Filed under: Comedy, Casting, Celebrities and Controversy

Sometimes a movie's concept tells you everything you need to know about it. Other times you hear one and go "well, that's kind of weird -- I wonder what they'll make of this." Surprisingly, Will Ferrell's latest project fits into the latter category. It's a dramedy called Two Face, written by X-Files vet Vince Gilligan, who also had a hand in the Hancock screenplay. The pitch: Ferrell will play a virulent racist who develops a split personality after an accident, and his alter ego turns out to be a bleeding-heart liberal.

I think the success of this concept depends on how frankly they're willing to approach the racism angle. Obviously there are certain things you're not supposed to say even in unflattering portrayals of racist characters, and certain things that Will Ferrell probably doesn't want to say for the sake of his career. (Side note: I find it a bit curious that period movies can get away with patently offensive displays of racism while movies set in the present tend to shy away, as if we're all pretending that we've solved the racism problem. Any counterexamples? Monster's Ball, maybe.) There's a lot of potential for trenchant satire in something like this, and a lot of potential to make something anodyne and boring, too.

No word on what comes first, this or Sherlock Holmes.

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Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy

Years ago, Andy Dick was part of the Ben Stiller crew, showing up on the guy's show and in movies like Reality Bites and Permanent Midnight. Now, while one gears up for an excellent new comedy, the other just adds another notch to his pervert bedpost, according to AOL.

Dick (an apt last name, if I ever heard one) was arrested early today for drug use and sexual battery. He was being a drunken fool at the Buffalo Wild wings in Murrieta at about 1 AM when he peed on the building and then, when a 17-year-old girl walked by, he "grabbed her tank top and bra and pulled them down and exposed her breasts." Real classy, Dick.

Not surprisingly, cops found pot and Xanax in his pants during a search, and he's been booked on suspicion of felony possession of a controlled substance, misdemeanor sexual battery, and misdemeanor possession of marijuana." And if he wasn't creepy enough, I think that mugshot up there seals the deal.

Tip, Mr. Dick: Keep your drunken hands to yourself, and stop urinating in public.

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Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand

But wait! Before visions of Vanity Fair and Miley Cyrus in the shower overwhelm you, she doesn't want a racy Sex and the City. No, that doesn't make sense, but read on.

Just Jared posted an interview that TV Guide conducted with the Hannah Montana star, who is about to get her own 3-D movie, and when she was asked what she'd like to work on in the future, she said: "I'd love to do a younger, cleaner version of Sex and the City." I'm suddenly having flashbacks to "Twenty-Something Girls vs. Thirty-Something Women." Rachel Miner had a gig as Laurel, a young woman who considered Carrie Bradshaw her hero and mentor, although she was a virgin who was saving herself for marriage.

Dear Miley, while yes, it would be fun for you to get a gig where you chat with your friends and work in the big city, the show is called SEX and the City. To make it "cleaner," would mean taking out the whole twist on the show. But who knows? The stars were much more reserved in the movie version (save Cynthia Nixon), so maybe one day we'll see Smoochin' and the City -- starring Miley Cyrus!

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Filed under: Action, Classics, Drama, Foreign Language, Horror, Casting, New Releases, New Line, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, New in Theaters, Family Films, Comic/Superhero/Geek

"While waiting in line for the screening of Hellboy II: The Golden Army, I overhead someone say that Guillermo del Toro's latest is being seen as his audition tape for The Hobbit," observed Jonathan Pacheco in his review for The House Next Door. Of course, Del Toro already had the directing gigs for the two Hobbit films before Hellboy II hit theaters, but that won't stop audiences from evaluating the current parade of fairies, demons and evil elves with Del Toro's Middle-Earth-to-be in mind.
Needless to say, it's a narrow perspective.

It would make more sense to expect that these upcoming features will negotiate between the gothic horror of Pan's Labryinth and the blockbuster approach of Hellboy II. In the latter work, it's clear that Del Toro has more interest in placing these loony supernatural beings in relatively conventional action sequences, allowing the specificity of the characters to create a sense of ingenuity. Pan's Labryinth, on the other hand, offers a single package of storytelling: The art direction, special effects and even the violence directly relate to the drama. The best case scenario for the Hobbit films would be a happy medium: Glorious visuals that reflect Tolkien's deeply involving mythology.

Continue reading Discuss: Should 'Hellboy II' Serve as Del Toro's Audition Tape?

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Filed under: Action, Celebrities and Controversy, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, The Geek Beat

It's rare when geek culture and mainstream movie-goers unite together in barely suppressed excitement. It's so rare that, frankly, it's downright weird when it happens. I'm watching the breathless anticipation that is accompanying The Dark Knight from all corners of the media, from places as diverse as Jezebel and Slate, and wondering how did it come to this...

Don't get me wrong. It's great. I haven't seen The Dark Knight yet (I seem to be the only internet writer who didn't catch a press screening), but I feel it could be a film worthy to unite the masses. When my friends asked me, back in the depths of winter, which summer films would be the biggest and best, I didn't hesitate. "Wall E and The Dark Knight." I maintained this opinion, despite the impending arrivals of Crystal Skull, Angelina Jolie, and The Hulk.

Continue reading The Geek Beat: The 'Dark Knight' Insanity

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I just turned in my "Dark Knight" review and I'm still breathing hard (in a nutshell: Ledger's amazing, Bale's good, Gyllenhaal thankfully ain't no Katie Holmes, and the film's ambitions get the better of it but not ruinously -- read the rest on Thursday). So for now, some filler links!

You think you've seen "The Godfather"? You haven't seen "The Godfather". But you will this September.

Was that Senator Patrick Leahy I saw in "The Dark Knight"? Why, yes, it was.

Hayao Miyazaki fanatics (of which I am one), take note: the master's new film just opened in Japan. No one's quite sure what it's about. I think you'll have to take a bunch of five-year-old kids and ask them.

Is Heath Ledger the new James Dean? Shame on you for asking, but maybe. Or maybe not.

And Glenn Kenny weighs in on A) why you should remember Evelyn Keyes (in photo above), and B) why "Mamma Mia!" made his flesh crawl. While I sympathize with his pain, I don't empathize; despite being an unholy mess, a gravity-sucking quasar of camp, and an unparalleled exercise in white Bollywood, the upcoming film actually gave me great, demented pleasure.

Filed under: Action, Casting, New Releases, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand, Obits, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Stars in Rewind

In the last twenty-four hours alone, countless news articles have compared the late Heath Ledger to James Dean. Of course it helps that the two actors -- whose careers lie fifty years apart -- bear physical resemblances to each other. The real reason for the frequency of the comparison, however, revolves around the possibility that Ledger, like Dean, might end up with a posthumous Oscar nomination.

Other than Dean, whose death in a 1955 car accident was preceded by two nominations back-to-back, six actors have landed the distinction -- but only one, Peter Finch, actually won (for Network in 1976). However, Ledger is now perceived an actor who possessed a potential he never quite realized, while Dean was already an icon by the time of his death (and he still didn't win the prize). If Ledger gets nominated for his performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight, the award will also acknowledge the great career that never was. Dean surely would have followed Giant with other wonderful performances, but his brief filmography also allowed the actor to reach a level of prestige that Ledger would have needed a few more movies to attain. So does this comparison really hold up?

The media certainly seems to think so. "Like Dean, he could endure as a mythic figure of talent silenced before his time," writes the AP. "People are aflutter over seeing the final performance of a new James Dean," reports The Huffington Post. " One quality that Ledger and Dean did share is rapid growth," notes the Baltimore Sun.

Continue reading Discuss: Heath Ledger and James Dean

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Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Home Entertainment

News broke in May that Anthony Hopkins was heading an all-star adaptation of William Shakespeare's King Lear. But as I mentioned then, this is one of two Lear projects on the way -- the other being a theater version starring Ian McKellen. This was going to be shown in the UK, but according to CNN, it's also hitting stateside on PBS next season.

Here's the kicker -- McKellen stripped down to his birthday suit for the role. Considering the kerfuffle that followed one slipped Janet Jackson nipple, one would think that there'd be a nice blur applied to Sir Ian's bits. However, PBS president Paula Kerger says: "Let's talk about this in January. It's what I think about it and what the FCC will allow." And as for what she thinks: "It's powerful. His entire performance is quite powerful."

Powerful or not, I'm sure there would be quite an uproar if his nudity was shown on a public station, even if it fits with the King's decline into madness at the hands of his evil daughters. So, I doubt that we'll get an unedited version of the play, but maybe there will be an unrated DVD that can go head to head with Hopkins. And, would Anthony go that far for the role?

I'm still trying to decide who I like more as Lear. It's probably McKellen, but Hopkins did a great job in Titus, so anything is possible. Who do you prefer?

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Filed under: RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand

I was just about to eat lunch when Cinematical's Christopher Campbell IM'd me the following ... "your dream movie ..." with a link to an article over at Daily Star featuring a quote from Megan Fox (who's no longer getting married to what's his name from Bev Hills 90210, by the way) in which she says her dream is to film an entire movie in the nude. No joke. And if I somehow had the money to fund such an experiment (donations? anyone?), I'd do so in less than a second. Strike that -- I'd do it in less than less than a second. (What do you want from me? It's Monday ... I'm alone ... writing about Batman for the 7,654th time. I'm allowed to geek out over my girl Megan just a little, right?)

Here's the quote: "I would love to do a movie naked - it would be beautiful. No one dares make that kind of film today. They did it in the 1930s in an arty way, so why not now?" Sh*t, why not now? I'm sure Brett Ratner would make that film for no money -- heck, I'm sure Ratner would pay someone else out of his own pocket if it meant he could direct that movie. I can almost see it now: Arty: The Movie, starring a naked Megan Fox and directed by Brett Ratner. And you thought The Dark Knight was popular? Wait until you see the viral sites for this one!

(And don't even pretend not to care -- the gallery below is our most popular on the site.)

Continue reading Megan Fox Wants to Film an Entire Movie Naked!

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If opening weekends are elections, Eddie Murphy just lost in a landslide. "Meet Dave" grossed $5.3 million at 3,300 screens -- that's a $1,606 per-screen-average, downright pathetic for a heavily marketed comedy featuring a major star. (Can we still say that about Eddie? Maybe not.) The comic can take heart that "Dave" did marginally better than "The Adventures of Pluto Nash" (a $2.1 million opener in 2002) -- but it also did much, much worse than "Norbit" ($34 million in February of 2007). What's the lesson here for Murphy? Stay away from sci-fi themes? More dramatic supporting roles like "Dreamgirls"? Hide under a rock for a few years?

The weekend's big winner was "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," buoyed by a wave of great reviews and a want-to-see primed by the first film's DVD success. $36 million in grosses put it well above the 2004 opening weekend for "Hellboy" ($23 million), and the per-screen-average was $11,200, far above "Meet Dave."

The big smackdown, in fact, was between "Hellboy II" and "Hancock," which made $33 million its second weekend out and has grossed $165 million to date. Fine; with a $150 million budget (not counting marketing costs), the Will Smith vehicle will need to rake in major dollars (and euros and yen) to break even.

"Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D" made a very tidy $20 million, 57% of which came from the 854 theaters (or 30% of the total) equipped with RealD projectors. Which makes sense, since why would anyone want to see a movie with "3D" in the title in a 2D version?

In limited release, the twisty French suspense chiller "Tell No One" is doing bang-up business with a $13,388 per-theater-average at 18 theaters; Boston gets it on August 1. Before then, of course, comes the one-two punch of "The Dark Knight" and "Mamma Mia!" this Friday -- perhaps the most demographically balanced double tsunami of the summer.

Here's the Box Office Mojo chart and here's Leonard Klady at Movie City News.