Image Credit: Mary Evans/Ronald Grant/Everett CollectionMy first reaction to this morning’s news that a trio of classic Jerry Lewis comedies is being remade was: Yesss! Then, after a while, my brain started downshifting to Oh Nooo! You see, I’m a huge Jerry Lewis freak. And no, I’m not French. If you’ve never seen Lewis’ manic and masterful string of comedies for Paramount in the ’60s, then you might have a hard time buying into my belief that the guy is a flat-out genius. READ FULL STORY »
Tag: Hollywood (61-70 of 134)
Jan 18
2011
03:00 PM ET
Jerry Lewis comedies being remade: Is an overdue revival afoot?
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Jan 8
2011
05:21 PM ET
'Ghostbusters 3' raises the question: should the '80s be left alone?
Image Credit: Everett CollectionIf we’re to believe today’s big news, then Bill Murray may very well be sitting at home at this very moment in front of a fireplace with a cup of Swiss Miss and the script for Ghostbusters 3. That’s a pretty exciting thought…for about five minutes. Then the inevitable concerns arise — concerns like, is this really a good idea? Do we really want to check back in with Dr. Venkman, Dr. Stantz, and Egon after all these years? What if they’re…well, what if they’re not funny anymore? Wouldn’t it be better if we let certain cherished memories stay pure and untarnished?
Movie lovers of a certain age have had to grapple with these thorny questions a lot lately. I’m talking about folks like myself who spent way too much time in darkened multiplexes during the ’80s. Recently we’ve seen Indiana Jones dusted off and yanked out of a mothballed crate just so he could battle Boris and Natasha-style Russkies, piggyback on a motorcycle with Shia LaBeouf, and try to hunt down some preposterous crystal knickknack left behind by space aliens. Space aliens!! Come on!
We’ve seen splashy new incarnations of Reagan-era horror chestnuts like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Piranha. They’ve been recast, rebooted, and, in the last case, even tarted up with 3-D. But did any of them improve on the original? Jerry O’Connell’s severed manhood aside, I’d argue no. And I’d take it a step further: They probably tainted my memories of the originals, at least a little. I know these movies aren’t really made for me — or for the folks who were at the scene of the crime the first time around. The new target demo is teens and twentysomethings who either aren’t familiar with the originals, or don’t consider them sacred texts. But Hollywood’s been defiling the vault for so long now that it’s time we finally cried “Uncle!” READ FULL STORY »
Jan 3
2011
06:39 PM ET
Lindsay Lohan reportedly leaves rehab. What should she do next? And how many times can we ask this question?
Image Credit: Amy Graves/WireImage.comHere at PW headquarters, we’ve written many, many times about a possible Lindsay Lohan comeback. (See: here, here, here, here, here, here. And that’s just in the last year alone.) And today, on the day that she’s reportedly left a less-than-drama-free stay at Betty Ford — what with that whole criminal battery investigation thing — we have the opportunity to do so once again. After all, the actress’ website recently underwent a makeover. Surely, it’s time she actually accomplished a successful image overhaul herself.
But what will work for her? She tried making fun of her troubles via this year’s MTV Video Music Awards. That, however, only succeeded in making many critics, and fans, sad pandas. She boasted a role in this year’s cultish Robert Rodriguez flick, Machete. Unfortunately, her character’s affection for weaponry only seemed to remind folks of this. She tried jumping on board Inferno, a steamy biopic about Linda Lovelace that seemed destined for awards chatter (whether said chatter would surround an Oscar or Razzie, of course, would have remained to be seen). But after violating her probation, checking into jail for a short-lived stint, failing a drug test, and getting sent to rehab, the film’s director bailed on Lohan, replacing her with Malin Akerman.
Looking at her 2010, it’s hard to imagine how Lohan can win, regardless of what she chooses to do post-rehab. And frankly, after speculating for months about what she can do with her career once she pulls herself together, I’ve run out of ideas. So I’m going to turn it over to you, PopWatchers. How should Lohan spend her 2011? Vote in our poll below. Wah. READ FULL STORY »
Nov 29
2010
04:00 PM ET
'Empire Strikes Back' director Irvin Kershner: An appreciation
Image Credit: © & TM Lucasfilm, LtdGeorge Lucas will always be known as the genius behind Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Darth Vader. But it was Irvin Kershner, a professorial and genteel man of the old school, who directed the film most Star Wars aficionados consider the greatest chapter in the saga, 1980′s The Empire Strikes Back. It was to Kershner’s credit that he never jockeyed for the limelight or clawed for the credit. He was a quiet craftsman who believed in letting the images he put on screen speak for him. The news that Kershner passed away earlier today leaves a giant black hole in a galaxy far far away and in the hearts of fans in this one.
Kershner was a graduate of USC film school and years later he taught a young, like-minded student named George Lucas. But before that fateful classroom encounter, Kershner would earn his stripes producing documentaries for the U.S. Information Service in the Middle East in the early ’50s. READ FULL STORY »
Nov 9
2010
02:32 PM ET
The new 'Tron' trailer is up: cool or creepy?
A new trailer for TRON: Legacy has surfaced and I have to say it looks pretty damn cool. For the most part, anyway. I was a little skeptical about the idea of rebooting a franchise that tanked so epically the first time around, but after seeing all the gee-whiz glow-in-the-dark f/x and hints at a plausible father-son story, I think I might be won over. The big-budget Disney flick doesn’t open until Dec. 17, but the new trailer should be enough to satisfy the nerd-herd for the next month or so — thanks especially to the film’s Star Wars-y action scenes and ominous lines like: “The Grid: a place of infinite possibility.” Give the clip a ride after the jump. READ FULL STORY »
Nov 5
2010
02:10 PM ET
Randy Quaid tells 'Early Show' that 'star whackers' are out to get him
The Randy and Evi Quaid saga just gets weirder and weirder. And the Oscar-nominated-actor-turned-fugitive-turned-conspiracy theorist isn’t exactly helping his case. In an interview with CBS’ Early Show this morning, Quaid, who has been on the run from authorities on felony trespassing and vandalism charges along with his wife Evi, said that he was being targeted by “star whackers.”
The Quaids say they are convinced that unnamed nefarious people are singling out celebrities to either steal their fortunes or kill them. They claim that David Carradine, who was found hanged in a Bangkok hotel room, and Heath Ledger, who died of an accidental drug overdose, were victims of the same conspiracy. Quaid has called this cabal: “star whackers.” The couple says they are currently seeking asylum and protection in Canada. Check out the entire interview below. READ FULL STORY »
Oct 25
2010
04:40 PM ET
'Saw 3D' director Kevin Greutert on making Jigsaw's final movie (and NOT making 'Paranormal Activity 2')
Image Credit: Brooke PalmerKevin Greutert edited the first five Saw movies and directed the most recent pair—last year’s Saw VI and Saw 3D, which opens Friday. So it isn’t a huge surprise to discover that the horror franchise, in which victims must try to escape torture-traps set by Tobin Bell’s character Jigsaw, has infiltrated his subconscious. “I do have Saw dreams,” says the filmmaker. “I can’t even escape it in my sleep.”
Nor has he been able to escape it in real-life, despite his best efforts to do so. Following the huge success of last fall’s Paranormal Activity, Greutert and TV writer Michael Perry (The Dead Zone, Millennium) were approached to oversee the second film in the PA franchise, despite the original movie taking a big bite from the box office of Greutert’s Saw VI. “When I was approached by the Paranormal guys, I was thrilled,” says Greutert. “We had quite a few meetings and did a lot of pitching with them. And of course Michael stayed on.” Greutert did not. In January, the producers of the Saw movies exercised an option in the director’s contract, which allowed them to extract Greutert from Paranormal 2 and deposit the director on the Toronto set of Saw 3D, shortly before the film was due to start principal photography. Greutert reportedly responded by blogging that “lawyers are sending me to Canada.” “I don’t remember that!” Greutert protests, with mock innocence. “Starting with the release of Saw VI, and the disappointing box-office performance, it’s been a dark time for me, no question. But honestly, this subject, while it’s fascinating, I should probably not say more on it.”
Oct 22
2010
02:41 PM ET
The 'Hangover' problem: Mike Tyson, okay; Mel Gibson, not okay?
Image Credit: Albert L. Ortega/PR Photos; PRN/PR PhotosBy now, you’ve no doubt heard all about the dust-up over Mel Gibson‘s planned cameo being yanked from The Hangover 2. First it was announced that Gibson — whose career has been unquestionably challenged by tabloid headlines stemming from his nasty split from Oksana Grigorieva, the mother of his 1-year-old daughter, and the subsequent leak of irate and threatening phone messages he allegedly left her — would have a cameo in Todd Phillips’ comedy sequel. Then it was revealed that after objections from some members of the film’s cast and crew, Gibson had been dropped from the film. Now, the latest beat in the story is that Zach Galifianakis may have been one of the folks ticked off by the Gibson casting stunt (reps for both Gibson and Galifianakis declined comment). All of this is juicy stuff, no doubt.
But one question many are left asking is why it was okay for convicted rapist Mike Tyson to appear in the first Hangover, but not okay for Gibson to turn up in the sequel? Were Tyson’s crimes any more acceptable than the unsavory claims Gibson faces? READ FULL STORY »
Oct 19
2010
05:40 PM ET
Baz Luhrmann workshops 'Great Gatsby' script with Leo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and Rebecca Hall
Image Credit: Sylvain Gaboury/PR PhotosWhile there may be no second acts in American lives — as F. Scott Fitzgerald once said — there does appear to be second acts when it comes to movie adaptations of the famed author’s novels. According to Deadline, Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann recently held a workshop in New York for a read-through of his screenplay for Fitzgerald’s timeless classic The Great Gatsby, with Leonardo DiCaprio reading the part of super-rich cipher Jay Gatsby, Tobey Maguire as the striving narrator Nick Carraway, and The Town‘s Rebecca Hall as Jazz Age beauty Daisy Buchanan.
Sources tell EW that this type of rehearsal process is not unusual for Luhrmann, but it also in no way guarantees that the three stars will end up being cast in the film. That said, it seems like pretty dead-on casting to us. And a huge improvement over the last big-ticket (but sappy and underwhelming) movie version of the film made in 1974 with Robert Redford as Gatsby, Sam Waterston as Nick, and Mia Farrow as Daisy. DiCaprio, who worked with Luhrmann in 1996′s Romeo + Juliet, has shown that he can play the dashing, debonair type hiding secrets, Maguire seems perfect for Carraway’s soft-spoken, wounded introspection, and Hall has proven that she can play frazzled yet alluring. Other names being batted around for the Daisy role include Natalie Portman and Amanda Seyfried. READ FULL STORY »
Oct 14
2010
12:30 PM ET
Noomi Rapace is wooing and tattooing Hollywood
Image Credit: Venturelli/WireImage.comThe basic tenets of American tourism also apply to the way we treat foreign films and actors: We probably won’t visit you where you live, because you speak a language other than English and we get confused easily, but you are more than welcome to come here. Immigrant labor has long helped prop up Hollywood and add a bit of spice to all the dime-a-dozen Midwest and London accents, all the way from Marlene Dietrich to Marion Cotillard. Sweden in particular has been a snowy wealth of fodder for American entertainment, with Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman, Alexander Skarsgard and this guy all making it big on our shores.
The latest Scandinavian import is actress Noomi Rapace, known best for her role as Lisbeth Salander, a.k.a. “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” in the Swedish adaptations of Stieg Larsson’s Millenium Trilogy. According to the LA Times, Rapace is close to signing onto The Last Voyage of Demeter, a film about the westbound journey of another immigrant looking to sink his teeth into the English-speaking world: Dracula. Add this to the Sherlock Holmes 2 role she’s already banked and the Mission: Impossible 4 and Alien-prequel roles she is rumored to be in talks for, and it’s clear that even Americans suffering from the all-too-common disorder of subtitle-phobia will soon be familiar with her. Luckily, she seems to be imbued with some of that Swedish good sense. “I think it’s very important to keep a distance from the celebrity world,” she told EW in a recent feature on her. “If you let everybody into your personal life, then people will shortly be bored, because they know everything about you.” READ FULL STORY »
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