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Justin Theroux Archives - ShowBizCafe.com

Justin Theroux Archives - ShowBizCafe.com

Karen Posada

By

2012/10/09 at 12:00am

Rock of Ages

10.9.2012 | By |

To describe ‘Rock of Ages’ I’m going to need to use various synonyms for cheesy, because that was the main thought going through my mind while I watched the film. The music rocks, there’s no doubt about that; everything else around it wasn’t good enough to classify this as a good musical. I unfortunately haven’t seen the Broadway musical this film is based on, but I’m not afraid to guarantee that it’s probably better than this film adaptation.  

 

The film is set in 1987 in Los Angeles where a small town girl, Sherrie (Julianne Hough) comes hoping to begin her singing career, shortly after arriving she ends up in the Bourbon Room, a famous rock club where she meets Drew (Diego Boneta). Drew begs the club’s owner, Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin) to give Sherri a waitressing job, thanks to Lonny (Russell Brand) Dennis’ right hand he decides to give the girl a chance. The Bourbon Room is at risk when religious groups led by the Major (Bryan Cranston) and his wife, Patricia Whitmore (Catherine Zeta-Jones) threaten to close it down, specially when rock god Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise) shows up to perform with his group –Arsenal- one last time. With L.A. as a stage this group of people try to lead their lives surrounded by rock n roll from the likes of Def Leppard, Journey, Foreigner, etc.

 

It looked like most of the actors in this movie were just lip-synching, which whether that’s the case or not that made it hard to enjoy it as a musical. My favorite acts though were seeing Boneta on stage as well as Cruise; they rocked the house in and out of the screen. Their acting as well as everyone else’s was pretty questionable though. Cruise’s character is eccentric and entertaining with his overly macho jockstraps and tattoos, his rockstar act though might be right on, with his short attention span it was hard to follow or understand. I’m not sure if I was annoyed at Hough’s character or at herself, neither her voice nor her acting were convincing; sure she’s stunning, but that wasn’t enough. 

 

I would like to say that our young Mexican actor, Boneta, was fabulous, but except for a couple of good singing skits his acting was like seeing a puppy follow commands. Boneta is one of the main characters, so he had a glorious amount of screen time, despite of that he didn’t shine except for his first singing opening number (clip below) as well as his closing number. He definitely has potential to carry over his heartthrob skills from his Rebelde days; there is some chemistry between Hough and him, but it wasn’t exploded to the point of making believable their fairytale story.  

 

Baldwin and Brand presented some funny scenes, but their main act is actually offensive. The movie began dragging after the first act, perhaps because of the various montages; I was ready for it to finish around the first hour (It’s two hours). The corniness of the film just kept escalating until it reached a level of ridiculous.

 

I can honestly say I really enjoy musicals and was disappointed by the result of this star-studded film. Even though director Adam Shankman also made ‘Hairspray’, another Broadway hit musical into a film filled with Hollywood A-listers and was well received he didn’t achieve the same with this one. With that said I suggest you save your pennies and go see the musical on Broadway, I’m sure you will be satisfied and entertained then.

 

Karen Posada

By

2012/06/13 at 12:00am

Rock of Ages

06.13.2012 | By |

Rock of Ages

To describe ‘Rock of Ages’ I’m going to need to use various synonyms for cheesy, because that was the main thought going through my mind while I watched the film. The music rocks, there’s no doubt about that; everything else around it wasn’t good enough to classify this as a good musical. I unfortunately haven’t seen the Broadway musical this film is based on, but I’m not afraid to guarantee that it’s probably better than this film adaptation.  

 

The film is set in 1987 in Los Angeles where a small town girl, Sherrie (Julianne Hough) comes hoping to begin her singing career, shortly after arriving she ends up in the Bourbon Room, a famous rock club where she meets Drew (Diego Boneta). Drew begs the club’s owner, Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin) to give Sherri a waitressing job, thanks to Lonny (Russell Brand) Dennis’ right hand he decides to give the girl a chance. The Bourbon Room is at risk when religious groups led by the Major (Bryan Cranston) and his wife, Patricia Whitmore (Catherine Zeta-Jones) threaten to close it down, specially when rock god Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise) shows up to perform with his group –Arsenal- one last time. With L.A. as a stage this group of people try to lead their lives surrounded by rock n roll from the likes of Def Leppard, Journey, Foreigner, etc.

 

It looked like most of the actors in this movie were just lip-synching, which whether that’s the case or not that made it hard to enjoy it as a musical. My favorite acts though were seeing Boneta on stage as well as Cruise; they rocked the house in and out of the screen. Their acting as well as everyone else’s was pretty questionable though. Cruise’s character is eccentric and entertaining with his overly macho jockstraps and tattoos, his rockstar act though might be right on, with his short attention span it was hard to follow or understand. I’m not sure if I was annoyed at Hough’s character or at herself, neither her voice nor her acting were convincing; sure she’s stunning, but that wasn’t enough. 

 

I would like to say that our young Mexican actor, Boneta, was fabulous, but except for a couple of good singing skits his acting was like seeing a puppy follow commands. Boneta is one of the main characters, so he had a glorious amount of screen time, despite of that he didn’t shine except for his first singing opening number (clip below) as well as his closing number. He definitely has potential to carry over his heartthrob skills from his Rebelde days; there is some chemistry between Hough and him, but it wasn’t exploded to the point of making believable their fairytale story.  

 

Baldwin and Brand presented some funny scenes, but their main act is actually offensive. The movie began dragging after the first act, perhaps because of the various montages; I was ready for it to finish around the first hour (It’s two hours). The corniness of the film just kept escalating until it reached a level of ridiculous.

 

I can honestly say I really enjoy musicals and was disappointed by the result of this star-studded film. Even though director Adam Shankman also made ‘Hairspray’, another Broadway hit musical into a film filled with Hollywood A-listers and was well received he didn’t achieve the same with this one. With that said I suggest you save your pennies and go see the musical on Broadway, I’m sure you will be satisfied and entertained then.   

 

Check out Mexican actor Diego Boneta “rocking out” in ‘Rock of Ages’ in the video below.

Jack Rico

By

2010/09/28 at 12:00am

Iron Man 2

09.28.2010 | By |

Rating: 3.5

Rated: PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, and some language.
Release Date: 2010-05-07
Starring: Justin Theroux
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://ironmanmovie.marvel.com/

 Go to our film page

‘Iron Man 2’ is very fun, but the story in this sequel isn’t as interesting as the first origin story. It also felt longer than the original. Why? Dialogue was heavy and the action sequences weren’t as prevalent. Overall, an entertaining experience, but my main criticism of the first one was that it needed MORE action at the beginning and in the middle. This new film has a brief stint of action a quarter of the way in, but then becomes laughable halfway through.

With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) faces pressure from the government, the press, and the public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, along with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle) at his side, must forge new alliances — and confront powerful enemies (Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell).

Robert Downey Jr., is once again excellent as Tony Stark. He truly nails the caustic, pithy eloquence of Stark from the comic books. Don Cheadle was equivalently as good as Terrence Howard was in the original playing Rhodes. There was no real difference.  Mickey Rourke was fantastic as the main villain Vanko, and brought the gravitas that Jeff Bridges did in the first part. Scarlett Johansson on the other hand created a spark on screen, she was a highlight. She plays Black Widow (she was the sixteenth member of The Avengers), a sexy Russian femme fatale spy who works for S.H.I.E.L.D and whose job is to make sure Iron Man doesn’t stray for the worse. Sam Rockwell (Moon) was perhaps my favorite after Downey. He single handedly stole some scenes from Rourke and Downey himself. He’s really good and it is just a matter of time before he’s recognized for some gold hardware at the Oscars. Gwyneth Paltrow was slightly irrelevant. Funny enough, director Jon Favreau decided to put himself in the film for a few scenes. He’s funny and it seemed everyone else had a pleasant time shooting the film.

Some issues I had with this sequel had to do with the prolonged periods of comedy, or clowning around, that obstructed the flow of the story. The first Transformers movie did the same in the scenes where Optimus Prime is trying to hide in Sam’s backyard and I didn’t think it necessarily worked. When a film is taking itself serious and subtly injects humor into its storyline, it is fine, but when those moments of humor are prolonged and it becomes a centerpiece scene, then it can harm or ruin whatever solemn and credible moments the film was building from its inception.

The action sequences this time around, also coming in the final scenes as the first one, were more extended and much more action packed. The final half hour hit a climax well worth the ticket price. I saw this film on an mid-level IMAX screen and the resolution and sound were fantastic. If you can afford it, pay for it. Just in case you’re wondering, there is no 3D version of the film. I know, I was surprised too.

The Avengers storyline is in full swing here with Sam Jackson making a full appearance as Nick Fury, Captain America’s shield in another scene and…you must stay for the very, very end of the credits, where there will be a hidden scene about Thor’s Hammer. “Sir, we found it”.

 

Iron Man 2 is an exciting, funny, action summer film that everyone will like, even if it isn’t a classic.

Jack Rico

By

2010/05/06 at 12:00am

Iron Man 2

05.6.2010 | By |

Iron Man 2

‘Iron Man 2’ is very fun, but the story in this sequel isn’t as interesting as the first origin story. It also felt longer than the original. Why? Dialogue was heavy and the action sequences weren’t as prevalent. Overall, an entertaining experience, but my main criticism of the first one was that it needed MORE action at the beginning and in the middle. This new film has a brief stint of action a quarter of the way in, but then becomes laughable halfway through.

With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) faces pressure from the government, the press, and the public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, along with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle) at his side, must forge new alliances — and confront powerful enemies (Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell).

Robert Downey Jr., is once again excellent as Tony Stark. He truly nails the caustic, pithy eloquence of Stark from the comic books. Don Cheadle was equivalently as good as Terrence Howard was in the original playing Rhodes. There was no real difference.  Mickey Rourke was fantastic as the main villain Vanko, and brought the gravitas that Jeff Bridges did in the first part. Scarlett Johansson on the other hand created a spark on screen, she was a highlight. She plays Black Widow (she was the sixteenth member of The Avengers), a sexy Russian femme fatale spy who works for S.H.I.E.L.D and whose job is to make sure Iron Man doesn’t stray for the worse. Sam Rockwell (Moon) was perhaps my favorite after Downey. He single handedly stole some scenes from Rourke and Downey himself. He’s really good and it is just a matter of time before he’s recognized for some gold hardware at the Oscars. Gwyneth Paltrow was slightly irrelevant. Funny enough, director Jon Favreau decided to put himself in the film for a few scenes. He’s funny and it seemed everyone else had a pleasant time shooting the film.

Some issues I had with this sequel had to do with the prolonged periods of comedy, or clowning around, that obstructed the flow of the story. The first Transformers movie did the same in the scenes where Optimus Prime is trying to hide in Sam’s backyard and I didn’t think it necessarily worked. When a film is taking itself serious and subtly injects humor into its storyline, it is fine, but when those moments of humor are prolonged and it becomes a centerpiece scene, then it can harm or ruin whatever solemn and credible moments the film was building from its inception.

The action sequences this time around, also coming in the final scenes as the first one, were more extended and much more action packed. The final half hour hit a climax well worth the ticket price. I saw this film on an mid-level IMAX screen and the resolution and sound were fantastic. If you can afford it, pay for it. Just in case you’re wondering, there is no 3D version of the film. I know, I was surprised too.

The Avengers storyline is in full swing here with Sam Jackson making a full appearance as Nick Fury, Captain America’s shield in another scene and…you must stay for the very, very end of the credits, where there will be a hidden scene about Thor’s Hammer. “Sir, we found it”.

 

Iron Man 2 is an exciting, funny, action summer film that everyone will like, even if it isn’t a classic.

Alejandro Arbona

By

2008/11/18 at 12:00am

Tropic Thunder

11.18.2008 | By |

Rating: 3.0

Rated: R for pervasive language including sexual references, violent content and drug material.
Release Date: 2008-08-15
Starring: Ben Stiller, Justin Theroux, Etan Cohen
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:NULL
Official Website: http://www.tropicthunder.com/

 Go to our film page

“Tropic Thunder”, the new comedic vehicle by Ben Stiller and his pals, kicks off with a assault on the audience so unexpected and so enormously funny that it takes you totally by surprise and disarms you completely. Unfortunately, though “Tropic Thunder” is pretty good at several other points, this sequence ends up being the funniest in the entire movie.

It’s the story of three Hollywood actors from very different genres, who join forces to shoot a Vietnam-war melodrama. Ben stiller is Tugg Speedman, an action star whose career has suffered after his recent choices of roles, namely that of a developmentally disabled character he played hoping to win an Oscar in a movie called “Simple Jack.” Roberto Downey Jr., on the other hand, plays Kirk Lazarus, an Australian five-time Oscar-winner, who goes after roles for the challenge of becoming wholly new and different people foreign to his own reality; in the film-within-a-film also called “Tropic Thunder,” he plays an African-American soldier, a role for which Lazarus/Downey Jr. has had his skin dyed and his hair curled. And Jack Black plays Jeff Portnoy, a gross-out comedy star whose biggest success has been playing multiple roles as each member of a flatulent, obese family, and who’s joined the cast of the weighty Vietnam picture because he’d like to be taken seriously as an artist. Brandon T. Jackson also appears as a hip-hop star called Alpa Chino (read the name out loud if you don’t see the gag), and Jay Baruchel as Kevin Sandusky, a rookie actor on his first production, surrounded by big stars. Finally, the outstanding cast is rounded out by the British actor/comedian Steve Coogan as Damien Cockburn, the film’s director; Nick Nolte as Four Leaf Tayback, the Vietnam vet whose war memoirs were the basis for the screenplay; Matthew McConaughey as Rick Peck, Speedman’s aggressive agent; and Tom Cruise in a prosthetic belly and bald cap, as the villainous Les Grossman, the head of the studio.

The actors are generally excellent, above all Downey Jr. The exception to a strong cast for me was Ben Stiller, a comedic star I personally find to be very limited in the versatility of his characters and improvisations (notice how similar most or all of his film characters are; they tend to be hostile, overbearing, extremely dumb, or all three). The same goes for Tom Cruise, whose character turns out to be a one-note joke; the novelty of seeing Tom Cruise in disguise and playing such an unpleasant character was a gag that got old fast, and a role to which Cruise didn’t bring anything more.

The movie does have its grand comic moments, and some even hilarious. When it weakens is when the story becomes too dense; separate subplots play out onscreen, but Stiller’s unskilled hand as director treats all of them with equal importance, and the audience is distracted by narratives that should have just been extremely minor subplots. What’s more, enormous stretches of time pass in the film’s over-long running time when we don’t see or hear from one character or another, creating a very uneven story during the middle part of the movie.

Nevertheless, “Tropic Thunder” redeems itself and entertains the audience enormously during its stronger parts, and it even has its truly brilliant moments.

One separate note: The subject of a Caucasian actor playing an African-American man and verging on blackface buffoonery has turned out not to provoke the negative reaction you would have imagined, and I think rightly so, because it’s an issue of satire and what that character as a Hollywood star is willing to do. However, the element that has drawn criticism and even a boycott after all is the melodramatic, Oscar-bait role Tugg Speedman (Stiller) had played in his previous outing, “Simple Jack” about a developmentally disabled young man. Stiller is certainly less deft as an actor than Downey Jr., and plays that fictional part with less seriousness – because even a comedic character has to take himself totally seriously, even if the audience laughs at him. And maybe it’s because of the broad, exaggerated absurdity of Stiller’s performance in the part, but several groups dedicated to the rights and dignity of people with disabilities have organized a boycott of “Tropic Thunder.” I respect their motives wholeheartedly, but I don’t personally agree with them; the character is nothing more than a skewering of Hollywood actors and these roles they play, whether for the challenge of embodying a character they couldn’t possibly fully understand, or to raise awareness of the disadvantages faced by different groups in society, or as in the case of Tugg Speedman in “Simple Jack,” to show off their dramatic chops and try to win an Oscar. It’s not disrespectful of people with disabilities, in my opinion, but just Hollywood satire, and I’m confident that was Stiller’s intention as writer, director and actor.

Alejandro Arbona

By

2008/08/16 at 12:00am

Tropic Thunder

08.16.2008 | By |

Rated: R for pervasive language including sexual references, violent content and drug material.
Release Date: 2008-08-15
Starring: Ben Stiller, Justin Theroux, Etan Cohen
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: NULL
Official Website: http://www.tropicthunder.com/

Go to our film page

Tropic Thunder

“Tropic Thunder”, the new comedic vehicle by Ben Stiller and his pals, kicks off with a assault on the audience so unexpected and so enormously funny that it takes you totally by surprise and disarms you completely. Unfortunately, though “Tropic Thunder” is pretty good at several other points, this sequence ends up being the funniest in the entire movie.

It’s the story of three Hollywood actors from very different genres, who join forces to shoot a Vietnam-war melodrama. Ben stiller is Tugg Speedman, an action star whose career has suffered after his recent choices of roles, namely that of a developmentally disabled character he played hoping to win an Oscar in a movie called “Simple Jack.” Roberto Downey Jr., on the other hand, plays Kirk Lazarus, an Australian five-time Oscar-winner, who goes after roles for the challenge of becoming wholly new and different people foreign to his own reality; in the film-within-a-film also called “Tropic Thunder,” he plays an African-American soldier, a role for which Lazarus/Downey Jr. has had his skin dyed and his hair curled. And Jack Black plays Jeff Portnoy, a gross-out comedy star whose biggest success has been playing multiple roles as each member of a flatulent, obese family, and who’s joined the cast of the weighty Vietnam picture because he’d like to be taken seriously as an artist. Brandon T. Jackson also appears as a hip-hop star called Alpa Chino (read the name out loud if you don’t see the gag), and Jay Baruchel as Kevin Sandusky, a rookie actor on his first production, surrounded by big stars. Finally, the outstanding cast is rounded out by the British actor/comedian Steve Coogan as Damien Cockburn, the film’s director; Nick Nolte as Four Leaf Tayback, the Vietnam vet whose war memoirs were the basis for the screenplay; Matthew McConaughey as Rick Peck, Speedman’s aggressive agent; and Tom Cruise in a prosthetic belly and bald cap, as the villainous Les Grossman, the head of the studio.

The actors are generally excellent, above all Downey Jr. The exception to a strong cast for me was Ben Stiller, a comedic star I personally find to be very limited in the versatility of his characters and improvisations (notice how similar most or all of his film characters are; they tend to be hostile, overbearing, extremely dumb, or all three). The same goes for Tom Cruise, whose character turns out to be a one-note joke; the novelty of seeing Tom Cruise in disguise and playing such an unpleasant character was a gag that got old fast, and a role to which Cruise didn’t bring anything more.

The movie does have its grand comic moments, and some even hilarious. When it weakens is when the story becomes too dense; separate subplots play out onscreen, but Stiller’s unskilled hand as director treats all of them with equal importance, and the audience is distracted by narratives that should have just been extremely minor subplots. What’s more, enormous stretches of time pass in the film’s over-long running time when we don’t see or hear from one character or another, creating a very uneven story during the middle part of the movie.

Nevertheless, “Tropic Thunder” redeems itself and entertains the audience enormously during its stronger parts, and it even has its truly brilliant moments.

One separate note: The subject of a Caucasian actor playing an African-American man and verging on blackface buffoonery has turned out not to provoke the negative reaction you would have imagined, and I think rightly so, because it’s an issue of satire and what that character as a Hollywood star is willing to do. However, the element that has drawn criticism and even a boycott after all is the melodramatic, Oscar-bait role Tugg Speedman (Stiller) had played in his previous outing, “Simple Jack” about a developmentally disabled young man. Stiller is certainly less deft as an actor than Downey Jr., and plays that fictional part with less seriousness – because even a comedic character has to take himself totally seriously, even if the audience laughs at him. And maybe it’s because of the broad, exaggerated absurdity of Stiller’s performance in the part, but several groups dedicated to the rights and dignity of people with disabilities have organized a boycott of “Tropic Thunder.” I respect their motives wholeheartedly, but I don’t personally agree with them; the character is nothing more than a skewering of Hollywood actors and these roles they play, whether for the challenge of embodying a character they couldn’t possibly fully understand, or to raise awareness of the disadvantages faced by different groups in society, or as in the case of Tugg Speedman in “Simple Jack,” to show off their dramatic chops and try to win an Oscar. It’s not disrespectful of people with disabilities, in my opinion, but just Hollywood satire, and I’m confident that was Stiller’s intention as writer, director and actor.

 

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