MovieZen Blog

Casey Affleck: Just the Brother or More?

Ben Affleck is a well-known star and we all agree on that. Known for both his acting, writing and directing careers, Ben Affleck played so many different roles for the last 10 years. Together with Matt Damon he won an Academy Award for the script for Good will Hunting.

In 2007 he returned with yet another script. A piece of work called Gone Baby Gone. I haven't really followed its development nor did I see it on the big screen. I did see it a few days ago and I am still in shock. It's great movie. The characters are great and the action is filled with twists and turns. You'll never guess what happens until the very end. Ben Affleck wrote the script and directed Gone Baby Gone in case you didn’t know that.

Who is the main character played by? Casey Affleck, Ben's-not-so famous brother. Is he just the brother? Does he do the job? I don't know how to answer to that yet. Keep in mind his genius brother came up with this script. Also keep in mind this great production has none other but Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris in supporting roles. These are all ingredients that would turn any movie into a hit at the Box Office.

The lead actor is however so important for a movie. I can't name a movie which Casey has starred in the past, but I will remember this one for sure. He did appear in the all three Ocean’s Elevens. He joined Brad Pitt in the long named Jesse James movie. Is he still just the brother? His performance in Gone Baby Gone is remarkable but would it be so without the way this movie is directed or without the supporting characters which do a tremendous job too?

I am not saying Casey is not talented or not skilled enough. I am just saying that in my opinion Casey is just the brother for now. I will be waiting for more and more movies with him starring to better judge his ability to become something his brother already has become: a legend for Hollywood.

Chris
A Million Readers…

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Lindsay Lohan Meet Charles Manson

According to a report on E! News, Lindsay Lohan just signed on to portray Nancy Pitman, a one-time loyal member of Charles Manson's "family" in a movie to be titled, "Manson Girls."

With her troubled family life, drug addictions and brushes with the law, somehow  it is not inconceivable that had she been around Southern California in the mid 1960s, Lohan might've been a member of the dangerous pack herself. Manson, with his dark hypnotic eyes and convoluted dogma, might've actually been the father figure she's always needed (and as we all know, LiLo's parents haven't exactly been the stabilizing factors in her life).  This is not to say though that Lindsay would have participated in the group's murderous ways, but she definitely would have fit in with the "helter skelter" lifestyle.

While this film isn't scheduled to be filmed until later this year and released next year, it will be interesting to see how Lindsay handles the role and whether or not it helps to revive her faltering movie career. Who knows, if Lindsay were to win the Oscar for the role, would she actually thank Manson in her acceptance speech? Stay tuned...

In the meantime though, the movie I'd love to see made is the Jeffrey Dahmer story co-starring Paris Hilton!

Limoge
Opinionella

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Jumpstarting a Career

It is the motivation for class reunions, overextended athletic careers and short lived retirements. Its victims include Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan and Stephen King. It is the ever elusive attempt to re-capture ones glory days. It is also a syndrome that has bled over into Hollywood.

As of January 25, 2008 Sylvester Stallone became the latest to make a grab for former fame with Rambo. A repeat offender, Stallone released Rocky Balboa in December of 2006, the sixth and presumable last of the Rocky series. When initially announced, the movie was thought to be a joke. After all, how could a man pushing retirement age be believable as a boxing contender? Stallone defied the critics, turning out a movie that was entertaining, touching, and most importantly, believable. Audiences responded, turning the $24 million film into a well received hit with a final domestic gross of just over $70 million. Stallone hopes the same audience will turn out to support his latest sequel and continue to breathe new life into a career that has been on the decline since Cliffhanger.

   

Bruce Willis has seen much of the luster of his once bright career wear off in recent years. After the runaway success of The Sixth Sense and modest hits like The Whole Nine Yards and Unbreakable, Willis saw flop after flop chip away at his once seemingly unstoppable career. From Hart’s War to 16 Blocks, the new millennium has been peppered with box office disappointments for Willis. Even a bright spot like Sin City owes most of its success to the cult following of the graphic novel and its author, Frank Miller, as well as the unique stylistic choices made by director Robert Rodriguez. This was why some might have wondered if his decision to revisit the Die Hard series, which hadn’t seen new installment in over a decade, was an attempt to trade in on the good will of the series to kick start his career again. His previous attempt at a sequel had failed in The Whole Ten Yards, but when Live Free or Die Hard was released in June of 2007 it was met with critical and commercial success, propelling Willis back into the spotlight.

   

With these experiments in popularity regeneration proving a success, don’t be surprised to see more fading stars revisiting the roles in which they shone the brightest. Harrison Ford hopes to follow in the action heavy footsteps of Stallone and Willis with a return to the role he defined in the 80s in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull this May. After nearly a decade of career stagnation, he should certainly see a renewed interest after this surefire blockbuster. With speculated additions to the Beverly Hills Cop and The Fast and the Furious series tempting Eddie Murphy and Vin Diesel, it seems that this is a trend that will not end soon.

Benji
All Fear the Chihuahua

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The MIT Scandal Goes Hollywood

The 2003 best seller, Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich, topped the New York Times bestseller list for fifty-seven weeks. It’s no wonder that Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey wanted to produce a film based on the non-fiction story so badly. Columbia Pictures will release 21 later this week, a film that covers the story of six MIT students that took the Vegas casinos by storm to win millions in the 1990’s. When I see the previews on television though, I wonder how much Hollywood has tainted the story – I mean, I certainly didn’t expect brainy MIT students to be as good looking as Jim Sturgess and Kate Bosworth!            

With this film, viewers worldwide will embrace the notion that a bunch of college kids learned the methods to counting cards to beat the game of blackjack. Rest assured, the public will soon leave the theater wanting to learn how to count cards, and will be buying their next flight to Vegas. Everyone except the actual MIT students that were involved in the 1990’s ploy, that is…now that the team has been exposed on the silver screen, they can be assured that they won’t be able to step foot in any casinos soon.

Christina Morgan
UPBEAT Entertainment News Syndicate

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Donald Trump Trumps All

I found new respect for Donald Trump last week while I was watching Celebrity Apprentice. Three celebrities remained after eleven were eliminated over the course of the season. It all came down to Country singer Trace Adkins, British Tabloid/Reality TV King Piers Morgan, and Super Model Carol Alt.

Donald Trump’s advisers recommended keeping Trace Adkins and Carol Alt to face off for the finale of Celebrity Apprentice. However, Donald Trump, recognizing riveting television, decided to keep Trace Adkins and Piers Morgan as the final two contestants. The rivalry between two different types of men: the gentleman giant Trace vs. the brilliant, but blunt and sometimes brutal Piers, American vs. Brit, was too good to resist.

Even if you didn't know much about Trace Adkins before watching the show, it was soon obvious that Trace is big with the ladies. Over the season, Piers’ bluntness and ruthlessness gained few fans. However, his biggest fan seems to be fellow Brit, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, who embraced him with a kiss. Is it a matter of American sensibilities vs. British sensibilities or is Piers just a bad guy?

Well, not only was Donald Trump brilliant in his choice of face-off, but Piers was just as brilliant in his response to the challenge. He said, “I think you’re going to discover that I’m not nearly as mean as you think I am and Trace isn’t nearly as nice.”

I couldn’t help but notice his observation, as usual, was spot on. As soon as the final challenge began, Trace took off his kid gloves, saying, "I'm gonna beat that bastard--I'm gonna beat him bad.”

So whether you agree with Piers’ style, he’s shown himself to be almost always, if not always, correct in his assessment of other people and of his own abilities. It’ll be interesting to see the outcome of this season’s Celebrity Apprentice.

Kathy Holmes
http://www.kathyholmes.net

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Owen Wilson - Asset or Distraction?

It's hard to watch Owen Wilson onscreen and not think of his recent suicide attempt, especially when he's appearing in a comedy such as Drillbit Taylor. With Paramount Pictures not utilizing Wilson's star power to promote the film, it's obvious they don't want us to be making that connection.

Last August, Wilson was found by a family member after he had overdosed on pills and slit his wrists. Some sources have said it was a close call whether he was going to make it or not. His only words about the incident were via a statement from his hospital bed asking for the press to respect his privacy. Reportedly, the actor was despondent after a fallout with a close friend. Sources say the attempt had nothing to do with his recent breakup with ex Kate Hudson. 

A mere six weeks after Wilson's suicide attempt, he made an appearance at the premiere of his film Darjeeling Limited, yet still declined comment on his ordeal. With Drillbit Taylor, Wilson's second film released since the incident in August, he is not being allowed to conduct any interviews, with the studio fearing the focus will be on his suicide attempt instead of the film.

While it's easy to understand why Paramount wouldn't want the suicide connection with a film about kids being bullied at school, in some ways Wilson's suicide attempt is like the elephant in the middle of the room. Perhaps it would have been better just to deal with the issue head on to move past it once and for all.

Those that are close to Wilson say he's just a nice, quiet guy that doesn't even appear to be into the whole Hollywood scene. How refreshing it would have been for Paramount to be able to show the kids and young adults watching Drillbit Taylor that while he appears to be a really nice guy on the screen, he has had his share of troubles, yet made it through in the end to face many more days and film more movies.

LauraBelle
Troubled Hollywood

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