Sanaa Lathan was stuntin’ her long hair don’t care (with weave or without it) status on social media this Friday. The actress took to Facebook to show off her natural hair during what appears to be a blow out. Hit the flip to see what she’s working with. WENN Continue reading →
This Friday, Morris Chestnut will make his superhero movie debut as Sergeant Marcus Williams in Kick-Ass 2. The versatile actor plays a detective and foster…
Representing a slightly skewed take on 2004’s Cellular crossed with a lobotomized Silence of the Lambs , Brad Anderson’s high-concept thriller The Call would be an unremarkable bit of women-in-peril dreck were it not for two distinguishing factors — the sexualized sadism inflicted upon the half-dressed 16-year-old Abigail Breslin, and the equally sadistic Sideshow Bob coiffure affixed to the otherwise lovely Halle Berry. These indignities aside, there’s little to differentiate this high-pitched screamer from a particularly feverish Law and Order rerun, and it might be tough for such a film to dial in sizable auds to theaters. One of the more high-profile films to bear the WWE Studios label in recent years, The Call features no actual grappling, yet it shows the fingerprints of its benefactor in the presence of wrestling star David Otunga, as well as a serial-killer villain (Michael Eklund) who seems less psychopath than juice-head. Perhaps it’s unfair to blame the producers for the film’s overwrought tempo, but whatever the cause, the pic’s dunderheaded emotional timbre is miles removed from the relative class of director Anderson’s previous efforts The Machinist and Transsiberian , confusing macho aggression for menace, and tightly framed screaming for suspense. Berry stars as Jordan, a hotshot 911 operator who rules over the bustling call center known as “the Hive” — we know she’s a star when co-workers casually ask her for the institutional code for a multiple stabbing. Featuring some nice aerial photography of Downtown Los Angeles, the pic expends 10 minutes laying character foundations involving Jordan’s unseen cop father, her handsome LAPD-officer boyfriend (Morris Chestnut), and her charged relationship with an unsympathetic supervisor, then disregards these details entirely once the action gets rolling. Receiving a 911 call from a teenage girl in the midst of a home invasion, Jordan concocts an elaborate strategy to help her evade the predator, but gives the girl away by hitting the redial button when the call is cut off. (Berry’s character will similarly vacillate between Jason Bourne-like ingenuity and howling stupidity throughout the remainder of the film.) The girl is abducted and murdered by the unseen, catchphrase-spouting killer, and the guilt-ridden Jordan takes a leave of absence. Try as she might, Jordan can’t avoid the call to heroism, which arrives soon, via another emergency call. Teenage Casey (Breslin), has been drugged and kidnapped from a mall parking lot, and wakes up in the trunk of a car speeding down the freeway. Through some needlessly convoluted plot machinations, she has a friend’s untraceable pay-as-you-go cell phone in her pocket, and Jordan must don the headset once again to talk her out of harm’s way. It’s here that the film generates its only real sparks of invention, as the desk-bound Jordan is forced to coach the hysterical teen though a series of ruses to try to tip off passers-by. Unspooling more or less in real-time, the pursuit sequences manage to evoke the primary appeal of such high-concept material, for which one happily suspends disbelief just to see how long the filmmakers can stick to the premise. But no sooner can you say “this time … it’s personal” than the film disengages completely, running Jordan through some paint-by-numbers Nancy Drew routines, and veering toward the ickily exploitative as it invents reasons to remove Breslin’s shirt and tie her up. Berry is enough of a pro to muddle through yet another underwhelming star vehicle with her dignity intact, and Breslin acquits herself well enough for a problematic role in which she’s forced to cry and scream nearly continuously. Eklund is a hulking, malevolent presence, though his scrambled-brow attempt at a psychopathic glare provoked gales of laughter at the screening attended. Whether it’s the odd directorial tic of freeze-framing during moments of violence — perhaps intended to suggest a sort of rage-induced blackout, but which feels like a projector glitch — or the offputting cadence shifts in editing, the film hits a number of unusual technical notes, yet the overall quality is solid. Practical effects and freeway footage are well handled, as are the scenes contained entirely within the trunk of a car. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
The best type of superhero is one that swears. If we could get some more F-bombs from Batman or Iron Man, maybe those movies could actually make some money. Enter Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl, two of the most foul-mouthed teenaged superheroes around. Check out the first red band trailer for Kick-Ass 2 , which also features a nearly-unrecognizable Jim Carrey: Kick-Ass 2 Red Band Trailer Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Chloe Moretz return as Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl, two “real life” superheroes (in the world of the film…it’s confusing, I know) bent on protecting the city from a-holes. The film is adapted from the comic book of the same name. Christopher Mintz-Plasse (who had some hilarious Superbad quotes as McLovin), Clark Duke, John Leguizamo, Morris Chestnut, and Donald Faison also star. You can see Kick-Ass 2 in theaters beginning August 16.
It’s been a long wait, but it looks like ‘The Best Man 2′ is still on it’s way . Via Deadline reports : November 15, 2013 has been revealed as the studio release date for the highly anticipated sequel for The Best Man. Writer/Director Malcolm D. Lee will return in the same capacity along with new co-producer Sean Daniel. The Best Man starred Taye Diggs, Morris Chestnut, Terrence Howard, Nia Long, Harold Perrineau and Sanaa Lathan. The film grossed $35 million. Wonder if T. “Babywipes” Howard will be making a return in this one. He’s been married and divorce twice in the interim between these films. How will this sequel work after 14 years? Will you go see it?
When you get a chance, go read Dennis Hensley’s interviews with Elizabeth Berkley and Paul Verhoeven from the days before Showgirls was a cult cause célèbre. It’s worth every minute: “Oh my God, I just saw it like a week ago. You have to understand, I’ve been working at this since I was like 5 years old so it was pretty overwhelming. I sat in the screening room by myself. The lights went down and I started to cry because it was just overwhelming at first. I’m such a perfectionist, but a certain point, was able to get lost in the story, which was a good sign to me. I really thought that I was watching another girl.” Oh, you wish , honey. [ Dennis Hensley via The Hairpin ]
Tragic, shocking news out of New York just now: Adam Yauch — a.k.a. MCA, one-third of rap legends the Beastie Boys, influential filmmaker and music-video director, and founder of independent-film distributor Oscilloscope Laboratories — has died following his long battle with cancer. He was 47. Movieline will have more on Yauch’s passing, including official comment from Oscilloscope and appreciations of Yauch’s artistic legacy, throughout the day. Developing… [via Global Grind , Rolling Stone ] UPDATE [3:56 p.m. EDT]: Movieline received this statement from Yauch’s Oscilloscope Laboratories colleagues Dan Berger, David Fenkel and David Laub on behalf of the entire company: “We are deeply, deeply saddened by the passing of Adam Yauch – an amazing leader, a dear friend and an incredible human being. Today we are heartbroken at Oscilloscope as we take in this awful news and our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time. Adam’s legacy will remain a driving force at Oscilloscope – his indomitable spirit and his great passion for film, people, and hard work – always with a sense of humor and a lot of heart.” And this followed from the Beastie Boys’ management company Nasty Little Man: It is with great sadness that we confirm that musician, rapper, activist and director Adam “MCA” Yauch, founding member of Beastie Boys and also of the Milarepa Foundation that produced the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits, and film production and distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories, passed away in his native New York City this morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer. He was 47 years old. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Yauch taught himself to play bass in high school, forming a band for his 17th birthday party that would later become known the world over as Beastie Boys. With fellow members Michael “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Adrock” Horovitz, Beastie Boys would go on to sell over 40 million records, release four #1 albums–including the first hip hop album ever to top the Billboard 200, the band’s 1986 debut full length, Licensed To Ill –win three Grammys, and the MTV Video Vanguard Lifetime Achievement award. Last month Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Diamond and Horovitz reading an acceptance speech on behalf of Yauch, who was unable to attend. In addition to his hand in creating such historic Beastie Boys albums as Paul’s Boutique, Check Your Head, Ill Communication, Hello Nasty and more, Yauch was a founder of the Milarepa Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness and activism regarding the injustices perpetrated on native Tibetans by Chinese occupational government and military forces. In 1996, Milarepa produced the first Tibetan Freedom Concert in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, which was attended by 100,000 people, making it the biggest benefit concert on U.S. soil since 1985’s Live Aid. The Tibetan Freedom Concert series would continue to stage some of the most significant benefit shows in the world for nearly a decade following in New York City, Washington DC, Tokyo, Sydney, Amsterdam, Taipei and other cities. In the wake of September 11, 2001, Milarepa organized New Yorkers Against Violence, a benefit headlined by Beastie Boys at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom, with net proceeds disbursed to the New York Women’s Foundation Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Association for New Americans (NYANA) September 11th Fund for New Americans–each chosen for their efforts on behalf of 9/11 victims least likely to receive help from other sources. Under the alias of Nathanial Hörnblowér, Yauch directed iconic Beastie Boys videos including ‘So Whatcha Want,’ ‘Intergalactic,’ ‘Body Movin’ and ‘Ch-Check It Out.’ Under his own name, Yauch directed last year’s Fight For Your Right Revisited , an extended video for ‘Make Some Noise’ from Beastie Boys’ Hot Sauce Committee Part Two , starring Elijah Wood, Danny McBride and Seth Rogen as the 1986 Beastie Boys, making their way through a half hour of cameo-studded misadventures before squaring off against Jack Black, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as Beastie Boys of the future. Yauch’s passion and talent for filmmaking led to his founding of Oscilloscope Laboratories, which in 2008 released his directorial film debut, the basketball documentary Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot and has since become a major force in independent video distribution, amassing a catalogue of such acclaimed titles as Kelly Reichardt’s Wendy and Lucy , Oren Moverman’s The Messenger , Banksy’s Exit Through The Gift Shop , Lance Bangs and Spike Jonze’s Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait Of Maurice Sendak , and many more. Yauch is survived by his wife Dechen and his daughter Tenzin Losel, as well as his parents Frances and Noel Yauch. UPDATE [5:20 p.m. EDT] Here’s Movieline partner ENTV ‘s dispatch on Yauch:
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