Posts Tagged ‘Val Kilmer’

The Actor Spotlight: Val Kilmer

24, Apr 2012

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Notorious for not playing the game of schmoozing and for picking unconventional movie roles, Val Kilmer has raised eyebrows as often for what he has done as for what he has chosen not to do. At times, he has been presented as a movie star but in truth he’s clearly much more comfortable as an actor. He addressed a packed audience on Saturday, April 15th at C2E2 in Chicago and gamely fielded questions about his filmography. When asked his criteria for choosing a role, he cited its interest to him as the most important factor, emphasizing that he rarely gave much consideration to what the film may do for his career (with one notable exception, explained momentarily).  Read the rest of this entry »

The Under-Ranked: Bridesmaids

13, May 2011

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The summer season has long been known for epic, big-budget films and broad animated comedies. But over the last few years, summer has become known for something else: The Judd Apatow Produced Comedy. Apatow has become a comedy commodity the likes that summer has never seen before. From the Will Ferrell comedies Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights and Step Brothers, to his own comedy crew that has brought us Knocked Up, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and last summer’s spin-off Get Him to the Greek, Apatow has been the king of summer comedies in recent memory. But Apatow has been known for producing comedies that mostly focus on the male mentality, but this weekend he changes that with the release of Bridesmaids. Directed by Paul Feig who has written for some of the past decades best TV shows, such as “Freaks and Geeks”, “Arrested Development”, “Mad Men” and “The Office”, and written by Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids seems like it should be the formula for the summer’s first comedy hit. But before checking Bridesmaids out, check out some of these under-ranked films from the stars of Bridesmaids.

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The Guilty Pleasures: “Batman Forever”

8, Feb 2011

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Warner Brothers just announced that Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway have joined the cast of The Dark Knight Rises. Hardy will be playing the main villain Bane, while Hathaway will be playing the fan-favorite Catwoman. Christopher Nolan, who saved the Batman franchise with his vision and direction, says this will be his last Batman film.

I have always been a huge Batman fan. The first movie I remember seeing in theaters was Batman. I remember my jaw dropping as I watched the unlikely Michael Keaton morph into my favorite comic book hero. I’ll never forget how frightening Jack Nicholson could be every time the Joker came on-screen.

One of my favorite debates is, “Which Batman movie is the best?” You can make cases for all of them, save Batman and Robin. What’s that you say? You can’t make a case for Batman Forever being awesome? Well, challenge me all you want and tell me I’m nuts, but Batman Forever is totally a guilty pleasure for me.

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Reel Rumbles #9 – “Heat” vs. “Ronin”

13, Nov 2009

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heat-ronin

In This Corner…

His career as a director spanned seven decades, starting in the Forties with a small job on an early religious program and ending in 2000 with the action-mystery Reindeer Games. With such meager and lifeless bookends, one might question the abilities of director John Frankenheimer, who passed away shortly after his final film at the age of 93. But as poet laureate for Generation Z Miley Cyrus so eloquently sings, “It’s the climb,” and Frankenheimer’s climb was one populated with a tense body of expertly crafted films that brought action and suspense to breathless new heights. His last great work paired him with a tight script and three brilliant actors for some of the most dizzying and fun car chases this side of The French Connection. But in this week’s Reel Rumbles, Ronin has some fierce competition out of Michael Mann, another talented director, with a film that many consider to be his finest hour. A loose remake of his previous made-for-TV effort L.A. Takedown (1989), Heat won the praise of critics and audiences alike, and built a bridge between an overlooked cadre of masterpieces and a prominent career for the director that continues today. Study the blueprints, sync your watches, and get ready for the big score. It’s time for Heat vs. Ronin.

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