Results tagged “ryanreynolds”

       

It was good to see Sam Raimi dipping his toes into the horror pool again with Drag Me to Hell. Even better to see the great Alison Lohman headlining a film. She's had me since White Oleander and secured my eternal loyalty by stealing Matchstick Men. I'm glad that Sandra Bullock's career hasn't gone south like, say, Meg Ryan's, but I still ain't gonna watch The Proposal. One of the summer's biggest flops was Land of the Lost, and yet I still laughed quite a bit when I saw it. Such is the allure of Will Ferrell: he either works for you and you don't care or you don't care. If you haven't acquainted yourself with the films of Atom Egoyan, start acquainting! Adoration isn't up to the level of Where the Truth Lies or Exotica, but it's worth your time.

              

Critics were predictably tough on X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but I preferred it to all the other hyper-budgeted blockbusters of the summer (with the possible exception of Harry Potter 6, though I'm still not happy about the elision of Dumbledore's funeral). Gambit could have been better conceptualized, but Hugh Jackman owns the role of Wolverine more than any actor owns any superhero role. Granted, that's not exactly saying a whole hell of a lot, but still -- he fucking rocks it. Jessica Biel + English Period Comedy = Better Than You Might Think. Of course, Colin Firth smoothes all edges so it may not be such a grand accomplishment. Grace = worst movie I saw at the Sundance Film Festival. Avoid at costs unless you love zombie babies!

              

It may seem like a thankless struggle at times, but I will not rest until everyone who needs to see Battlestar Galactica has seen Battlestar Galactica. I don't think there has ever been a show so great that has been viewed by so few. Remedy that today! I sort of like the graininess of my current Spinal Tap DVD, but if you'd rather see Nigel, David, Derek and, uh, Liam in delicious 1080P than today is your day. I was excited about the prospect of a live-action Green Lantern movie right up to the point where Ryan Reynolds became involved. I like Ryan in light comedies, but he is all wrong for the Lantern Corps. I mean, Sinestro would just completely kick his ass! Finally, I urge everyone to do their patriotic duty by clicking on the Sarah Palin link and donating today!

       

After mostly being given up for dead as a legitimate box-office attraction, Sandra Bullock roared back to prominence this weekend as she carried The Proposal to a surprising box-office triumph ($34.1M). Last week's champ The Hangover had yet another powerhouse weekend ($26.8M/$152.9M) as did Pixar's wonderful Up ($21.3M/$224.1M). Sony probably had high hopes for Year One several months ago, but the pic disappointed in its debut ($20.2M). Lack of "funny-ness" and an abundance of "shitty-ness" seemed to be the culprits there.

                     

I thought Sandra Bullock was done doing romantic comedies. Oh wait, The Proposal probably isn't very funny. Speaking of not funny, Year One is getting savaged. Is it really possible that the extraordinary Michael Cera has finally given us a true dud? Say it ain't so! Woody Allen has enjoyed a resurgence since the beyond awful Hollywood Ending (okay, Scoop sucked, too). Looks like that trend continues with Whatever Works. What a great hook Woody has for older, male actors -- make a movie with me and you'll kiss pretty, young actresses!

                                          

The 15th annual Los Angeles Film Festival kicks off tonight at 7:30 pm with the premiere screening of Paper Man at the Mann Village Theater. The full festival begins in earnest the following morning as over 80 documentary and narrative features unspool in venues across the Westside. In addition to that, the festival features panels and seminars, coffee talks and poolside chats, short-film programs, music video showcases, live concerts and free screenings of such beloved films as Ghostbusters, Election and The Muppet Movie.

There is one movie that everyone should see this weekend and that movie is Adventureland. Alternately funny and touching, it is another rousing success from director Greg Mottola (LAist review here). That said, there is another movie that probably everyone will actually see and that is Fast & Furious. I admit it -- I liked the first title in this series. It had a Point Break-ish quality to it. But is this latest reboot really necessary? Pass.

The first time I attended the Sundance Film Festival in 2007, I stayed until the festival's conclusion on Sunday. Never will I make that mistake again. While it did allow for a more leisurely pace, all the excitement (and most of the people) had left Park City by mid-week. So this year I once again planned an early Friday morning arrival and a late Tuesday night departure. I was able to see thirteen films, party three nights out of four and sit five feet away from Damien Rice during his amazingly casual concert at the ASCAP Music Cafe.

Similarly to last year (and probably owing to the largely liberal bent of the festival's programmers), there were a significant amount of films about the Iraq War at Sundance this year. Perhaps the most despairing (both in content and execution) was first-time director Oren Moverman's The Messenger. The film stars Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson as a pair of psychologically damaged Army soldiers who are tasked with the grim responsibility of informing families that their son or daughter has been killed in action.

Most people have probably pegged Adam Carolla as little more than a snarky morning DJ, but .

While not the record-breaker that which managed a weak $11.4M despite largely positive reviews.

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox

One of my favorite films of 2007 arrives to DVD today, , rectify that mistake today by buying the new, juicier version.

"Atonement" leads the pack of nominees for the 2008 Golden Globe Awards with seven nods, including top actor nominations for both leads, Keira Knightly and James McAvoy. "American Gangster," "No Country for Old Men," and "Sweeney Todd" also garnered nominations; you can read a partial list of the nominees here at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association website. Hayden Panettiere, Dane Cook, Ryan Reynolds and Quentin Tarantino read the list at the Beverly Hilton at...

We need more movies like . While it may only make complete sense to its creator, John August, there's enough in it to puzzle and delight that I recommend it without reservation. It raises and (sort of) answers questions about the nature of existence, the multiplicity of universes and the role of a Creator in both. It features one of the best performances of the year by--of all people--Ryan Reynolds and heralds the arrival of noted screenwriter August as a distinct and welcome directorial voice.

Jenna Jameson's recent and dramatic weight loss is freaking her fans out - NY Post Jason Wahler, Laguna Beach alum, was arrested for the fourth time in nine months, this time fo calling a cop a "nig**r, fag**t, and poor f**k*r" - TMZ Avril Lavigne and hubby buy The Barkers old Bel Air mansion - People Does being pregnant mean you're allowed to wear ill-fitted bathing suits? - Dlisted New couple alert! Scarlett Johanson and...

Tonight - Friday - January 26th, 2007 Paris (the City) Marathon - Paris, When It Sizzles / An American In Paris / To Paris, With Love (TCM, 5:00 p.m.) A mental vacation for you. Winter X Games (ESPN, 6:30 p.m.) Skiing, men's Superpipe final, Snowmobile SnoCross Women's Final - the Australian Open (ESPN2, 6:30 p.m.) It's Sharapova vs Serena Kings @ Canucks (PRIME, 7:00 p.m.) Charlie Rose (PBS, 11:30 p.m.) Oscar nominees Dame Helen...

A Word or 33: Is anyone watching "Idol"? I can't believe it's back, I just haven't accepted it. Maybe when Diana Ross comes on as a consultant, perhaps after she sues "Dreamgirls," then I might consider it. Today - Wednesday - January 17th, 2007 Lakers @ Spurs (KCAL, 6:00 p.m.) "Foreign Correspondent" (TCM, 7:00 p.m.) A '40s classic from Hitchcock. "American Idol" (Fox, 8:00 p.m.) Season premiere part deux. "Armed & Famous" (CBS, 8:00...