Are you a fan of playing poker? Or at least hearing every poker cliche in the book?
If so, the movie Deal is for you. It stars Bret Harrison, Burt Reynolds and Shannon Elizabeth. Check out the film's trailer now:
The Forbidden Kingdom is officially a hit. It was number-one at the box office last weekend.
In the wake of its success, star Jackie Chan spoke to Movies Online about the movie. Here are excerpts from that interview:
Q: I know you can be very critical of your own work. So are you pleased with the way this has turned out? Is it as you imagined it?
Jackie Chan: I don't know. Every time I make an American film I just trust the American director and American writer. Myself, I would never make this kind of film. For me, those kinds of films are ridiculous. They don't make sense. (Laughs.) Ha, ha, ha. But an American audience is more interested in this kind of movie.
Q: I'm surprised, because it feels like you with the drunken fist scene and stuff. Which part did you think didn't make sense?
Jackie Chan: No, the whole thing. (Laughs.) Why Drunken Master? Monkey King? All kinds of things, but at the end, it's the children, there is a young boy in New York who, just like the writer, loves Chinese culture. It's a fantasy like a fairy tale. It's OK.
Otherwise, I won't make this movie, because I know that American people like it. American audiences like it. The Asian audiences like it. So, that's why Jet and I agreed to make this movie. Now, I hear so many good things about this movie and everybody talks about it, but I still worry. Just like âRush Hour 1.'
After I finished âRush Hour 1' I said, âMy career is finished. A second time I try to get in the American market and now I'm finished.' I go back to Asia and that's all. Then âBoom!' big hit. This is ridiculous. Why, why, do people like these kinds of things? Then âRush Hour 2,' da da da da da da. So, now, whenever an American writer or director comes and presents a script, nobody is against it, for American market, yeah.
Baby Mama should be an interesting test case for audiences.
We already know male comedians such as Steve Carell and Will Ferrell can carry movies, but what about their female counterparts? How will this Tiny Fey and Amy Poehler vehicle fare at the box office? We'll have that question answered next week.
For now, though, let's just see what film critic think of the comedy...
- There are gags and scraps of action that give the movie fits of buoyancy, and these tend to come not so much from the younger, eager performers as from the old hands. -- The New Yorker
- Surrogate motherhood is the comic topic of the day, and this is one funny chick flick that won't rankle male members of the audience. -- Cole Smithey
- A tailor-made girls' night out movie, Baby Mama is a tidily wrapped package the contents of which you can easily guess before opening it. -- Variety
- That the film also features SNL's Amy Poehler makes the proceedings' crushing mediocrity that much more frustrating. -- Slant Magazine
We're choosing the hilarious Owen Wilson for our fourth installment of Reel Movie Stars. If you can't tell from our choices of Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson, and Vince Vaughn, we're doing the Frat Pack, one member at a time.
Wilson made his film debut alongside his brother Luke, in Wes Anderson's first movie, Bottle Rockets. However, Owen's career took off thanks to his role opposite Jackie Chan in Shanghai Noon in 2000.
Ready for some cool facts about everyone's (or at least second) favorite Wedding Crasher?
Now that you're an expert in Owen Wilson trivia, be sure and memorize his bio and filmography, the best Owen Wilson quotes, and check out these pictures of the Butterscotch Stallion:
Crank 2: High Voltage has found its leading lady and main villain.
The follow-up to 2006's surprise hit will once again feature Jason Statham as hitman Chev Chelios. In the next installment, Amy Smart will reprise her role as Chelios' girlfriend and Clifton Collins Jr. will portray his nemesis.
Variety also reports that Bai Ling is joining the cast, along with Dwight Yoakam and Efren Ramirez, both of whom are returning from the original.
In Crank 2, Chelios faces a mobster who has stolen his nearly indestructible heart and replaced it with a battery-powered ticker that requires regular jolts of electricity to keep working.
Speed Racer doesn't come out until May 9 - but does that mean it's too early to discuss the possibility of a sequel?
Of course not!
In an interview with Collider, producer Joel Silver talked about working with the Wachowski Brothers again on a follow-up to what is sure to be a blockbuster this spring:
Look, they have a great story idea for a sequel to [Speed Racer], we have a great idea for a sequel if it makes sense to make it... We're having a good time. I love working with them and it's a great joy to have them in my life.
They're smart and funny and they love the kind of movies I love and they know how to make them like no one else. I look at this movie and can't believe we created it. I can't believe it exists.
A trio of dramas and/or thrillers hits the shelves today on DVD. Here's a brief rundown of them:
Charlie Wilson's War
Stars: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Why you should rent it: Three of the best actors alive play off one another in this enjoyable drama based on real-life events.
The Savages
Stars: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Laura Linney
Why you should rent it: Combine it with the aforementioned flick and you've got yourself a Philip Seymour Hoffman weekend!
Cloverfield
Stars: Michael Stahl-David, Odette Yustman
Why you should rent it: So you have an idea of what this monster looks like in case it ever attacks again.
A pair of actors celebrate birthdays today, neither of whom is too well-known at the moment. But that's likely to change in the near future for both Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Amber Heard.
The former is finally prepared to shed is label as "Denny" from Grey's Anatomy, as fans of that show have known Morgan solely for his portrayal of Izzie's late fiance for months now. But with roles in The Accidental Husband and Watchmen coming up, the actor should become a big screen star by the end of 2009.
Morgan turns 42 today.
Heard, meanwhile, is really hot. Her only well-known feature film experience has been the fightign flick Never Back Down, but a role in Judd Apatow's Pineapple Express will certainly put this beauty on the map for more than just her looks.
Heard turns 22 today.
The apple doesn't fall far from the acting tree for Connor Cruise and Ali Lohan.
The former will make his film debut in the upcoming Will Smith drama Seven Pounds. Smith, who is a close friend of Connor's father Tom Cruise, has hired the 13-year old adopted son of Tom and Nicole Kidman to play a younger version of Smith in a very minor role.
"Tom is so proud of Connor," a source told People Magazine. "He's proud of him."
Meanwhile, Ali Lohan - Lindsay's 14-year-old sister - has also begun filming her first movie. It's called Mostly Ghostly. Just like Lindsay in 2004 comedy Mean Girls, Ali will portray a popular high school senior in the film.
The flick, slated for release later this year, is based on the pre-teen book series Mostly Ghostly written by R.L. Stine, which centers on an 11-year-old boy who befriends two ghosts.
What Happens in Vegas stars Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz. It looks like your basic romantic comedy, but the star appeal of these two attractive actors ought to bring in movie goers.
Here's a look at the film's trailer: