
No Body Cares. Obvious grammar issue aside, it is astounding how easy it is to come up with what the Peacock’s NBC stands for. I’ve made fun of it before but the network keeps providing fodder ripe for the picking (on). Right now, it seems nobody at the network cares that they are constantly fourth in the ratings. Nobody cares how they are clinging desperately to their big comedies and subsequently driving them into the ground. Nobody cares how many times Alec Baldwin is inexplicably given an Emmy nomination since nobody thinks he should actually win. The newest item to add to the seemingly endless list of things is that nobody cares that producing a spinoff show based on “The Office” about Dwight Schrute’s beet farm bed and breakfast is a really friggin’ bad idea! NBC has also announced that it has ordered eight (!) new sitcom pilots. Perhaps they should stick to those eight (surely they can’t all be bad) and let Dwight’s reign end along with “The Office.”
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One of the actresses I hate the most just picked up a cameo role in the upcoming “Lovelace” film. EW is reporting that Sarah Jessica Parker (“Sex and the City”) has taken over for Demi Moore as Gloria Steinem in the biopic about Linda Lovelace. The talentless actress joins Amanda Seyfried (“In Time”), Peter Sarsgaard (“Jarhead”), Sharon Stone (“Total Recall”), Adam Brody (“Mr. and Mrs. Smith”) and James Franco (“127 Hours”). Originally, after Moore dropped out of the role Mary-Louise Parker (“RED”) was rumored to take over, which would have been awesome, but Hollywood said “nay-nay” to what would have been a good decision. There isn’t a single actress I despise more than Sarah Jessica Parker, and I have given up on her entirely. From unjustly being cast as a “beautiful woman” on an HBO show, to being unjustifiably called a “talented” actress in cinema, this woman could not impress me less. Count me out on this one.
Is it worth $10? No You know that feeling when you sit down to watch a movie that you suspect is going to be terrible, yet you want to see it anyway, in part because, like most other people, you enjoy watching a train wreck (not the “Super 8” kind but the proverbial kind)? Your standards are so low going in that you find yourself picking out the redeeming qualities of the movie instead of contemplating all that makes it terrible. This was the case as I sat down to enjoy – yes, enjoy – “One for the Money.” A movie like this is a piece of fluff. Nobody expects it to do well (Hollywood box office projections hover at around $5 million this weekend) and it is certainly not expected to be honored in any awards ceremony expect possibly the horrific “MTV Movie Awards” or God-awful “Teen’s Choice Awards.” Yet it is put out there for a very specific audience; an audience that includes lovers of traveling pants, group discussions, and Janet Evanovich. Book clubbers rejoice! Here’s another movie that allows you to cheat on your monthly reading assignment and not be shunned for your inactivity. The last few Many would agree that the most anticipated release this weekend is "The Grey" starring Liam Neeson, which appears to be at the same high action pace of his recent hit "Taken." In my opinion the poster alone is the single best piece of promotion for the film. It's so simple yet so "Liam Neeson" that you know the movie will deliver the goods and leave nothing behind but a theater full of satisfied customers. That stare on the poster broadcasts a sense of desperation and epic badass that Neeson plays so well. In addition to the grand success of the movie poster "The Grey" really outdid the competition in terms of giveaways. By simply liking the film's Facebook page there's instant access to a win a trip to the Daytona 500, a trip to Alaska or a year's worth of free movie tickets. The Alaska trip was also advertised through 43Kix as well, which is a popular movie screening outlet focusing on text message-based promotion. The year's worth of free movie tickets contest was a good hearted adventure prompting fans to send in stories of local heroes in their community that inspire in a similar way to Neeson's character in the film.
It’s official: Liam Neeson has cemented himself as the world’s favorite new action star. Ever since his ultra-macho turn in “Taken,” people just love to see this guy kick ass. So when I heard of a film about Liam Neeson fighting wolves in the wild, my first thought was: “Well, that’s ridiculous” -- and my second thought was: “But I’ve got to see it!”
In “Albert Nobbs,” almost every character is a pathetic lost soul, incapable of happiness and devoid of realistic hope. This includes the titular Albert (Glenn Close), a woman secretly masquerading as a man to earn more money but doing nothing constructive with the earnings. Yes, Albert is saving to open a tobacco shop. He has visions of grandeur, but no real sense of how to make it happen. He works as a waiter at the Morrison Hotel in 19th century Dublin. His co-workers run the gamut from the pretty young waitress (Mia Wasikowska) to the bossy hostess (Pauline Collins) to the grizzly old doctor (Brendan Gleeson). The one true friend Albert has is Hubert Page (Janet McTeer), a painter who carries the same secret Albert has and gives Albert a sense of direction.
The best news anyone has heard in weeks has just surfaced on Twitter. Megan Ellison, a billionaire heiress who has been backing unfinanced films, revealed through her Twitter account a glimpse of hope for a once thought dead franchise. She answered someone’s question about “Terminator 5,” which I assumed died with the poorly received “Terminator Salvation,” by stating that “Terminator” is alive and will be R rated as God and James Cameron (“Titanic”) intended. This news, in the wake of the appalling word that “Expendables 2” will be PG-13, brings a glimmer of hope to the action genre we all know and love. Long live the machines, and may the violence and profanity never stop!
Sam Worthington, your place on the B-list is now solidified. After functioning as a solid hero in "Clash of the Titans" and "Avatar" but showing limited range in dramatic roles such as "The Debt," Worthington has established his niche as a handsome face who can handle physical roles. No shame in that. Heck, Bruce Willis made a career out of it. But when a role calls for him to emote a bit more, such as in "Man On A Ledge," both he and the movie struggle. Thankfully Worthington's lack of Streepness doesn't keep us from enjoying "Ledge," a successful caper with solid action and suspense. Worthington plays Nick Cassidy, an ex-cop convicted of stealing a diamond from real estate developer David Englander (Ed Harris). After getting in a fight with his brother Joey (Jamie Bell) at their father's funeral, Nick escapes prison custody and soon finds his way high atop the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City. |





weeks have brought us two or three new movies each week, and the trend continues as we close out January. If you were losing pace with your "to see" list it's certain to get a little longer as "Man On A Ledge," "The Grey," and "One for the Money" all open Friday. Each of these films took their own unique paths with promotion drawing on different parts of our psyche to fill the seats.


