Spike Lee Criticizes the Coens, Eastwood

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Drama, Period, Celebrity Gossip, Upcoming Releases,

While working to promote his own movie, director Spike Lee recently spent a little time making jabs at some of his fellow comrades.

Lee was at the Cannes Film Festival to talk about his upcoming project, Miracle at St. Anna. The Italian-set war film - currently in post-production - focuses on four black American soldiers during WWII.

While discussing the film, Spike chose to compare his artistic choices to those of three Academy Award winners. When the topic of violence came up, Lee told the press that unlike Joel and Ethan Coen, he treats death respectfully:

“I always treat life and death with respect, but most people don’t. Look, I love the Coen brothers; we all studied at NYU. But they treat life like a joke. Ha ha ha. A joke. It’s like, ‘Look how they killed that guy! Look how blood squirts out the side of his head!’ I see things different than that.”

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Tom Cruise’s Strangely Missing Accent

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: MGM, Action, Drama, Period, Political, Celebrity Gossip, Trailers, Upcoming Releases,

After viewing a teaser trailer for Valkyrie, I now see why Tom Cruise’s film may be in need of a few delays.

In this WWII movie, the actor plays Col. Claus von Stauffenberg - a German officer who plots to take down Adolf Hitler.  Granted, I haven’t seen the film yet, but I highly doubt the character ever took voice lessons by watching videos of Mission Impossible.

You can listen to his laughable performance after the jump.

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In Theaters This Weekend (12/7)

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Fox Searchlight, New Line, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Independent, Music, Period, Romance, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases,

Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:

• The Golden Compass (PG-13):  starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue (directed by Chris Weitz)
• Atonement* (R):  starring Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saorise Ronan (directed by Joe Wright)
• Billy the Kid* (NR):  (directed by Jennifer Venditti)
• Dirty Laundry* (PG-13):  starring Loretta Devine, Rockmond Dunbar, Jenifer Lewis (directed by Maurice Jamal)
• Grace is Gone* (PG-13):  starring John Cusack, Marisa Tomei, Zach Grey (directed by James C. Strouse)

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In Theaters This Weekend (11/30)

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Fox Searchlight, Weinstein Company, Adaptation, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Independent, Mystery, Period, Political, Science Fiction, Comedy, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases,

• Awake (R):  starring Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, Terrence Howard (directed by Joby Harold)
• Badland* (R):  starring Jamie Draven, Linda St. George, Linda Naney (directed by Francesco Lucente)
• Chronicles of an Escape* (R):  starring Rodrigo De La Serna, Pablo Echarri (directed by Adrian Israel Caetano)
• Divine Intervention* (R):  starring Wesley Jonathan, Jazsmin Lewis, James Avery (directed by Van Elder)
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly* (PG-13):  starring Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner (directed by Julian Schnabel)
• Oswald’s Ghost* (NR):  (directed by Robert Stone)
• Protagonist* (R):  starring Hans-Joachim Klein, Mark Pierpont, Joe Loya (directed by Jessica Yu)
• The Sasquatch Gang* (NR):  starring Jon Gries, Jeremy Sumpter, Justin Long (directed by Tim Skousen)
• The Savages* (R):  starring Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Bosco (directed by Tamara Jenkins)
• Sex and Breakfast* (R):  starring Macaulay Culkin, Alexis Dziena, Eliza Dushku (directed by Miles Brandman)
• Teeth* (R):  starring John Hensley, Jess Weixler, Hale Appleman (directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein)

*limited and/or gradual release

‘Elizabeth: The Golden Age’: A Less Than Royal Film

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Universal, Drama, Period, Sequels, Box Office, New Releases,

When Cate Blanchett blazed onto the big screen as Queen Elizabeth I nine years ago, Hollywood couldn’t help but to take notice. She commanded royally, earning an Oscar nomination and much acclaim for her role as England’s 16th century monarch. Elizabeth has long been a character of fascination to historians and ordinary people, the daughter of Henry VIII and a woman who led in a time when most females followed. But that doesn’t guarantee Blanchett will lead at the box office, and early reviews are unflattering, to say the least.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age showcases the queen during a later period of rule, a hectic time that sees Elizabeth battling for supremacy against the frightening Spanish Armada, and Queen of Scots Mary Stuart. Elaborate sets and costumes give viewers plenty of eye candy in the Golden Age, but the timid approach to bold subject matter is sure to turn audiences off. Blanchett is nearing forty, though The Golden Age portrays a Queen beyond the age of 50. The movie, at least, offers some true historical accuracy – and if it didn’t, I would be the first one to start hollering. Elizabeth was a Protestant in a time when England wasn’t so hip to changing religious trends, a woman who defied convention and the Pope to rule her people the way she desired. This caused a clash between England’s Queen and her own cousin Mary Stuart, the devoutly Catholic Queen of Scotland. The imprisonment and subsequent execution of Mary Stuart has long been a stain on England’s history, and a famous fable that has been re-told countless times. Stuart was the mother of James, who would become King James I of England and the man who brought the Bible to the common folk.

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In Theaters This Weekend (10/12)

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Magnolia, MGM, Lionsgate, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Yari Film Group Releasing, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Period, Comedy, Sports, Lists, New Releases,

Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:

• Elizabeth: The Golden Age (PG-13):  starring Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush (directed by Shekhar Kapur)
• The Final Season (PG):  starring Sean Astin, Larry Miller (directed by David Mickey Evans)
• Michael Clayton (R):  starring George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson (directed by Tony Gilroy)
• We Own The Night (R):  starring Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg (directed by James Gray)
• Why Did I Get Married? (PG-13):  starring Tyler Perry, Janet Jackson (directed by Tyler Perry)

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