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Movie Reviews and Ratings

Ed Helms: “Hosting SNL would be epic!”
Jack Rico
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2011/02/07 at 12:00am

Movies

Ed Helms: “Hosting SNL would be epic!”

02.7.2011 | By |

Ed Helms: “Hosting SNL would be epic!”

Comic actor Ed Helms, known mostly for his work in 2009’s super hit ‘The Hangover’ and NBC’s The Office, was in New York to promote his new, very funny comedy, ‘Cedar Rapids’, coming out this Friday, and I caught up with him to ask him about his days living in New York trying to make it on the sketch comedy show, Saturday Night Live. Helms, who grew up in Atlanta, always dreamed of being discovered and landing a spot in the cast of SNL.

ShowBizCafe.com: Your dream has always been to be a part of SNL, but you are now achieving enough celebrity status to possibly host the show one of these days. Where would that moment rank amongst all your achievements?

Ed Helms: (Chuckle) Well, ah, I’d rather not, it’d be you know, that would just be epic. That would be really, really exciting and awesome. Hasn’t happened… yet and if it and when it does, I would be over the moon.

ShowBizCafe.com: If you had to pick a musical guest to accompany you on that special night, who would it be?

Ed Helms: (12 second pause) Hmmmm…. Paul Simon is inextricably linked with that show. He has such a history with Lorne Michaels, that would be… his music was such an important part of my adolescence. That might actually take the cake.

Here’s to you Ed. I hope your dreams come true very soon. Helms will next be seen on the sequel of The Hangover and The Muppets this year.

The Roommate
Jack Rico
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2011/02/05 at 12:00am

Reviews

The Roommate

02.5.2011 | By |

The Roommate

‘The Roommate’ starring Minka Kelly and Leighton Meester, should be considered an official remake of Barbet Schroeder’s 1992 hit, ‘Single White Female’. Its plot, a roommate with a mental disorder who wants to look and be just like her friend, are almost identical. This new remake version, perhaps intended for a younger female audience, is unexceptional. It fails to improve upon the original, from its acting to the dialogue to the direction, it might as well have been sent straight to DVD, or Lifetime. But because its two female leads are so beautiful and sexy, it unapologetically slips into the realm of guilty pleasure.

The premise of ‘The Roommate’ is slightly different than the ‘SWF’. Sara Matthews (Minka Kelly) a new college student is assigned to room with Rebecca (Leighton Meester), a rich, pretty girl who unbeknownst to Sara, suffers from a personality disorder. As time passes by, their relationship grows stronger and Rebecca becomes more possessive of her friend. Little by little we see her eliminate all the things that make Sara unhappy until her ‘good’ intentions become too dangerous to ignore.

Yes, it is true that the script has no surprises or twists worth being excited about, the direction of Christian E. Christiansen is trite and worthy of Lifetime’s top 10 best, and the thrills are stale and flat, but Roommate’s sexiness and attractive cast, are hard to knock. As a result, the ‘bad’ aspects are amusing and you just go along with it waiting for another hottie to get killed or pummeled.

Whether it is a coincidence or just deliberate casting, Kelly and Meester look like twin sisters, Meester looking a tad younger. Nevertheless, it works specially well when Meester ‘becomes’ Sara in the final stretch of the film.

All in all, ‘The Roommate’ is a forgettable film, but it is never so bad that it sinks to the point of you walking out. People will laugh and enjoy the bad brushing it off as cheap escapism on a good, fun Saturday night out with the ladies.

Sanctum
Jack Rico
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2011/02/01 at 12:00am

Reviews

Sanctum

02.1.2011 | By |

Sanctum

‘Sanctum’ IMAX 3D is a survival action thriller that, although conceptually intriguing, never delivers a payoff that satisfies the pocket or the 3D experience it boasts about.

James Cameron executive produces this story, based on real events, of a team of underwater cave divers on a treacherous expedition to the largest, most beautiful and least accessible cave system on Earth. When a tropical storm forces them deep into the caverns, they must fight raging water, deadly terrain and creeping panic as they search for an unknown escape route to the sea. Master diver Frank McGuire (Richard Roxburgh) has explored the South Pacific’s Esa-ala Caves for months. But when his exit is cut off in a flash flood, Frank’s team-including 17-year-old son Josh (Rhys Wakefield) and financier Carl Hurley (Ioan Gruffudd) are forced to radically alter plans. With dwindling supplies, the crew must navigate an underwater labyrinth to make it out. Soon, they are confronted with the unavoidable question: Can they survive, or will they be trapped forever?

These types of movies aren’t new to the screen. The 70’s were famous for their disaster films such as The Poseidon Adventure, When Time Ran Out, and the Oscar nominated The Towering Inferno amongst others, with the focus on the characters’ attempts to avert, escape or cope with the disaster and its aftermath. Then there was a resurgence in the mid to late 90’s with films such as Stallone’s Daylight, the remake Poseidon and The Ghost Ship.

The premise of Sanctum is as interesting and absorbing as anything out so far this early 2011. The fact that Cameron is involved and that it was shot in 3D, and it would be released in IMAX, are all great bait to a story that is high on bad acting, recycled and cliched dialogue (“What could possibly go wrong with…” insert bad joke here) and cheap visual effects. The film was shot on a budget of 30 million dollars, not the 237 million dollars Cameron spent on Avatar. Australian director Alister Grierson, who never handled a 3D camera before in his life, is directing only his second picture, and perhaps, gave to some of the B like quality of the movie. You know it wasn’t Cameron. ‘Sanctum’ was not shot in film and it’s obvious, specially when it’s juxtaposed to special effects rendering sequences of caves. However, credit must be given to anyone who is directing underwater for half of the movie. That sounds like a tough task. The 3D experience was subpar for me. I had a chance to see the film in an IMAX 3D theater and I noticed that the sound was off. It sounded far away instead of next to you like most IMAX films. I also had some problems with the IMAX glasses, different than regular 3D glasses. The light of the film kept on penetrating the darkness of my glasses producing an irritable sensation for some key scenes. I had to keep on swiveling my head to find a point where it didn’t bother me. Was it the glasses? No. I changed them just to make sure. This happened occasionally, but nevertheless, it didn’t happen to me when I went to see Tron: Legacy in December. When it comes to 3D experiences in an IMAX theater it’s hard to say Sanctum was an experience. Between sound and imagery, it failed to mesmerize the senses.

Also perforating my ears was the dialogue from John Garvin and Andrew Wight. I don’t know which one was more at fault. When one is watching the characters onscreen trying to survive a disaster and they are engulfed by the ocean itself, all there is left to entertain you is great acting and engaging dialogue to get you through the events. This was not the case here as trite, cornball words were the du jour of the day. Seriously, it was awful. Aside from the dialogue, the rest of the film had its hits and misses. Some of the highlights were the sights of the cave, the underwater sequence shots, and the acting of Richard Roxburgh who should be Stellan Skarsgård’s twin brother. The pacing of the first 40 minutes took its time to build, introduce and flesh out the characters properly. It establishes some of the forth coming problems we are about to witness and lays out the villains and heroes of the movie. This is well done and it manages to hold some interest while it lasts. Right after that, in act II, the movie begins to introduce the lousy acting and dialogue into the action scenes. Interestingly enough, in the 70’s, disaster films were always cast with heavy weight actors which gave credibility to what you were watching unfold. Overall, this is a B cast, excluding veteran actors Richard Roxburgh and Ion Gruffudd. The level of mediocre acting is typical of what one associates with the genre. The dramatic moments are cheesy and painful to watch, specially the father and son scenes. Wakefield’s character mostly, is a vexing figure throughout the whole film. He possesses a very righteous personality, that combined with his histrionic acting, results in aggravating viewing. The tension is paltry at best, perhaps because there are no monsters, killer sharks, hungry piranhas or ravenous crocodiles. I thought there would be an unknown creature lurking in the murky and cold below. The soundtrack also didn’t do a good job of creating the suspenseful atmosphere.

Ultimately, Sanctum didn’t live up to expectations. With the high rise of 3D and IMAX tickets, this experience perhaps does belong in the deep unexplored bottoms of the Earth.

Complete list of SAG 2011 winners
Jack Rico
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2011/01/31 at 12:00am

Movies

Complete list of SAG 2011 winners

01.31.2011 | By |

Complete list of SAG 2011 winners

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 30, 2011) – Screen Actors Guild presented its coveted Actor® statuette for the outstanding motion picture and prmetime television performances of 2010 at the “17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®” in ceremonies attended by film and television’s leading actors, held Sunday, Jan. 30, at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center. The “17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®” was simulcast live coast-to-coast by TNT and TBS at 8 p.m.

Voting procedures to choose the recipients were sent to the nearly 100,000 active members of Screen Actors Guild nationwide. Morgan Freeman presented Ernest Borgnine with Screen Actors Guild’s highest honor, the 47th Annual Life Achievement Award, following a filmed tribute introduced by Tim Conway.

Honored with individual awards were Christian Bale, Colin Firth, Melissa Leo and Natalie Portman for performances in motion pictures and Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Claire Danes, Julianna Margulies, Al Pacino, and Betty White for performances in television. Screen Actors Guild originated awards for the outstanding performances by a motion picture cast and by television drama and comedy ensembles. The Actor® for a motion picture cast performance went this year to “The King’s Speech”, while the Actors® for television drama and comedy ensemble performances went this year to “Boardwalk Empire” and “Modern Family.” Screen Actors Guild’s honors for outstanding performances by a stunt ensemble in film and television were awarded to “Inception” and “True Blood.”

Dennis Haysbert introduced a lively film montage that saluted actors who perform in commercials. Hillary Swank introduced a filmed “In Memoriam” tribute to the actors who have passed away in the past year.

PEOPLE magazine and the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) hosted the Screen Actors Guild Post-Awards Gala for the 15th year. This exclusive event, immediately following the SAG Awards on the back lot of the Shrine Exposition Center, honors the philanthropic causes and good works of the members of the Screen Actors Guild. The gala benefits the SAG Foundation, which just celebrated its 25th year of service to the public and the acting community.

The “17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®” is a presentation of Jeff Margolis Productions in association with Screen Actors Guild Awards®, LLC. Jeff Margolis is the executive producer and director.  Kathy Connell is the producer. JoBeth Williams, Daryl Anderson, Scott Bakula, Shelley Fabares and Paul Napier are producers for SAG. Gloria Fujita O’Brien and Mick McCullough are supervising producers. Stephen Pouliot is the writer.  Benn Fleishman is executive in charge of production. For more information about the SAG Awards, SAG, TNT and TBS visit sagawards.org/about.


The complete list of recipients of the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® follows:

17th ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS® RECIPIENTS

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
COLIN FIRTH / King George VI – “THE KING’S SPEECH” (The Weinstein Company)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
NATALIE PORTMAN / Nina Sayers – “BLACK SWAN” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
CHRISTIAN BALE / Dicky Eklund – “THE FIGHTER” (Paramount Pictures and Relativity Media)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
MELISSA LEO / Alice Ward – “THE FIGHTER” (Paramount Pictures and Relativity Media)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

THE KING’S SPEECH (The Weinstein Company)

ANTHONY ANDREWS / Stanley Baldwin
HELENA BONHAM CARTER / Queen Elizabeth
JENNIFER EHLE / Myrtle Logue
COLIN FIRTH / King George VI
MICHAEL GAMBON / King George V
DEREK JACOBI / Archbishop Cosmo Lang
GUY PEARCE / King Edward VIII
GEOFFREY RUSH / Lionel Logue
TIMOTHY SPALL / Winston Churchill

PRIMETIME TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
AL PACINO / Jack Kevorkian – “YOU DON’T KNOW JACK” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
CLAIRE DANES / Temple Grandin – “TEMPLE GRANDIN” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
STEVE BUSCEMI / Nucky Thompson – “BOARDWALK EMPIRE” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
JULIANNA MARGULIES / Alicia Florrick – “THE GOOD WIFE” (CBS)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy – “30 ROCK” (NBC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
BETTY WHITE / Elka Ostrovsky – “HOT IN CLEVELAND” (TV Land)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)

GREG ANTONACCI / Johnny Torrio
STEVE BUSCEMI / Nucky Thompson
DABNEY COLEMAN / Commodore Louis Kaestner
PAZ DE LA HUERTA / Lucy Danzinger
STEPHEN GRAHAM / Al Capone
ANTHONY LACIURA / Eddie Kessler
KELLY MACDONALD / Margaret Schroeder
GRETCHEN MOL / Gillian Darmody
ALEKSA PALLADINO / Angela Darmody
VINCENT PIAZZA / Lucky Luciano
MICHAEL PITT / Jimmy Darmody
MICHAEL SHANNON / Agent Nelson Van Alden
PAUL SPARKS / Mickey Doyle
MICHAEL STUHLBARG / Arnold Rothstein ERIK WEINER / Agent Sebso
SHEA WHIGHAM / Sheriff Elias Thompson

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

MODERN FAMILY (ABC)

JULIE BOWEN / Claire Dunphy
TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy
JESSE TYLER FERGUSON / Mitchell Pritchett
NOLAN GOULD / Luke Dunphy
SARAH HYLAND / Haley Dunphy
ED O’NEILL / Jay Pritchett
RICO RODRIGUEZ / Manny Delgado
ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron Tucker
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett
ARIEL WINTER / Alex Dunphy

SAG HONORS FOR STUNT ENSEMBLES

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
INCEPTION (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
TRUE BLOOD (HBO)

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Screen Actors Guild Awards 47th Annual Life Achievement Award
Ernest Borgnine

Henry Cavill is the new Superman!
Jack Rico
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2011/01/30 at 12:00am

Movies

Henry Cavill is the new Superman!

01.30.2011 | By |

Henry Cavill is the new Superman!

The torch has been officially been passed from Brandon Routh to the brit Henry Cavill as he becomes the most recognizable superhero of all time – Superman. According to Deadline.com, Cavill will don the cape and the red and blue tights under director Zack Snyder and producer Christopher Nolan and writer David S. Goyer. Those three sound like they’ll be making magic together with their newly minted thespian.

Cavill, 27, is currently working on Immortals where he plays the he-man Greek warrior Theseus who battles mythological gods. He’s mostly known for his TV work in Showtime’s The Tudors and Cavill.

Zack Snyder, released this statement: “In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen. I also join Warner Bros., Legendary and the producers in saying how excited we are about the casting of Henry. He is the perfect choice to don the cape and S shield.”

According to some sources, The Social Network’s Armie Hammer, who played Tyler Winklevoss, along with True Blood’s Joe Manganiello, were strong candidates.

The new Superman is targeted for release in December 2012.

Superman

Javier Bardem offered role in ‘Bond #23’!
Jack Rico
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2011/01/30 at 12:00am

Movies

Javier Bardem offered role in ‘Bond #23’!

01.30.2011 | By |

Javier Bardem offered role in 'Bond #23'!

Spanish actor and current Oscar nominee Javier Bardem, has been offered a starring role as the lead villain in the upcoming James Bond film, Bond #23, recently set for a November 9, 2012, release.

This has been a great month for Bardem who is a new father, was nominated for the third time for an Oscar as Best Actor in ‘Biutiful,’ and was also offered the lead role in ‘Dark Tower’ from director Ron Howard.

Daniel Craig will be returning as the legendary British secret agent, with Sam Mendes directing a screenplay written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan. No plot details are currently available, but the story begins after Quantum Of Solace leaves off.

Biutiful (Movie Review)
Biutiful
Jack Rico
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2011/01/29 at 12:00am

Reviews

Biutiful (Movie Review)

01.29.2011 | By |

En lo que se puede describir como un sueño realizado, los dos más grandes titanes del cine hispanoparlante, el actor español y ganador del Oscar, Javier Bardem, y el director mexicano y nominado al Oscar, Alejandro González Iñárritu, se unen por primera vez para traernos ‘Biutiful’, una cruda y trágica cinta que arrolla los sentidos. Read More

New photos of ‘Spider-Man 4’ hit the web!
Jack Rico
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2011/01/26 at 12:00am

Movies

New photos of ‘Spider-Man 4’ hit the web!

01.26.2011 | By |

New photos of 'Spider-Man 4' hit the web!

New York (USA), January 26 (ShowBizCafe.com) – Seems like all of us in the film biz can’t get enough of the new Spider-Man reboot movie pre-buzz. Today we got some new behind-the-scenes photos of the movie to share with you. The paparazzi shots give us a better look at the the costume and action sequences of our New York superhero in and around the streets of Los Angeles (the film will say it takes place in New York).

The man who is in the suit, in case you were wondering, is not the star Andrew Garfield. It’s a stunt double executing all the action scenes, while Garfield, we imagine, is enjoying a cool drink as he relaxes in his hotel room. The costume, from this point of view, looks gaudy. While the fabric is of tremendous quality, the suit itself looks ridiculous, to the point that if someone dressed like that were to run up to us in real life, we’d be laughing our asses off in his face!

‘Spider-Man 4‘ has a cast that consists of Rhys Ifans as The Lizard, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, Martin Sheen as Ben Parker, Sally Field as May Parker, and Denis Leary as George Stacy. The film, directed by Marc Webb, will be released in 3D on July 3, 2012.

The 4 official 2011 Oscar posters
Jack Rico
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2011/01/26 at 12:00am

Movies

The 4 official 2011 Oscar posters

01.26.2011 | By |

The 4 official 2011 Oscar posters

The 83rd edition of the Oscar Awards ceremony is almost here. It will be held on February 27, 2011 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, to reward the best of the Hollywood film industry during 2010 year.

The nominations were announced recently and we are following that up by giving you a look at the 4 new official Oscar posters.

From the looks of it,  the proposed marketing plan is ‘anticipation’. Each poster, culminating with the Oscar standing tall, builds a crescendo starting with the red carpet where all the stars will parade their attire, the anxious moment when the presenter announces the winner on stage, until the very conclusion those words will change their lives forever.

The Oscars, the most prestigious film awards in the world,  are awarded annually each February or March by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles, Hollywood, California.

Below are the four posters. What do you think? Do they suck or are they right on the money? Leave your comments in the section below.

SAW 3D
Ted Faraone
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2011/01/25 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

SAW 3D

01.25.2011 | By |

Rating: 1.0

Rated: R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, and language.
Release Date: 2010-10-29
Starring: Patrick Melton & Marcus Dunstan
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://saw3dmovie.com/

 Go to our film page

 

James Frey, whose fictional autobiography, “A Million Little Pieces,” got him roasted on Oprah Winfey’s sofa for 48 minutes, got off easy compared to Bobby Dagen, ably played by Sean Patrick Flanery, who is tortured (along with the audience) for 90 minutes for concocting a fictional best seller about surviving the Jigsaw killer in “Saw 3D” or “Saw VII” — depending on one’s point of view.

 

Horror thriller’s plot is simple.  The late Jigsaw John (Tobin Bell) who appears in flashback, had an accomplice, which everyone who saw “Saw VI” knows is crooked Detective Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) whose career has not exactly soared since his stint on David E. Kelly’s “Picket Fences”.  He may be best remembered by some as the fellow in HBO’s TV series, “Sex and the City,” with a male part too big even for Samantha (Kim Cattrall) to handle. 

 

Bobby Dagen is raking in cash on his book tour.  Hoffman gets upset about this (why is anyone’s guess) and sets out to right matters.  He also has a beef with Jigsaw John’s widow, Jill (Betsy Russell), who has fingered him to the cops as her late husband’s accomplice and tried to kill him.  At least that makes sense.

 

Like the rest of the Saw series, “Saw 3D” relies on about one dead body every ten minutes, cheesy special effects, and relentless villains to achieve suspense.  The vics are also not guilt free.  They mostly (with a few exceptions) did something bad…. In other words, they’re human. 

 

This alleged thriller relies on an extraordinary suspension of disbelief.  Hoffman’s traps depend on perfect timing, amazing mechanical perfection, and a puppet showing up on TV at exactly the right moment to move the plot along.  The money such a setup would cost would be far beyond the means of a policeman.  It would be the kind of cash that would make Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke apoplectic. 

 

By now everyone who knows anything about the Saw franchise knows that its central premise is that life is about choices.  Unfortunately for those caught in Jigsaw’s traps, said choices are Hobson’s on steroids.  Pic’s second scene is set in an urban storefront in which two guys, both dated by an attractive women held overhead in a sling which emphasizes her most excellent endowments, are chained to circular saws.  In order to save the girl, one of them must saw the other to death.  If they save each other, the girl gets sawed to death.  This is classic Saw.  It is also a tad unfortunate since the unaccredited actress is sort of righteous.

 

“Saw 3D” also plagiarizes other works.  Hoffman stitching his face after Jill’s alleged murder attempt is straight out of Spanish pic “Pan’s Labyrinth.”  A bit in which Bobby has to shove hooks into his pectoral muscles was used to much better effect by Arthur Kopit in “Indians,” both on stage and on screen.

 

3D is a gimmick that Hollywood tried about 50 years ago.  It coincided with the Hula Hoop.  There is nothing new under the sun gear, as “Road & Track” magazine founder John Bond said.  Hollywood is reviving the gimmick to get bodies to shell out money to see subpar films.  It will work for a while.  Thus far your critic has seen only one picture that benefitted from 3D:  It is “Despicable Me” (which is reviewed on this site).  Heck, even CBS Sports is toying with 3D to get folks to watch its depleted roster on television.  Note to programmers:  3D does not make up for crummy material.  A compelling work can be shown on a 13-inch black and white TV screen and hold one’s interest, if not one’s breath.

 

Helmer Kevin Greutert was an editor on many of the Saw pictures and directed “Saw VI”.  Tech credits, save for the cheesy special effects, are adequate.  So is sound recording, although “Saw 3D” could be a silent picture and be none the worse for it.  Dialogue is at best banal.  Performances are almost universally awful.  Only Flanery rises above the material, which is not saying much.

 

“Saw 3D” is billed as the end of the Saw franchise. That would be a good thing.   With No. 7 it has jumped the shark.  But your critic fears otherwise.  Pic leaves a number of dangling participles on any of which can be hung “sequel.”  Auds do not know if Bobby dies or if Hoffman dies.  And it is revealed that Jigsaw John had a second accomplice, a blond haired physician (Cary Elwes) who cauterized his stump after amputating his own leg — pic’s opening scene.  Near pic’s end it is revealed that Jigsaw John made the guy his “executor” of sorts.  The future will depend on the box office that “Saw 3D” does.

 

Released just in time for Halloween, “Saw 3D” is rated R according to its press materials “for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, and language [sic].”  Take a pass.  Put the Jigsaw guys out of their misery.

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