MovieZen Blog

Hollywood Shake Up---Jolie Turns the Table on Cruise

So much for Tom Cruise making a comeback with the new espionage thriller “Edwin A. Salt.”

The former Hollywood leading man just got leveled a major professional smackdown by the movie’s producers, who recently leaked that the starring role will likely be given to none other than the reproductive machine known as Angelina Jolie. That’s right; as if juggling a household with six kids wasn’t enough, Jolie is reportedly in talks to replace Cruise in the mega-hyped “Edwin A. Salt.”

According to Variety, Cruise made it no secret that he wanted the "Salt" gig, but he recently dropped out of the running when producers announced that they wanted to rework the lead character to be female. If Jolie agrees to the terms of the deal she will be kissing her newborn twins goodbye sometime this winter to portray a CIA officer falsely accused of being a Russian agent.

On a side note the BBC says it is now official that Jolie will not take over her previous action incarnation as "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider."

According to the BBC, 23-year-old Alison Carroll (a Brit with 12 years experience as a professional gymnast) will be the face of the iconic character for the new video game, "Tomb Raider: Underworld," which is set for release this fall.

But back to Cruise’s lost opportunity. By now you know that the “Top Gun” star’s controversial film "Valkyrie"—in which the actor plays a Nazi officer attempting to assassinate Adolf Hitler—has been pushed back to December 26, 2008. Now, according to insiders, Cruise is tailoring his next project around "Valkyrie’s" premiere.

Given that Cruise got offed by Jolie in "Salt," he is reportedly in negotiations to star as a superhero in an adaptation of comic book classic "Sleeper."  According to reports, the “Risky Business” star is helping set up the movie as a project for Warner Bros. along with director Sam Raimi - with an option of starring in the film himself.  The movie will reportedly be adapted from the DC Comics/Wildstorm comic book, which centers on a spy whose fusion with an alien artifact makes him immune to pain.

Lucia Kim
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Reunited and It Feels So Good

Angelina Jolie can hold a grudge. Just ask her actor dad Jon Voight with whom she shares an icy relationship. (The family feud between father and daughter began in 2002 when Voight spoke publicly about what he dubbed as Angelina’s “serious mental problems.”)

Interestingly, Jolie doesn’t harbor the same resentment towards another person with whom she was extremely close to at one point in her life and who also spoke negatively about her in the press—ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton.

In fact, according to recent reports, the former husband and wife are looking to team up again on the big screen. Nearly a decade after they met on the set of “Pushing Tin” and five years after their three-year marriage ended in a very public divorce, the eccentric duo are reportedly planning to reunite on the silver screen. 

Thornton told Maxim magazine that the pair is searching for a comedy movie to co-star in. 

The actor says, “"We've talked about it plenty of times and I'm sure we will get around to doing it in the future."

Contrary to popular belief, the “Bad Santa” star says there is no bad blood between he and Jolie. Rather, he says a few months after their initial split the two got together and healed their relationship to the point where they are now “good friends.”

Friends—yes. Friends with benefits—not a chance. Thornton revealed that while the two are keen to work together again, they vowed never to play husband and wife on the big screen. 

“We wouldn't want to do another movie about a husband-wife relationship,” Thornton told Maxim. “That probably wouldn't be very good."

So when can fans expect the new mom of infant twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline and Thornton to hook up for money?

The "Mr. Woodcock" star says whenever they find the right script and Jolie can find someone to watch her growing brood she’s game. 

I wonder what Jolie’s current partner Brad Pitt has to say about his ladylove’s big screen reunion with her former husband?

Lucia Kim
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Inked: Keeping It Fictional

I am tattoo-less. I've had many a conversation about this fact with my inked friends, but both my indecisiveness and long-term thinking get in the way of marking my flesh. This doesn't means that I have anything against your body art. And after catching a screening of Wanted, I have a new appreciation for cinematic tattoos. Angelina wears her tattoos well. I will give her that.

I've decided that instead of heading to a tattoo parlor, I should strategically plan an acting career that allows me to have awesome fake tattoos. Because, let's face it, movies have given us some pretty cool inked characters.

My Top 5 on-screen tattoos:

1. Guy Pearce in Memento. The tattoos are practically a character. If you haven't seen this gem of a film, be aware that you will probably want to watch it twice. In a row. For the most plot-essential use of ink, Memento takes the top spot by far.
2. Wentworth Miller in Prison Break. Again, tattoos with a purpose. Perhaps I'd consider getting tattooed to help rescue a loved one from a maximum-security facility.
3. Johnny Depp in the Pirates flicks. Note that many of the tattoos are real. Because Johnny's hardcore. I've decided that I will get a tattoo if I become a pirate. I promise.
4. Brad Pitt's tribal arm/hand tattoo in the Ocean's franchise. Didn't notice it? Exactly. That's why it's so cool. It just peaks out of his expensive cuffs. Oh, and another shout-out to Brad in Snatch, for proving that Angelina's not the only well-inked member of the household. There will be some fun conversations in that home as their brood become teenagers....
5. Popeye's anchor tattoos. Because he's Popeye. No explanation needed.

Not-so-honorable mention: the "Sweet" and "Dude" tattoos in Dude, Where's My Car? I apologize to everyone who impulsively branded themselves with phrases that are no longer relevant in your lives. I find your pain quite hilarious.

Oh, I know, I know, I didn't mention Clooney in From Dusk 'Till Dawn. Who's on your list of incredible inked ones?

Nadine Bells
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Trend Watch: Twins Are In

Angelina Jolie gave birth to twins. Finally. I'm just thankful that pregnancy is only nine months long, as I don't know if I could handle three years of magazine covers picking apart her maternity style or prenatal health concerns. Congrats on Knox and Vivienne, Angie. And thank you for having decent taste in baby names. Your children will appreciate this one day, as they hang out with Suri, Apple and Pilot Inspektor.

Twins are the must-have accessory right now. Jennifer Lopez has them. As does Julia Roberts. And Marcia Cross. Even Mel Gibson. (Surprising, no? He was a little ahead of the trend.) Oh, and Nancy Grace, a Dixie Chick, Holly Hunter, Michael J. Fox, Niki Taylor, Mia Farrow, Marcia Gay Harden, Diana Krall, Mia Hamm, Geena Davis, Patrick Dempsey and Jane Seymour all have them too. Even the president has them, the trendy guy.

And if you don't raise twins, then you must be one. The Olsens aren't the only ones. Who else has a twin? Everyone. By "everyone," I mean Jill Hennessy, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Joseph Fiennes, Eva Green, Jon Heder, Marilu Henner, Ashton Kutcher, Isabella Rossellini, Kiefer Sutherland, and Gisele Bundchen. And we must not forget Elvis.

For us mere common folk without reproductive superpowers, we may participate in the trend by opting to watch twin-friendly films. So if you're planning a movie night that embraces the miracle of multiples, check out these flicks:

• Twins. 'Noff said.
• Star Wars. Luke and Leia. Perhaps the most famous twins in cinematic history. And a classic. If you haven't seen Star Wars, stop reading now and come back when you're caught up with the rest of us.
• The Man in the Iron Mask. If you're into Leo, you get two of him. If you're not, um, you still get two of him. You've been warned.
• Adaptation. My favorite Nic Cage performance(s). Great movie. And an interesting look at adult sibling rivalry.
• The Parent Trap. I prefer Hayley Mills over Lindsay Lohan, but I'll let you take your pick. At least this is pre-rehab Linds.

Now I'll turn it over to you: Who are your favorite movie twins? The Weasleys? Matt Damon stuck on Greg Kinnear?

Nadine Bells
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Wanted

Angelina Jolie stars in the latest action film Wanted which I think is an action packed entertainment. I have seen the trailer months before and was intrigued by the plot and the fact that it’s an Angelina Jolie action flick. I have always like Jolie’s action sequences and feel that she fits these type of roles perfectly.

Wanted has the most basic premise of its comic book version but it isn’t entirely faithful to it. First of all, the costumes are non-existent in the movie version, whereas the heroes are in full gear in the comic books. Some comic book enthusiast may not be entirely happy with the movie version because of the discrepancy, but luckily I am not a comic book fan and would still watch the movie.

I haven’t watched any of the other films of James McAvoy, the hero of the movie. In the trailer, it seems as if he looks the part and could probably pull off the part of a nobody who was transformed into a very cool assassin. With the help of Angelina Jolie, I am sure that this movie will do a great job in the Box Office.

The Wanted Trailer has given the viewers a nice teaser for the whole movie with all the cool action sequences that will surely put the viewers at the edge of their seats. Hopefully I could watch it soon and enjoy the action packed entertainment that Wanted will surely deliver.

st3ph_17
Movie Rants And Raves

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Wanted Explodes in a Surprising Summer

Wanted scored a larger-than-expected opening this weekend with a whopping $51 million. While Wall-E took the top spot with $63 million like everyone thought it would, Wanted actually had a higher per-theater average because it's playing in about 800 fewer theaters.

Particularly interesting in Wanted's case is that it was originally scheduled to be a spring release. Universal had planned on giving Forgetting Sarah Marshall a spot on their summer schedule, mimicking the successful release of Knocked Up in 2007, but when they decided that the comedy would work better in the Spring, that left a hole in their schedule. Plugging it with an action thriller, based on an unknown comic book, starring a skinny Scottish guy most people don't know was risky, and now they get to reap the rewards.

It's been a strange summer for business. No sooner had my "5 Predicted Flops This Summer" arrived that Speed Racer -- not on my list -- crashed and burned. Okay, if I was better at this, I might have been able to predict that. But then even Narnia disappointed: while The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe made $290 million, Prince Caspian only stands at $138 million to date. You can pull out the very valid reasons -- the book was less popular than the first, it opened too far before kids were out of school -- but even taking those into account, it was "supposed" to do much better.

Only two movies on my top five list have been released so far, and my track record is 50%, give or take.  Thwarting my prediction, Sex and the City was a success by all accounts, but The Incredible Hulk trails even Ang Lee's scorned 2003 version. That's a particularly strange case, since the reactions on the whole have been significantly better. Despite his legendary status as a comic book character, perhaps the Hulk can just never tap into widespread appeal.

Other surprises: The Love Guru crashes and burns -- and at least part of the blame has to go to the execs who didn't move it away from the release of Get Smart. The Happening kicks off with a much-stronger-than-expected $30 million opening, only to plummet in subsequent weekends thanks to a horrific response from critics and audiences alike.

Even You Don't Mess with the Zohan, which opened exactly in line with Adam Sandler's past movies, hasn't followed the formula: while his films usually hit $125 million each summer like clockwork, Zohan is currently struggling to reach $100 million.

Lessons to be learned? Who knows? Last summer was the Summer of Threequels (or the Summer of Apatow, take your pick); the year before that was the Summer of Pirates 2 (it made double its nearest competitor); the year before that was the depressing Summer of Remakes. This year? We've got a little bit of everything. It might be harder for us bloggers to categorize, but that just makes it all the more exciting, right?

Michael Dance
StrandedinManhattan.com

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The Twisted Tale Behind the Non-Delivery of Brangelina’s Twins

Angelina Jolie is still pregnant… with twins.

At least that’s what her rep maintains. 

However, for whatever reason (let’s call it pride) TV’s “Entertainment Tonight” wants you to believe that the newest additions to Brangelina’s growing brood were born more than a week ago and are resting comfortably in their new French digs. 

Ten days ago the celebrity news magazine posted a story on its website and sent an e-mail alert to other media outlets saying it had confirmed that Jolie had in fact given birth to twins. (Heck, even the Associated Press picked up that report.)

Problem No.1: Brad Pitt’s partner has yet to feel as much as a Braxton Hicks contraction and still has her babes safely tucked away in utero.  

That said.  "Entertainment Tonight" could have easily aired an apology and admitted that they received erroneous information. The TV show did not name its source at the time of their original report, but later revealed it based its announcement on e-mails one of its female producers received from someone she thought was Jolie’s assistant Holly Goline.

Turns out the “Entertainment Tonight” producer was duped by someone impersonating Goline and the emails as well as the information contained in them were fake.

Problem No. 2: Instead of admitting they were duped the folks at “ET” continued to stand by the story that Jolie had in fact given birth.

Problem No. 3: Just a few days ago Goline went public saying that “ET” knew the story was a hoax and went public with it anyway. 

According to insiders, shortly after the story was posted but several hours before “Entertainment Tonight” aired in TV markets across the nation Goline reportedly informed show producers that she was not the person with whom they had been corresponding. So basically, "'Entertainment Tonight' was told before the broadcast that their information came from an impostor, yet they still chose to announce to the world that the double spawn of Brangelina had entered the world. 

Viewers of the show heard host Mary Hart say on the air: "Just this morning, a source who says she was inside the delivery room tells us yes, the babies were born and yes, mother and babies are fine."

Within hours of Hart’s emotional on-air verbal delivery, the story was challenged by several other celebrity news outlets and before the sun set on Tinseltown that same day official word came from Brangelina’s camp denying that the twins had been born.

So, as it stands now the "Girl, Interrupted" star is still enjoying (see: tolerating) life carrying twins.

And as for “Entertainment Tonight,” the show has not acknowledged its glaring factual error nor has it mentioned the story on the air since the initial report. It also deleted the story from its website. 

I guess when you are the top-rated entertainment news magazine on television you don’t have to say, I’m sorry.

Lucia Kim
Families Pop Culture Blog

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