ridicule over the years for his soft rock vanity band 30 Odd Foot of Grunts , a band whose name’s so awful it’s got to have broken some record for terribleness. But all of that hardly matters when Crowe’s voice is such a sexy combination of tenderness and gravel you’ll forgive him for stealing Captain Crunch’s uniform. Samantha Barks as Éponine. For a certain generation, there is no other Éponine than Joey Potter . The challenger to our nineties nostalgia is Samantha Barks, a 22-year-old West End veteran who first found fame as third-placer on an American Idol-style singing competition in the U.K. Barks went on to perform the role of Éponine on stage for a year. Her version of “ On My Own ” for the Les Misérables 25th Anniversary concert, already all over the Internet, shows off her tasteful but slightly too pop-influenced take on the lovelorn aria. Barks can outbelt Katie Holmes by a mile and a half, but can our hearts be full of love enough for two Éponines? Eddie Redmayne as Marius Pontmercy. As an oblivious rich kid and a character that appears out of nowhere halfway through the story, Marius is one of the more challenging roles to nail. Add a dopey romance based on love at first sight, and Redmayne seems set up for failure. Fortunately, the trailers and some pre-fame memorabilia suggest that the freckle-faced Brit with the unexpectedly low baritone will more than acquit himself. Amanda Seyfried as Cosette. Of all the characters in the main cast, Cosette is by far the most thankless. She’s a boring beacon of virtue without a single song to call her own. (Even the iconic “Castle on a Cloud” is shared with the grasping Mde. Thénardier.) This makes the casting of Seyfried, who displayed her thin, reedy trill of a voice in Mamma Mia! , the world’s first narrative karaoke video, a decent if unexciting choice. With a cast already so bursting with talent, though, Seyfried’s minor role might turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter as Monsieur and Madame Thénardier. The closest thing the ultra-serious Les Miz has to comic relief are the black humor exploits of the corrupt Thénardiers, Éponine’s parents and Cosette’s temporary guardians. Baron Cohen and Bonham Carter are undeniably gifted, intelligent, hard-working performers, but their recent film roles — mostly as cartoonish villains who don’t have a chromosome in common with actual human beings — have become increasingly one-note. If the musical Sweeney Todd , in which SBC and HBC co-starred, is any indication, they’ll be just fine for actors without musical training — as well as gratingly and hopelessly stuck in a never-ending Borat joke/Tim Burton movie. More on Les Miserables : Early Reaction: Oscar Race Heats Up As NYC Screening Of ‘Les Miserables’ Prompts Cheers & Tears New ‘Les Miserables’ Trailer: Will Jackman, Crowe, Hathaway Sing Their Way To Oscar? WATCH: Jackman, Hathaway And Seyfried Sing In Extended Making Of Les Miserables Clip Inkoo Kang is a Boston-based film journalist and regular contributor to BoxOffice Magazine whose work has appeared in Pop Matters and Screen Junkies. She reviews stuff she hates, likes, and hate-likes on her blog THINK-O-VISION . Follow Inkoo Kang on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Teen Mom 2 star Jenelle Evans never ceases to amaze. The hot mess says she was hospitalized last week was due to lung damage from smoking out of a “toxic wooden pipe” … needless to say, it didn’t contain tobacco. Accusations started flying that she’s on heroin, and Jenelle Evans was oddly silent last week on Twitter and went a long time without setting the record straight. Have no fear, though, she’s back with a vengeance now. About her hospitalization, she says, “I was in there for eight cysts on my ovaries. Right one as big as a golf ball. The ambulance came to my house and got me.” “After going to one hospital I had to be transferred to a bigger one four hours away from my home. Long story short I had immediate surgery to get rid of those cysts.” “Also had lung work done do [sic] to smoking out of kieffers TOXIC wooden pipes. Still having to go back to chapel hill next week to get more lab work done.” Kieffer Delp, her ex-boyfriend, was selling pipes via a website at one point. The heroin story originated from Jenelle’s former roommate Ashleigh, as well as a woman in the hospital who claimed the MTV star has used the drug extensively. Jenelle denies this, and also went after her own sister, Tweeting, “now my psychopath sister that pulls out her hair and wears wigs lies and u believe? Gullible.” Even though Jenelle has admitted to being a chronic pot smoker, at one point this weekend she claimed, “I don’t do drugs” in response to attacks on Twitter. Her fiance, Courtland Rogers , was also accused of Tweeting on Jenelle Evans’ behalf in the hospital and then erasing everything, so … there’s that. Consider yourselves up to date, and confused.
Newcomers Killing Them Softly and The Collection bowed soft over the weekend, with the latter barely making it into the top ten. Holdovers including Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 , Skyfall and Lincoln remained the top three pics domestically. The Weinstein Company’s Silver Linings Playbook , meanwhile, placed just outside the top ten over the weekend, though the Oscar hopeful played in comparatively far fewer locations and is showing strength as it continues to roll out slowly. 1. Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 Gross: $17,410,000 (Cume: $254.6 million) Screens: 4008 (PSA: $4,344) Week: 3 (Change: – 60%) Number one for three weeks, the final Twilight scored the top spot after a weak showing from newcomers. The feature dropped 62 locations from its second weekend and its $4,344 average was significantly lower than its $10,723 showing in week 2. Still, it is a bit better off than its previous installments and is within $1 million from matching New Moon . 2. Skyfall Gross: $17 million (Cume: $246 million) Screens: 3,463 (PSA: $4,909) Week: 4 (Change: – 52%) The highest grossing Bond film continues to show strength one month into its U.S. run. The pic averaged a solid $4,909, compared to Twilight ‘s $4,344 average in its third week, though it is in 545 fewer theaters. Globally, Skyfall has grossed over $869 million, a good return for its $200 million budget. A $300 million domestic run is not out of the question. 3. Lincoln Gross: $13,509,000 (Cume: $83,698,000) Screens: 2,018 (PSA: $6,694) Week: 4 (Change: – 47%) Steven Spielberg’s big Oscar contender remained in the same number of theaters in its third weekend, though its per screen average was almost halved from the previous weekend’s $12,724. Still, it had the highest PSA in the top 10 for the weekend. Its nearly $83.7 million gross is outpacing the filmmaker’s 2011 movies The Adventures of Tintin ($77.6 million) and War Horse ($79.9 million). 4. Rise of the Guardians Gross: $13,500,000 (Cume: $48,947,253) Screens: 3,672 (PSA: $3,676) Week: 2 (Change: – 43%) The Paramount/Dreamworks animation added 19 theaters and remained fourth in the overall top ten. Still, it will struggle to reach $100 million. 5. Life of Pi Gross: $12 million (Cume: $48,361,141) Screens: 2,018 (PSA: $4,098) Week: 2 (Change: -46.6%) The Ang Lee 3-D feature added just one location over the weekend, rounding out the top 5, though. Globally, it has grossed nearly $109 million ($60,500,000) abroad and is said to be performing well. 6. Wreck-It Ralph Gross: $7,020,000 (Cume: $158,257,000) Screens: 3,087 (PSA: $2,274) Week: 5 (Change: – 57.6%) The animated feature remained at the sixth position, though dropped 172 locations and had a fairly steep 57-plus percent drop from the week prior. Its $2,274 average compares to $5,085 last week and $5,131 the week before that. Still, it’s had a good run and combined with foreign box office of $44 million, it topped the $200 million mark over the weekend. 7. Killing Them Softly Gross: $7 million Screens: 2,424 (PSA: $2,888) Week: 1 The Cannes 2012 feature is one of Brad Pitt’s worse performing openings ever, though not as bad as The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford which only made $3.9 million. The pic should fade from theaters soon. 8. Red Dawn Gross: $6,550,000 (Cume: $31,322,708) Screens: 2,781 (PSA: $2,355) Week: 2 (Change: – 54%) The film had a relatively steep 54% decline in gross compared to its first weekend, though it added 57 more venues. Its $2,355 average compares to its $5,241 opening. It may struggle to match its $65 million production budget domestically. 9. Flight Gross: $4,540,000 (Cume: $81,526,836) Screens: 2,603 (PSA: $1,744) Week: 5 (Change: – 46.3%) Flight shed 35 theaters in its fifth week after adding locations over the past month. Still, the Denzel Washington-starrer has performed well at the box office with a domestic come over $81.5 million vs its $31 million production budget. It may be a reach to hit the $100 million mark. 10. The Collection Gross: $3,409,224 Screens: 1,403 (PSA: $2,430) Week: 1 In its debut, The Collection barely made it into the top ten and its nearly $3.41 million opening is slightly off from its predecessor, The Collector ‘s 2009 $3.57 million bow. 11. Silver Linings Playbook Gross: $3,341,000 (Cume: $10,990,981) Screens: 371 (PSA: $9,005) Week: 3 (Change: – 23.8%) Though not in the top ten, The Weinstein Company’s Oscar hopeful Silver Linings Playbook has continued to gain traction after an opening that was a bit of a disappointment. It ranked 11th for the weekend, though it is in far fewer theaters than titles in the top ten and its $9,005 average was far better than any in the top ten. Word-of-mouth is clearly driving the title.
