Courtney Stodden got her wish! Her first movie role! Courtney is familiar with reality TV, but this time around she has dialog to memorize for her part in “Love Addict.” Courtney’s character is a spoiled Beverly Hills housewife who married a rich older man. Her favorite pastime is lounging around her pool in various bikinis. Above, Courtney is happily getting the attention she craves from stylists and wardrobe people.
Photo Credit: AKM-GSI
The minute Dolly Parton revealed that she is writing a movie version of her life, a lot of actresses became her best friend. From Dolly’s hillbilly youth in Tennessee to her amazing musical success – the story is fascinating and the starring role is bound to be coveted. According to The National Enquirer, Miley Cyrus, who happens to be Dolly’s goddaughter, thinks the part should be hers. (Regarding Miley, Dolly said “People thought I was trashy when I started out, too!”) But Jessica Simpson and Hayden Panettiere are also very interested and BOTH seem like plausible choices. Of all people, Blake Lively is also said to be interested, but that would be some odd casting!
(Above, Dolly and Richie Sambora)
Photo Credit: AKM-GSI
The LA Times conducted a very interesting poll to find out which movies that moviegoers considered to be the Most Over-rated and the Most Under-rated this year. “Gravity” came out on top as Most Over-rated and we have to agree. We love Sandra Bullock, but the movie was a lot of fuss about almost nothing. “The Butler” came in a close second – viewers considered it overly sentimental. (We did enjoy it, though.)The winner of Most Under-rated (the best movies that few people saw) was “The East” an eco-thriller starring Alexander Skarsgard – sure enough, we don’t know anyone who saw it, but now we will make a point of doing so. Second Most Under-rated was Chris Hemsworth’s racing movie “Rush” which we saw and enjoyed far more than we expected to. Do you agree with this poll?
(Above, the Under-rated “Rush”)
Walt Disney is high on our list of Most Admired People so we were itching to see “Saving Mr. Banks.” Although it isn’t really ABOUT Walt Disney, it’s a great story and really entertaining. There are many delicious and colorful Los Angeles scenes at LAX, The Beverly Hills Hotel, Grauman’s Chinese Theater, and Disneyland in the glorious early 60’s. We’ll take Tom hanks as Walt Disney over Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips any day…
This is a movie that only a man loaded with testosterone could sit through. Female characters in “Out of the Furnace” are inconsequential. The violence, negativity, and brutality, are enough to make one question the evolution of humanity. Don’t expect an ounce of humor or sensitivity, just one dismal gut-wrenching episode after another. We couldn’t help thinking “What are people in other countries going to think of Americans when they see this?” The writing, directing, and acting are skillful, but totally wasted on the nihilistic subject matter. The time we spent watching this movie was torture and we had to walk out early. We weren’t the only ones unable to sit through this – we found traumatized women in the bathroom. Of course, we expect this movie to be a big hit with juiced up teenage boys. (Above, Woody Harrelson plays the vilest character we’ve seen on film.)
If you get a chance to see the movie “Mud” with Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon, DO IT! It’s an engrossing story about two 14 year old boys who live in rural Georgia on an island in the Mississippi River. This is a coming of age adventure and a peek into another culture and a different world. Walking out, we felt like we’d just read a great book. (And we are NOT usually fans of Matthew. He and Reese will surprise you in this movie) ) All the characters are very real – they’re not all good, but you can empathize with each of them. Give this movie a chance – it is a real gem and well worth the price of admission. It may still be playing at small theaters or get the video.
We weren’t the least bit surprised to learn that Jeremy Piven was the cause of the salary stand-off that’s holding up the “Entourage” movie. He seems to be a lot like his scheming character Ari. However, there ARE extenuating circumstances, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Jeremy was originally the highest paid actor on the TV series and he did earn several Emmys. He was first to sign for the movie and got a lot more money than the others. The other guys want to be paid closer to what Jeremy is getting but the movie budget won’t allow it so they are disgruntled. They ARE expected to back down simply because everyone DOES want to get the movie made.
After hearing so much great stuff about Gravity we could hardly wait to get into our theater seats and take a look at it. Visually, the movie is quite beautiful and the silence and grandeur of outer space is intimidating. Technically and artistically the movie is magnificent. But we just didn’t LOVE it. We LIKED it a lot, but didn’t love it. The actual story is very small and lacks significance. Sandra Bullock plays a doctor who spends most of the movie floating and spinning in space and that couldn’t have been easy. She earned her salary. We were annoyed by, of all things, her short brown wig. Why couldn’t she just have tied up her own hair in a twist to look “serious.“ (We are frequently distracted by fake looking wigs in movies and real life too.) A scientist familiar with weightlessness later pointed out that Sandra’s hair should have been floating around in strands when she was up in the air, and looked wrong. Wigs don’t float. Enough nitpicking. Gravity is entertaining, but not our favorite movie of the year. We still prefer the likes of Blue Jasmine. Anybody agree?
If you’re on the fence about whether or not to see “Rush” – you might be pleasantly surprised. It’s more than screaming crowds and racing engines. Actually there is a surprising dose of humanity in the story – thanks to director Ron Howard. He doesn’t put action above plot and character development. It’s based on the true story of two famous race car drivers and it all takes place in the swinging 70’s when they were considered heroes. As delectable as Chris Hemsworth is to look at in this movie, he reveals himself to be a satisfying and talented actor. For a movie about sports, this one is a winner.
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Here’s an interesting couple: Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton are filming “Life Itself” in Brooklyn. They play a longtime married couple who have always lived in the same apartment and find themselves overwhelmed by personal and real estate problems when they plan to move away from the city. It’s based on film critic Roger Ebert’s book “Life Itself: A Memoir.”
Photo Credit: Pacific Coast News