It seems like Sean Penn schedules his birthday the day after Madonna ‘s almost every single year, which shows his true character. But let this not be a day of judgment! The 51-year-old thesp is the pride of Gen X’s acting pool, and with good reason: The two-time Oscar winner is a commanding presence, a distinct powerhouse, and a whiz with punchy dialogue. What’s his best line in a movie?
A year after his 127 Hours ushered in the fall festival season’s hottest fainting sensation , James Franco is plotting his return to Toronto along with rest of the latest group of invitees to the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. And it’s quite a list, with the likes of Franco’s partner (!) Gus Van Sant, Mr. Brainwash, Jennifer Hudson, Lynn Shelton, Rachel Weisz and (ahem) Joel Schumacher making the trip as well. Let’s parse the top 10 highlights from TIFF’ s latest announcement.
The four-actor cast of Roman Polanski’s Carnage (Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Kate Winslet, and Christoph Waltz) is an Oscar-friendly bunch: Together they’ve acquired 12 nominations in their collective careers, four wins, and enough actorly cred to warrant accolades for the rest of their lives. In new stills from Carnage — which is based on Yasmina Reza’s Tony award winning play — the esteemed quartet grimaces and smirks like their director just made an off-color joke about Valley of the Dolls . Who’s facial expressions deserve the Oscar most?
The 2008 holiday hit Marley & Me might not seem like an ideal candidate for a sequel since, uh, you know . But there it is, just sitting in my inbox: “Hear Marley Speak for the First Time in MARLEY & ME: THE PUPPY YEARS .” And it gets better .
You’ve already seen the first trailer for Martin Scorsese’s 3-D adaptation of Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret , and now Paramount has released the first official photo from the movie that will give Jason Segel’s Muppets reboot a run for its money (maybe) this Thanksgiving. Click ahead to check out the artwork and more importantly, rate the creepiness of the robot that holds Asa Butterfield and Chloë Moretz’s attention.
Oh, no; Taylor Lautner’s life is a lie! In the new trailer for Abduction , Twilight ‘s crybaby sex wolf enters a world of intrigue and fear — and I do mean the fearful stare of Sigourney Weaver, who suddenly resembles Christopher Walken when acting terrified. Will Taylor Lautner be smooth enough to survive when he’s stripped of his identity instead of his clothes?
Why do celebrities ring the New York Stock Exchange bell? Is it because they have a project to promote, a longtime fascination with the stock market, a complex fetish for percussion instruments and stressed-out traders in suits? Who knows! But a lot of celebrities have gotten to ring the opening bell the past few years, and thanks to a new article in The Atlantic , we now know which movie stars are responsible for kicking off the biggest drops in recent memory. Be forewarned: Captain America may be able to protect the country against Nazis but his mighty shield cannot protect the NYSE.
If there’s one simple request I have of Kevin Spacey, it’s that he take one movie off from wearing a suit. Mix it up! Grow your hair out! Wear schlubby clothes! Don’t always be so Kevin Spacey-esque, Kevin Spacey, because it’s become a thing and we’re all tired of it. Which is why the new trailer for the indie comedy Father of Invention seems a step in the right direction. Long prison beard and an everyman’s sense of humility? Bring it on, Spaceman.
Also in this Thursday edition of The Broadsheet: Mark Wahlberg could pick up Two Guns … there’s actually a congressman who thinks Kathryn Bigelow got classified information for her Osama bin Laden film… Morgan Freeman, outcast magician… and more ahead.
One of the running gags in Fox’s effervescent hit high school series Glee is that no matter how things occasionally come up roses for the show choir freaks and geeks of McKinley High, there’s always someone, slushie in hand, waiting to take the Gleeks down a peg or two back to cold, brutal reality. Ironically, it’s that same multicolored frozen treat, globbed at the screen in slow-motion over the end credits of Glee: The 3D Concert Movie , that underscores a similar, sad burst of recognition that’s perhaps been long coming: For all the uplifting, inclusive good that Glee inspires in its young target demographic, it’s a property that’s become high on its own self-projected, self-congratulatory fantasy of “fuck the haters” do-goodingness. And there’s nothing more that Glee needs or deserves right now than a slushie to the face.