Tag Archives: viola davis

REVIEW: Shrek Spin-Off Puss in Boots Purrs with Genuine Charm

After the Shrek series used up its charm on rote third and fourth installments that nevertheless raked in giant piles of box office bullion, the prospect of a spin-off prequel focusing on Antonio Banderas’ swashbuckling, footwear-sporting feline seemed as inevitable as it was unpromising. But Puss in Boots , directed by Chris Miller (who also helmed Shrek the Third ) is a legitimately entertaining prequel that encapsulates what the franchise does best: Breezy action, clever twists on classic figures from fables and grown-up gags tucked in amidst the kid-friendly developments. (“You got any idea what they do to eggs in prison? I’ll tell you this — it ain’t over easy!” the Zach Galifianakis-voiced Humpty Dumpty quavers at one point, in the first prison rape joke I can think of to not only be slipped into a kiddie flick but also highlighted in the trailer.)

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REVIEW: Shrek Spin-Off Puss in Boots Purrs with Genuine Charm

Oscar Index: War Horse, We Have a Problem

Welcome to week six of Oscar Index , your regular reading of buzz, hype, speculation and crippling myopia in and around the 2011-12 awards beat. This installment brings some rather momentous determinations from the wonks at Movieline’s Institute for the Advanced Study of Kudos Forensics — let’s get right to them!

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Oscar Index: War Horse, We Have a Problem

Oscar Index: The Pitt and the Pendulum

A week after its stirring season debut , Oscar Index returns to the scene with the latest scientifically observed developments in the 2011-12 awards race. Indeed, Movieline’s Institute for the Advanced Study of Kudos Forensics has issued the results from its latest zeitgeist biopsy, and they look… inconclusive. Naturally! It’s September .

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Oscar Index: The Pitt and the Pendulum

Khia Goes In On Amber Rose, Beyonce, Lil’ Kim & Others In A-Z Letter

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Female rapper Khia is known for her volatile mouth. In fact that’s how she has made her claim to fame. She has returned on the scene with a very detailed A-Z letter where she describes how she feels about your favorite artists including Amber Rose, Lil’ Kim, Chris Brown, Beyonce and more. This isn’t the first time Khia has started beef with other celebrities. The letter is extremely explicit , but if you want to check out the full list, you can find it on Khia’s Myspace blog. Khia Writes Scathing Review Of “Pink Friday” Khia: “I’m Singing Now…My New Album Is R&B” [EXCLUSIVE] VIDEO: Trina Disses Khia On Stage GALLERY: Khia’s New Promo Pics

Khia Goes In On Amber Rose, Beyonce, Lil’ Kim & Others In A-Z Letter

Viola Davis Covers Essence Magazine, Talks “Devastating Experiences” [PHOTO]

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Viola Davis covers the August 2011 issue of ESSENCE Magazine as “Hollywood’s Best-Kept Secret.” The actress (of “Doubt” and “Law Abiding Citizen” fame) is currently starring in the upcoming film “The Help,” based on the best-selling book. Inside, she talks about the struggles black women face, especially as a dark-skinned woman in the industry. “As Black women, we’re always given these seemingly devastating experiences — experiences that could absolutely break us. But what the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls the butterfly. What we do as Black women is take the worst situations and create from that point…” Viola Davis Stars As “The Help” [TRAILER] Taraji Henson and Viola Davis Are Oscar Nominees

Viola Davis Covers Essence Magazine, Talks “Devastating Experiences” [PHOTO]

Watch the International Trailer for The Help: Heart of Stone

You’ll note that the new trailer for The Help calls Kathryn Stockett’s source material a “sensational bestseller.” That may be, but not much else is screaming “sensation” here: Viola Davis’s one-note dignity, Bryce Dallas Howard’s adversarial prissiness, and Emma Stone’s smiley do-gooder shtick aren’t providing much in the way of originiality. But maybe I’m just cynical; check out the new international trailer and let’s hash this out.

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Watch the International Trailer for The Help: Heart of Stone

The Help Poster: Viola in Violet

The trailer for The Help worried us with its Blind Side y condescension, but the new poster for the film presents Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, and Bryce Dallas Howard (who looks a lot like Ellie Kemper here) in a more positive, yellow-and-purple sorta light. Watch and judge.

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The Help Poster: Viola in Violet

The Help Poster: Viola in Violet

The trailer for The Help worried us with its Blind Side y condescension, but the new poster for the film presents Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, and Bryce Dallas Howard (who looks a lot like Ellie Kemper here) in a more positive, yellow-and-purple sorta light. Watch and judge.

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The Help Poster: Viola in Violet

The Help Trailer: Maid in Mississippi

Recently released stills of Dreamworks’s The Help looked stern, but the new trailer for the film stamps smiles on Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Emma Stone’s faces. But is this film set in early ’60s Mississippi too lighthearted to convey racial tensions without that Blind Side soupcon of condescension?

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The Help Trailer: Maid in Mississippi

From Gayle to Ebert: Casting the Oprah Biopic

“Poison pen” biographer Kitty Kelley struck gold with her latest unauthorized biography, that of #1 mortal Oprah Winfrey, and Deadline is reporting the inevitable (but still titillating!) news of an upcoming TV biopic adaptation . The art of the TV biopic is sorely maligned, and I hold the naive belief that a decent Oprah biography could redeem the canon of Lifetime-ready Dana Plato and Nadia Comaneci yarns. Quick, let’s cast this epic while we still have time to influence the filmmakers (and persuade notable actors to withstand the real Oprah’s disapproval).

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From Gayle to Ebert: Casting the Oprah Biopic