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Jack Rico

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2009/01/12 at 12:00am

‘Terminator Salvation’ – First Review!

01.12.2009 | By |

'Terminator Salvation' - First Review!

I just came back from watching an exclusive 20 minute screening of TERMINATOR SALVATION at the Time Warner Center in Manhattan, New York. I love that area, but that’s a whole other conversation.

The director of the film McG, yes the same guy who produced the TV series ‘O.C’ and ‘Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious’, was there to present and introduce 4 never before seen clips. Before I get to that, I must say, I think the guy gets a bad rap (I’m at fault too). Today he impressed me with his presence, orator skills and humor. Compared to director Zack Snyder, from Watchmen, he’s a savant. McG essentially pitched himself to the 40 some-odd film critics as why he is the right guy to direct this film. He was convincing, but even more, the clips he showed had me at hello.

 

Here’s a breakdown of what I saw followed by some commentary (spoilers!):

Scene 1: A snipett of the film that felt more like a :30 second trailer.

Scene 2: All out action. Looks like McG went for the jugular on this one… and he got me. We see actor Sam Worthington as Marcus Wright, I’m still trying to find out what relevance his character has in the film, with Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese, arriving at what seems an abandoned gas station. There they are surprised by several refugees who are aiming guns at them until… a thunderous thud comes roaring through the roof in the form giant robotic claws and… GASP! people are torn to shreds! A truck chase ensues between the gigantic robot and our two heroes. Robot motorcycle drivers are spit out from the legs of the behemoth machine and then… KABOOM! Many of the CGI scenes presented were still unfinished so we couldn’t get a full grasp of the clips, yet, it was enough to remind me of T2’s action sequences. I was entertained to say the least.

Scene 3: Here we see Bale crashing his helicopter into a lake. Hydrobots come rushing like piranhas to mutilate and dismember what ever they can get their fiber optic wires on, only to be confronted by “B.A.B” (Bad Ass Bale) who plays John Connor. Sam Worthington then comes out of the lake like the Predator and stands toe to toe with Bale. Drama ensues. Fade to black.

Scene 4: This clip looks like an extended theatrical trailer wich lasted like 3-4 minutes. It’s essentially a summary of the movie and all the clips that were exhibited.

 

Here are my thoughts of the presentation and the film:

McG

McG was an appealing and engaging presenter. He hinted at ‘The Governator’ making a cameo. The director talked about how ‘big budget action meets quality acting’ will be seen here á la Dark Knight and Iron Man. He loves Sam Worthington and he thinks he’s going to be a BIG star. He mentioned that Bale’s talent is the reason the movie will be a hit. He also mentioned that ‘Bruce Wayne’ spends 6-8 hours in the editing room with him to make sure it doesn’t turn out campy. It was referred to in the Q&A that there is a part 5 in the mix and it will incorporate the time travel theme. Danny Elfman was picked over Oscar winning Argentinian composer Gustavo Santaolalla from Babel. He chose him because of his delicateness and bravura.

The Scenes

The action scenes we saw are the real deal and I can’t wait to see this film in IMAX. I’m gonna flip out! There was so much action compacted into the 10 minute clip that my head almost exploded. That’s what a summer action movie is all about. I thought Bale sounded like BATMAN, you know, the hoarse, husky, grating voice I’m talking about. To me that was the single reason The Dark Knight was not perfect. The raspy voice has got to go! I feel that apart from that, there will be enough acting chops from Bale to distinguish this from a contrived, generic action summer flick. From the looks of it, we can count on Terminator Salvation to be an entertaining and frolicking good time at the movies this summer!

 

Check out some of the pictures we collected at the press event:

 

McG presenting an animatrics T-800 and cussin’ up a storm

New unknown robot

 

T-800’s

 

Motorbots?

 

The destruction of Earth

Mack Chico

By

2009/01/12 at 12:00am

‘Slumdog’, ‘Vicky Cristina’ win at the Golden Globes

01.12.2009 | By |

'Slumdog', 'Vicky Cristina' win at the Golden Globes

“Slumdog Millionaire” took its rags-to-riches storyline to the next level at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, riding an emotional groundswell to pocket the nods for best picture, director, screenplay and original score.

The top musical or comedy award went to “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.”

The show’s 66th installment, presented from the Beverly Hilton, was a glitzy and often emotional return to form after last year’s event was disrupted and turned into a glorified press conference due to the Writer’s Guild strike.

Here are the winners of the Golden Globes:

FILM

BEST FEATURE – DRAMA

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures; Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures

“Frost/Nixon”Imagine Entertainment, Working Title, Studio Canal; Universal Pictures

“The Reader”Mirage Enterprises; The Weinstein Company

“Revolutionary Road” – An Evamere Entertainment BBC Films Neal Street Production; DreamWorks Pictures in Association with BBC Films and Paramount Vantage

WINNER: “Slumdog Millionaire”Fox Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros.; Fox Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros.

BEST FEATURE – COMEDY

“Burn After Reading” – Working Title/Releasing Company; Focus Features in association with Studio Canal

“Happy-Go-Lucky”Summit Entertainment, Film4, Ingenious Film Partners, Miramax Films; Miramax Films

“In Bruges”Blueprint Pictures; Focus Features

“Mamma Mia!” – Relativity Media, Playtone, Littlestar; Universal Pictures

WINNER: “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”Mediapro; The Weinstein Company

DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE

WINNER: Danny Boyle – “Slumdog Millionaire”

Stephen Daldry -“The Reader”

David Fincher -“The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button”

Ron Howard – “Frost/Nixon”

Sam Mendes -“Revolutionary Road”

 

ACTOR – DRAMA

Leonardo DiCaprio – “Revolutionary Road”

Frank Langella – “Frost/Nixon”

Sean Penn“Milk”

Brad Pitt – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

WINNER: Mickey Rouke – “The Wrestler”

 

ACTRESS – DRAMA

Anne Hathaway – “Rachel Getting Married”

Angelina Jolie“Changeling”

Meryl Streep – “Doubt”

Kristin Scott Thomas – “I’ve Loved You So Long”

WINNER: Kate Winslet – “Revolutionary Road”

ACTOR – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Javier Bardem – “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

WINNER: Colin Farrell – “In Bruges”

James Franco“Pineapple Express”

Brendan Gleeson – “In Bruges”

Dustin Hoffman – “Last Chance Harvey”

 

ACTRESS – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Rebecca Hall – “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

WINNER: Sally Hawkins – “Happy-Go-Lucky”

Frances McDormand – “Burn After Reading”

Meryl Streep – “Mamma Mia!”

Emma Thompson – “Last Chance Harvey”

 

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Tom Cruise“Tropic Thunder”

Robert Downey Jr. – “Tropic Thunder”

Ralph Fiennes“The Duchess”

Philip Seymour Hoffman – “Doubt”

WINNER: Heath Ledger“The Dark Knight”

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams – “Doubt”

Penelope Cruz – “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Viola Davis – “Doubt”

Marisa Tomei – “The Wrestler”

WINNER: Kate Winslet – “The Reader”

SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE

WINNER: Simon Beaufoy – “Slumdog Millionaire”

David Hare – “The Reader”

Peter Morgan – “Frost/Nixon”

Eric Roth – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

John Patrick Shanley – “Doubt”

BEST SCORE

Alexandre Desplat – “The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button”

Clint Eastwood – “Changeling”

James Newton Howard“Defiance”

WINNER: A. R. Rahman – “Slumdog Millionaire”

Hans Zimmer – “Frost/Nixon”

 

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Down To Earth” from “Wall-E” – Music By: Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman; Lyrics By: Peter Gabriel

“Gran Torino” from “Gran Torino” – Music By: Clint Eastwood, Jamie Cullum, Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens; Lyrics By: Jamie Cullum

“I Thought I Lost You” from “Bolt” – Music & Lyrics By: Miley Cyrus, Jeffrey Steele

“Once In A Lifetime” from “Cadillac Records” – Music & Lyrics By: Beyoncé Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Scott Mcfarnon, Ian Dench, James Dring, Jody Street

WINNER: “The Wrestler” from “The Wrestler” – Music & Lyrics By: Bruce Springsteen

 

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

“Bolt” – Walt Disney Pictures; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

“Kung Fu Panda”DreamWorks Animation SKG; Paramount Pictures

WINNER: “Wall-E” – Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

 

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

“The Baader Meinhof Complex” (“Der Baader Meinhof Komplex”)(Germany) – Constantin Film Produktion GmbH; Summit Entertainment, LLC

“Everlasting Moments” (“Maria larssons eviga ögonblick”) (Sweden) – Final Cut Productions Aps; IFC Films

“Gomorrah” (“Gomorra”) (Italy) – Fandango; IFC Films

“I’ve Loved You So Long” (“Il y a longtemps que je t’aime”) (France) – UGC YM/UGC Images/France 3 Cinema/Integral Film; Sony Pictures Classics

WINNER: “Waltz with Bashir” (Israel) – Bridgit Folman Film Gang/Les Films D’Ici/Razor Films/Arte France/ITVS International; Sony Pictures

 

TV

TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

“Dexter” (Showtime) – Showtime/John Goldwyn Productions/The Colleton Company/Clyde Phillips Productions

“House” (Fox) – Universal Media Studios In Association With Heel And Toe Films, Shore Z Productions And Bad Hat Harry Productions

“In Treatment” (HBO) – Sheleg, Closest To The Hole Productions In Association With HBO Entertainment

WINNER: “Mad Men” (AMC) – Lionsgate Television

“True Blood” (HBO) – Your Face Goes Here Productions In Association With HBO Entertainment

 

MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

“A Raisin in the Sun”Sony Pictures Television, Storyline Entertainment and Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment

“Bernard and Doris”Trigger Street Independent Productions in association with Little Bird and Chicago Films and HBO Films

“Cranford” – A Co-Production of BBC and WGBH Boston.

WINNER: “John Adams” – Playtone in association with HBO Films

“Recount” – Spring Creek/Mirage Productions in association with Trigger Street Productions, Everyman Pictures and HBO Films

 

TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

WINNER: “30 Rock” – Universal Media Studios in association with Broadway Video and Little

Stranger Inc.

“Californication” – Showtime Presents in association with Aggressive Mediocrity, And Then…

“Entourage” – Leverage and Closest to the Hole Productions in association with HBO Entertainment

“The Office” – Deedle Dee Productions, Reveille LLC, Universal Media Studios

“Weeds” – Lionsgate Television

 

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

WINNER: Gabriel Byrne – “In Treatment”

Michael C. Hall – “Dexter

Jon Hamm – “Mad Men

Hugh Laurie – “House

Jonathan Rhys Meyers – “The Tudors

 

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

Sally Field – “Brothers And Sisters”

Mariska Hargitay – “Law And Order: Special Victims Unit”

January Jones – “Mad Men”

WINNER: Anna Paquin – “True Blood”

Kyra Sedgwick“The Closer”

 

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Christina Applegate“Samantha Who?”

America Ferrera“Ugly Betty”

WINNER: Tina Fey – “30 Rock”

Debra Messing – “The Starter Wife”

Mary-Louise Parker – “Weeds”

 

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

WINNER: Alec Baldwin – “30 Rock”

Steve Carell – “The Office”

Kevin Connelly – “Entourage”

David Duchovny – “Californication”

Tony Shalhoub“Monk”

 

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Judi Dench – “Cranford”

Catherine Keener“An American Crime”

WINNER: Laura Linney – “John Adams”

Shirley Maclaine – “Coco Chanel”

Susan Sarandon – “Bernard And Doris”

 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Ralph Fiennes – “Bernard and Doris”

WINNER: Paul Giamatti – “John Adams”

Kevin Spacey – ” Recount”

Kiefer Sutherland – “24: Redemption”

Tom Wilkinson – “Recount”

 

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Neil Patrick Harris“How I Met Your Mother”

Denis Leary – “Recount”

Jeremy Piven – “Entourage”

Blair Underwood – “In Treatment”

WINNER: Tom Wilkinson – “John Adams”

 

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Eileen Atkins – “Cranford”

WINNER: Laura Dern – “Recount”

Melissa George – “In Treatment”

Rachel Griffiths – “Brothers And Sisters”

Dianne Wiest – “In Treatment”

Mack Chico

By

2009/01/12 at 12:00am

‘Gran Torino’ pulls an upset at box office!

01.12.2009 | By |

'Gran Torino' pulls an upset at box office!

Warner Bros. sped to the top of the domestic boxoffice this weekend, as Clint Eastwood’s urban drama “Gran Torino” registered an estimated $29 million with a turbocharged expansion into wide release.

Fox’s opening salvo with the romantic comedy “Bride Wars” captured second place with $21.5 million, while Universal’s supernatural thriller “The Unborn” delivered $21.1 million in third. The three top debutantes outpaced expectations in a weekend so robust as to blow away any concern that economic hard times might discourage moviegoing.

Sony’s urban drama “Not Easily Broken” bowed less dramatically, but with just 724 runs even its ninth-place showing of $5.6 million amounted to a solid showing.

Industrywide, the first weekend of the 2009 boxoffice year marked a 4% improvement over the same frame last year with $146 million in collective grosses, according to Nielsen EDI data.

The specialty market also was ebullient.

Paramount Vantage added 97 playdates for a total of 135 for its Leonardo DiCaprio-Kate Winslet starrer “Revolutionary Road” and grossed $1.4 million. That represented an impressive $10,666 per engagement and boosted its cume to $3.2 million.

Fox Searchlight added 42 locations for a total of 60 for its Mickey Rourke vehicle “The Wrestler” and grossed $873,900, or an auspicious $14,565 per site, for a $2.8 million cume.

The Weinstein Co.’s Winslet-toplined drama “The Reader” added 109 theaters for a total of 507 to gross $1.4 million, or a so-so $2,666 per venue, for a $5.5 million cume.

Overture added 10 playdates for a total of 16 for its romantic comedy “Last Chance Harvey,” starring Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, and registered $151,058, or a solid $9,441 per engagement, as its cume reached $541,212.

And Sony Pictures Classics’ animated drama “Waltz With Bashir” added three locations for a total of eight and grossed $80,889, or a pleasing $10,111, with a cume of $363,859.

Then there was the situation with IFC Films’ Benicio Del Toro starrer “Che.”

As planned, the distributor began distributing the Ernesto “Che” Guevara biopic in two parts following three weeks of bicoastal exclusives for the entire four-hour-plus epic. But it reported grosses for the two parts jointly.

The Steven Soderbergh-helmed pics grossed a combined $37,546, or $7,509 per theater, as cume hit $293,641. IFC programmed theaters with the separate films christened “Che, Part I” and “Che, Part II,” abandoning the festival-circuit titles of “The Argentine” and “The Guerrilla.”

In another twist, “Che” will expand Friday into solo runs in nine additional markets, where theaters will program both parts together for one weekend before splitting the film into two parts in each venue. “Che” will continue to play in two parts in New York and Los Angeles.

“We wanted to give people the opportunity to see the same ‘road show’ presentation that we had so much success with in New York and L.A.,” IFC distribution president Mark Boxer said.

Mack Chico

By

2009/01/09 at 12:00am

The Unborn

01.9.2009 | By |

Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and terror, disturbing images, thematic material and language including some sexual references.
Release Date: 2009-01-09
Starring: David S. Goyer
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.theunbornmovie.net/

Go to our film page

The Unborn
Mack Chico

By

2009/01/09 at 12:00am

Mickey Rourke could be in ‘Iron Man 2’

01.9.2009 | By |

Mickey Rourke could be in 'Iron Man 2'

Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell are in talks to star as the villains in “Iron Man 2,” being directed by Jon Favreau.

Marvel has been keeping a very tight lid on the script for the sequel, being written by Justin Theroux, but it is known that Rourke would play a tattooed Russian heavy named Ivan who becomes Whiplash, a man with deadly, technologically enhanced coils.

Rockwell would play Justin Hammer, a multibillionaire businessman and a rival of industrialist Anthony Stark, AKA Iron Man, being played by a returning Robert Downey Jr.

Rourke and Rockwell would be joining a cast that also includes the returning Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle, who is replacing Terrence Howard, making for one eclectically cast summer blockbuster.

Another part — one for Stark’s assistant Natasha — is still open.

The project is eyeing a spring start in Manhattan Beach. Paramount will release the movie May 7, 2010.

Rourke, repped by ICM, is making the best of the accolades he is receiving for his heart-wrenching turn in “The Wrestler.” On top of this big-budget movie, the actor, who will next be seen in “The Informers,” just joined the cast of “The Expendables,” an action movie starring Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Jason Statham and Dolph Lundgren.

If Rockwell’s deal makes, it would mark a rare studio appearance for the actor, who is best known for his indie dramas. Gersh-repped Rockwell recently starred as a sex-addicted con man in “Choke” and an estranged husband in “Snow Angels.” He can currently be seen in the political drama “Frost/Nixon.”

Mack Chico

By

2009/01/09 at 12:00am

Obama and Spidey campaigning together for ’09?

01.9.2009 | By |

Obama and Spidey campaigning together for '09?

Marvel Comics just announced that issue No. 583 of “The Amazing Spider-Man” will hit the stands on Jan. 14 with two different covers, one of them a special Inauguration Day edition that shows the wallcrawler with the president-elect.

It’s been quite the fanboy election. There was talk that Obama is a devotee of “Conan the Barbarian” and other Marvel Comics, and then he was also the star of a graphic-novel biography that was surprisingly poignant and well-executed. There’s also that memorable portrait of him by comic superstar Alex Ross that you can see below.

Marvel Comics executives said it was a natural to put the 44th president in a heroic context.

“When we heard that President-Elect Obama is a collector of Spider-Man comics, we knew that these two historic figures had to meet in our comics’ Marvel Universe,” says Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada.  “Historic moments such as this one can be reflected in our comics because the Marvel Universe is set in the real world.  A Spider-Man fan moving into the Oval Office is an event that must be commemorated in the pages of ‘Amazing Spider-Man.’”

There’s plenty of presidential history in the comics, such as the time that JFK appeared in the pages of Superman (the issue was written and drawn before Kennedy’s 1963 assassination but actually hit stands after that dark day in Dallas) and Richard Nixon’s 1972 cameos in “The Fantastic Four” and in “The Incredible Hulk.” 

Obama and Spidey

Mack Chico

By

2009/01/08 at 12:00am

Bride Wars

01.8.2009 | By |

Rated: PG for suggestive content, language and some rude behavior.
Release Date: 2009-01-09
Starring: Greg DePaul, Casey Wilson
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.foxinternational.com/bridewars/

Go to our film page

Bride Wars
Mack Chico

By

2009/01/08 at 12:00am

‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’ nominated by the WGA

01.8.2009 | By |

'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' nominated by the WGA

Woody Allen received his 19th screenplay nomination from the Writers Guild of America on Wednesday, when he was named for his romantic comedy “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.” Allen, 73, has previously won the WGA award for original screenplay for “Annie Hall,” “Broadway Danny Rose,” “Hannah and Her Sisters” and “Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

Joining Allen in the original screenplay category are Joel and Ethan Coen for “Burn After Reading” — the brothers won the guild’s award for adapted screenplay last year for “No Country for Old Men” — Dustin Lance Black for “Milk,” Tom McCarthy for “The Visitor” and Robert Siegel for “The Wrestler.”

Nominated for best adapted screenplay are “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” screenplay by Eric Roth, screen story by Roth and Robin Swicord, based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald; “The Dark Knight,” screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer, based on the characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, Batman created by Bob Kane; “Doubt,” screenplay by John Patrick Shanley based on his stage play; “Frost/Nixon,” screenplay by Peter Morgan based on his stage play; and “Slumdog Millionaire,” screenplay by Simon Beaufoy based on the novel “Q&A” by Vikas Swarup.

Although “Dark Knight” didn’t perform well with many critics’ groups or with the Golden Globe nominations — save for Heath Ledger’s supporting actor turn as the Joker — the box-office blockbuster is still shaping up to be a force to be reckoned with this award season, having earned nominations this week from the Producers Guild of America, the American Society of Cinematographers and now the WGA.

Competing in the documentary screenplay categories are “Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story,” written by Stefan Forbes and Noland Walker; “Chicago 10,” written by Brett Morgen; “Fuel,” written by Johnny O’Hara; “Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson,” screenplay by Alex Gibney from the words of Hunter S. Thompson; and “Waltz With Bashir,” written by Ari Folman.

Though the WGA and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences haven’t always seen eye to eye on screenplay picks over the decades, the academy was in agreement with last year’s WGA winners: “No Country for Old Men” and Diablo Cody’s original screenplay for “Juno.”

The 2009 Writers Guild Awards will be held simultaneously Feb. 7 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles and the Hudson Theatre in New York.

Mack Chico

By

2009/01/08 at 12:00am

‘The Dark Knight’ wins big at People’s Choice Awards

01.8.2009 | By |

'The Dark Knight' wins big at People's Choice Awards

“The Dark Knight” took home top honors at the People’s Choice Awards Wednesday night, walking away with five awards.

The movie, which won high praise and acclaim from critics and fans, won the award for favorite movie, favorite action movie, favorite cast, favorite on screen match-up (Christian Bale and Heath Ledger) and favorite superhero (Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman).

“Here’s to Heath,” Bale said after accepting the award, referring to his co-star, who died of an accidental drug overdose in January 2008.

Host Queen Latifah introduced the movie at the end of the ceremony and all five awards were presented at the same time.

“American Idol” lost to “Dancing With the Stars” for favorite reality TV show, but two of their alums — Jordin Sparks and Carrie Underwood — picked up their own awards.

Underwood, who performed earlier during the show, nabbed two wins early on — one for “Last Name” (favorite country song) and also for favorite female singer.

Sparks and Chris Brown both took home the award for “Favorite Combined Forces,” for their collaboration on “No Air.” The pair beat out “4 Minutes” by Madonna and Justin Timberlake and “Love Like This” by Natasha Bedingfield and Sean Kingston.

“I think this is the first awards show where they actually aired my award,” Sparks jokingly said as she accepted the award. Brown, who was in Dublin, accepted the award via satellite.

Ellen DeGeneres took home the award for best talk show host.

“I wish I could share this with you,” DeGeneres said. “I could throw it on the ground and smash it into a million pieces, and give each one of you a little piece of it, but that’s violent, and that’s probably why you voted for me, because I’m not violent.”

Other early winners included: “27 Dresses” (favorite comedy movie), Hugh Laurie (favorite male TV star) and Robin Williams (favorite scene stealing guest star for his role on “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”). EW review: You showed up? Here’s a trophy!

The People’s Choice Awards celebrated its 35th ceremony this year.

The awards were created in 1975 by producer Bob Stivers, who sold the show to Procter & Gamble in the early 1980s. The awards have reflected the growing divergence between popular and critical preferences; in its early years favorite movie honors went to “The Sting” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” — both best picture winners at the Oscars as well as critical favorites — while more recently, categories have included slots no industry group would even hazard, such as favorite superhero, favorite on-screen matchup and Nice n’ Easy Fans Favorite Hair (a nod to a Procter & Gamble product).

For most of their run, the People’s Choice Awards were based on Gallup polls. In the last few years, online voting has decided the winners, and this year’s categories included tech-friendly slots for favorite user-generated video and favorite online sensation.

Mack Chico

By

2009/01/06 at 12:00am

Righteous Kill

01.6.2009 | By |

Rating: 2.5

Rated: R for violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and brief drug use.
Release Date: 2008-09-12
Starring: Russell Gewirtz
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.righteouskill-themovie.com/

 Go to our film page

Jon Avnet’s new film ‘Righteous Kill’ reunites legendary actors Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. Both actors flood the screen with their trademark acting styles and larger than life personalities, and convert what is an ordinary police thriller into a surprisingly entertaining cop romp.

The premise has the Lennon and McCartney of detectives (Pacino and De Niro) hot on the trail of a serial killer who might end up being one of their own. Some tension is developed by two younger investigators (John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg) who want to crack the case before the seniors do.

The film offers some believable acting from the supporting cast, but nothing outstanding to make you begin your Oscar nomination pool. Leguizamo seems to play the same wise cracking cop in every movie and Wahlberg just seems to be happy to be working. Underrated is Carla Gugino, De Niro’s love interest, who continues to deliver consistently fine work. The director Jon Avnet, who gave us one of Pacino’s worst efforts, 88 Minutes, doesn’t offer us anything new here. Screenwriter Russell Gewirtz, who did Spike Lee’s Inside Man, one of the better films of the cop genre in the last five years, regresses with this hit and miss script and dialogue.

De Niro and Pacino are no longer the multi-layered, method acting thespians with depth, but they still possess enough of that charm, wisdom and experience to know how to carry a movie, ergo ‘Righteous Kill’. Together it becomes memorable and nostalgic.

It wasn’t so long ago that whenever someone asked who the best actor in Hollywood was, the answer was either Al Pacino or Robert De Niro. That is no longer the case. The best way to put it I guess, is that we are still looking for that last performance of greatness from them, that last attempt to prove all us critics wrong, that last hurrah for ol’ time sakes. Regrettably, this movie wasn’t the one to make us believe that.

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