Every entertainment blog in the universe appears to be following and reviewing the phenomenon known as Snakes on a Plane. Have I seen it? No. Will I? Yes. Though this type of film does not usually fall under the ‘my cup of tea’ category, I will make a point of seeing it in the theater. Why? Because my friend Joey was the Visual Effects Editor of Snakes on a Plane (or SOap, as fans are referring to it). He was also the Assistant Visual Effects Editor of the last two Matrix films and Constantine, to give you an idea of his talent. So this is my shout-out to Joey, who finished rendering snakes just in time to get married last month. Congrats for both accomplishments, my friend. Regardless of the box office, you were part of something special in the pop culture realm. I hope your honeymoon was somewhere very far from slithering creatures.

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This year’s Oscar-caliber films have finally arrived. My predictions for early Academy Award contenders are listed below, in addition to other releases I eagerly await.

 

Official JOpinionated Caveats:

1. Some of the films on my list feature a few of my least favorite actors (i.e. Ben Affleck, Cameron Diaz, Josh Hartnett, Gwyneth Paltrow), but I will ignore them all with ease and joy, focusing instead on their brilliant co-stars and the films at hand.

 

2. It pains me to admit that two of my selections were written by the man who is responsible for the worst Best Picture in Oscar history (Paul Haggis; Crash), but I remember how fantastic his script for Million Dollar Baby was, so I will keep that in (an open) mind.  

 

SEPTEMBER 2006

 

ALL THE KING’S MEN

Political drama; Loosely based on Gov. Huey Long

Cast: Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Anthony Hopkins, Patricia Clarkson

Director/Screenwriter: Steve Zaillian (A Civil Action, Searching for Bobby Fischer)

 

OCTOBER 2006

 

BABEL
Drama/Tragedy; Four stories in four countries

Cast: Cate Blanchett, Brad Pitt, Gael Garcia Bernal

Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (21 Grams, Amores Perros)

Screenwriter: Guillermo Arriaga (21 Grams, Amores Perros)

 

THE DEPARTED

Crime Drama/Thriller; Boston police v. Irish mafia

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg

Director: Martin Scorsese

Screenwriter: William Monahan (Kingdom of Heaven)

 

FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS

Action/History/War; The six men who raised the flag at The Battle of Iwo Jima

Cast: Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Barry Pepper

Director: Clint Eastwood

Screenwriter: Paul Haggis (Crash, Million Dollar Baby)

 

MARIE ANTOINETTE

Biography/Drama; The infamous young Queen of France

Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, Judy Davis {LOVE her!}

Director/Screenwriter: Sophia Coppola (Lost in Translation, The Virgin Suicides)

 

THE PRESTIGE

Drama/Thriller; Two magicians, intense rivals – it looks much better than it sounds!

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson

Director/Screenwriter: Chris Nolan (Batman Begins, Memento)

 

NOVEMBER 2006

 

THE FOUNTAIN

Drama/Romance/Sci-Fi; Three parallel stories, from 16^th through 26^th centuries

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn

Director/Screenwriter: Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, Pi)

[* Pop culture aside: Director Aronofsky and Weisz are now engaged and have a baby]

 

DECEMBER 2006

 

DREAMGIRLS

Drama/Musical; Adaptation of hit Broadway play

Cast: Beyonce, Jaime Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson

Director/Screenwriter: Bill Condon (Kinsey, Gods & Monsters)

[* Pop culture aside: Hudson was a Season 3 American Idol finalist]

 

THE GOOD GERMAN

Drama/Romance/Thriller: Journalist in post-WWII Berlin

Cast: George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Tobey Maguire

Director: Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Erin Brockovich)

Screenwriter: Paul Attanasio (Quiz Show, Donnie Brasco)

 

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Drama/Romance/Thriller: History and suspicion of the CIA

Cast: Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci

Director: Robert De Niro (A Bronx Tale)

Screenwriter: Eric Roth (Munich, Ali, The Insider)

 

Other films on my must-see list this year:

 

SEPTEMBER 2006

 

THE BLACK DAHLIA

Crime Drama/Thriller; James Ellroy novel about unsolved murder

Cast: Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank

Director: Brian De Palma (Mission: Impossible, Scarface)

Screenwriter: Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds)

[* Pop culture aside: Hartnett and Johansson are now dating]

 

CHILDREN OF MEN

Drama/Sci-Fi/Thriller; Glimpse into a future world without children

Cast: Julianne Moore, Clive Owen, Michael Caine

Director/Screenwriter: Alfonso Cuaron (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)

 

HOLLYWOODLAND

Drama/Mystery/Thriller; The mysterious death of TV Superman George Reeves

Cast: Diane Lane, Adrien Brody, Ben Affleck, Bob Hoskins

Director: Allen Coulter (Sex & the City, The Sopranos)

Screenwriter: Paul Bernbaum

 

INFAMOUS

Biography/Drama; The OTHER movie about Truman Capote

Cast: Toby Jones, Sandra Bullock, Daniel Craig (the new Bond), Peter Bogdanovich, Jeff Daniels, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hope Davis, Isabella Rossellini

Director/Screenwriter: Douglas McGrath (Emma)

[* Pop culture aside: British actor Jones played Dobby the House Elf in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Smee in Finding Neverland]

 

THE LAST KISS

Comedy/Drama; Friends in their 30’s begin to second-guess their lives & decisions, as do their parents

Cast: Zach Braff, Rachel Bilson, Jacinda Barrett, Casey Affleck, Blythe Danner, Tom Wilkinson

Director: Tony Goldwyn (A Walk on the Moon, Someone Like You)

Screenwriter: Paul Haggis (Flags of Our Fathers, Crash, Million Dollar Baby)

[* Pop culture aside: Director Goldwyn played the slimeball friend who betrayed Demi and Swayze in Ghost]

 

OCTOBER 2006

 

RUNNING WITH SCISSORS

Comedy/Drama; memoirs of a quirky, dysfunctional childhood

Cast: Annette Bening, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alec Baldwin, Evan Rachel Wood, Joseph Fiennes, Brian Cox

Director/Screenwriter: Ryan Murphy (Nip/Tuck)

 

NOVEMBER 2006

 

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Comedy; Actors reacting to awards buzz

Cast: Christopher Guest & his usual cast, plus Ricky Gervais (The Office on BBC) and John Krasinski (The Office on NBC)

Director/Screenwriter with Eugene Levy: Christopher Guest (Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman, A Mighty Wind)

 

STRANGER THAN FICTION

Comedy/Drama/Romance; Man hears woman narrating his life, in his head – again, it looks so much better than it sounds!

Cast: Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah

Director: Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Monster’s Ball)

Screenwriter: Zach Helm

 

VOLVER

Comedy/Drama; A mother returns as a ghost to fix her daughter’s life

Cast: Penelope Cruz

Director/Screenwriter: Pedro Almodovar (Talk to Her, All About My Mother)

 

DECEMBER 2006

 

THE HOLIDAY

Comedy/Romance; Two women from different countries swap homes, lives

Cast: Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Jack Black

Director/Screenwriter: Nancy Meyers (Something’s Gotta Give, What Women Want)

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I thought it might be fun to Blog while flat on my back and under the influence of SOMA, the magical pill that is supposed to relax the excruciating grip on the muscles of my lower back. Good times!

 

In between bouts of crap TV and naps, I’ve been watching movie trailers online. And I came across a poster for one that I thought had to be a joke, because the top billing said: Costner and Kutcher. Seriously. They are co-stars in a movie called The Guardian, which looks like a cross between Top Gun, Men of Honor and The Perfect Storm…starring two of the most famous actors who shouldn’t be. Either famous or actors. And you know I’m a closet Costner fan, especially of his comedic resurgence in The Upside of Anger and Rumor Has It.  So although I am very entertained by the casting of Costner and Kutcher, I am also intrigued and feel inclined to actually see this movie. And I will probably be the only one to admit it if I do.

 

Would Ashton Kutcher even be a household name if were not for Punk’d or being Mr. Demi Moore? Is he leading man material, or does he fall into the Josh Hartnett category? One cult classic (Dude, Where’s My Car) does not a master thespian make.

 

More less-than-lucid thoughts to come. Stand by for more classic analysis and pearls of entertainment wisdom in the next week or two.

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Superman has indeed returned.  I am not a comic book geek per se, but for some reason the man of steel has always been my superhero of choice. The first three Superman films were childhood favorites (Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, was a disappointment and box office bomb). I loved Superman I (1978) & II (1980) because of Terence Stamp, who played villain General Zod with a delightfully droll and snarky sarcasm (which Stamp later channeled as drag queen Bernadette in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert). Let’s all say a prayer of gratitude that Superman Returns did not reintroduce General Zod, as director Bryan Singer had insisted on Jude Law but removed the role entirely from the script after Law turned it down repeatedly. Phew!

 

The real highlight of the Superman franchise was Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor. Although he did not appear in Superman III (due to conflict with the producers), Hackman stole every scene he was in; he played Luthor with a spirit that all actors who have played villains in comic book adaptations since have failed miserably to emulate. That being said, I did enjoy Kevin Spacey’s Lex Luthor in Superman Returns.  My only issue is that his performance almost seemed restrained; I got the sense that perhaps he was asked to reel it in a little, suppressing a more maniacal and comical characterization.  Lex Luthor is a somewhat iconic and memorable role, and Hackman’s shoes are difficult to fill, but I can’t imagine any other contemporary actor who could have pulled it off as well as Spacey does.  

 

Brandon Routh, the tall and handsome new version of Superman with the Tom Cruise grin, does an admirable job. Only his perfectly coiffured curl while airborne was distracting. Kate Bosworth, on the other hand, would not have been my first, fifth, or even fifteenth choice as Lois Lane. Then again, Mischa Barton was also being considered, which would have been far more painful. An unknown actress would have been preferable, or at least one who has eaten a few more sandwiches in her day. I’m sure Bosworth’s procurement of this role was aided by the fact that she had just co-starred with Spacey in Beyond the Sea, as he has a strong professional relationship and history with Singer (he directed Spacey’s Oscar-winning performance in The Usual Suspects). But above and beyond her performance, I highly recommend Superman Returns. Go see it in the theatre, well worth the price of admission for the airplane scene alone.

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I actually saw The Break-Up. On purpose. I had designated the movie an obvious rental as soon as the trailer appeared months ago, but I had a few spare hours yesterday (and I’d seen every other film now playing at my local theatre).  I’m not onboard with either Team Brangelina or Team Vaughniston, but morbid curiosity and sheer boredom were enough of an impetus for me to shell out $7 for the matinee.

 

In a nutshell, The Break-Up is a harsh glimpse into the uncomfortable airspace between two adults living together after their relationship implodes and unravels in a very quick and ugly way. Although I was impressed by the script, I was not sold on the chemistry between Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn at all (which may or may not be an indication of their potential or longevity together off-screen).  

 

I am not surprised that the movie was marketed as a comedy, given both the stars and the few funny scenes that were chosen for the trailer. But this is not an entertaining two hours; the interaction between the lead characters is unpleasant at best. As a matter of fact, I would not recommend The Break-Up to anyone who has been through or never recovered from the painful dissolution of a long-term relationship. Watching this film is not a therapeutic experience, and there is a good chance that you might leave the theatre more unresolved and depressed than you anticipated.

 

Pop culture highlight: Peter Billingsley, who plays Joey Lauren Adams’ husband in The Break-Up, was the infamous Ralphie in A Christmas Story. Now a successful television and film producer, Billingsley and Vince Vaughn have been best friends since they appeared together in an After School Special about steroids early in their careers. Awesome.

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Now that summer is upon us and the regular television season is officially over, it’s time for me to focus on movies again. Here are a few of the more notable films that I’ve seen over the last few weeks.

 

THE DA VINCI CODE

I didn’t love it, but I was entertained. It was a Ron Howard film, after all, starring Tom Hanks, Mr. Safe.  If you haven’t seen it in a theatre, save yourself a few dollars and wait to rent it.

 

FRIENDS WITH MONEY

A conversation and relationship movie. Well written and featuring an impressive ensemble cast, but a rental for sure. You will find yourself distracted by Jennifer Aniston and Frances McDormand, playing women who don’t wash their hair in order to convince us they’re miserable.

 

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III

I love JJ Abrams and Keri Russell; two very good reasons to see the movie. Trust me, you will enjoy a great action film despite its couch-jumping star.  

 

X-MEN: THE LAST STAND

I have to admit that I geeked out a little during this one. Of the three, this is now my favorite. I’m not a huge comic fan but this franchise is very well produced and brought to life on the big screen. A word of advice for the loyal fans – stay for the brief, secret scene that plays after the credits roll.

 

SUMMER RELEASES ON MY MUST-SEE LIST

A Prairie Home Companion

A Scanner Darkly

Lady in the Water

Little Miss Sunshine

My Super Ex-Girlfriend

Nacho Libre

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Superman Returns

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