I like superhero movies. I really do. They're fun and fast and the costumes are faaaa-bulous. Straight men in stretchy fabric and capes – this is better than figure skating! This summer's heroic roster includes Iron Man, Batman and The Incredible Hulk. And as great as those crime fighters are, they’re also a reminder that when it comes to superhero movies, no women need apply – this is man country.
Exclusive: Jennifer Hudson’s Pocketbook-Swinging Sex and the City Interview
The world-at-large is waiting with Cosmo-baited breath for the release of the Sex and the City movie in two weeks (May 30th)! Ready for some Carrie Bradshow fashion roadkill??? Some Samantha spunk-talk? Miranda scowling and Charlotte baby-obsessing? Well, yes. You are. But you also need to get extra-ready because you're gonna see a glowing and sassy Oscar-winner onscreen when Jennifer Hudson appears as Louise, a sweet NYC newbie who snags a job as Carrie's handbag-obsessed assistant. It's a cute turn, and Hudson brings some youth and fresh air to the ensemble — and she looks fab.
And no she doesn't sing in the film. But you can hear her croon the closing tune of the film, "All Dressed in Love" — which is a very retro-disco glam/upbeat anthem all about fashion, passion and a chunky groovin' beat. Bless!!!
Here's a Q&A we nabbed with J-Hud at the recent Sex and the City junket in NYC. She's hot! And tall. And outspoken. And how many Oscar winners do you really get to dish with about fashion, boys and pre-nups, okayyyy? But let's her tell it.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me a dozen times, shame on you, again — especially if you’re a production company that has sucked me in time after time with the promise of a great, comic-based female action hero movie or TV series. Case in point: Elektra.
Jennifer Garner as Elektra, for all her tight, skimpy outfits, awesome abs and ass-kicking goodness, was not the Elektra of comic books. She was more like Elektra on Xanax. Sure, I watch the movie every time it’s on, but I’m superficial that way.
Catwoman was even worse — so bad that I haven’t watched it more than once, despite the presence of Halle Berry in this outfit.
Whether you loved it and didn’t understand it, or hated it but claim to “get it” all, the film Donnie Darko is undeniably a cult classic. The 2001 indie film starring Jena Malone and both Gyllenhaals focused on the lead character’s existential crisis involving a bunny rabbit and his untimely death. It also featured cameos from Patrick Swayze and Drew Barrymore and had a rocking '80s soundtrack. Why mess with perfection? The director Richard Kelly did not want to — and still doesn’t, which is why he wants no association with the film’s upcoming sequel, S. Darko.
The new film stars Daveigh Chase (Big Love), who played Donnie’s young sister, Samatha, in the original film.
I want to believe … in the new X-Files movie. As a fan since the early '90s (Hey, remember those? Good times.), I watched nearly religiously until 1998 when something funny happened. I went to see The X-Files movies. While I liked the film, it was my jump-the-shark moment. Afterward, I felt like all the twists and turns in its convoluted conspiracy were too much come-on, not enough pay-off.
So now, with the new The X-Files: I Want to Believe opening July 25, I'm not sure whether that old paranormal magic will work on me again. Can Scully and Mulder make me believe, one last time?
I wasn't sure. And then I saw the trailer today. (If you don't like squinting, watch it on this Web site and click on "View High Res.")
Yes, beloved fairy godfather (or, as he prefers, "Filth Elder") John Waters is back for a new movie and has landed gay-fave Parker Posey and bad boy Johnny Knoxville in two of the roles.
The movie is called Fruitcake and here's what we know about it so far (courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter):
I've always had a bit of a thing for vampires. They're immortal. They're dangerous. They're night owls. Now, my vampire thing doesn't extend to putting on pointy teeth or biting the unsuspecting (well, not unless they ask). And I live in California, so I clearly love the sun. Still, I've watched way more than my fair share of sucky vampire movies. Which is why I was a little surprised I hadn't clued into Twilight sooner.
You can see why I might have missed the best-selling young-adult book series by Stephenie Meyer. Harry Potter notwithstanding, it's simply the wrong age bracket. While I'd heard chatter both on AfterEllen.com and elsewhere about the film, I hadn't paid close attention. I had my teenage vampire movie, thank you very much. It was called Lost Boys. But then, well, then I saw the teaser trailer.
Yes, summer doesn't officially begin until June 21, but the folks in Hollywood like to start things off early, so the summer blockbusters season is officially beginning.
Last year, movies like Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third, Transformers, Ocean's 13 (and many others) took a lot of people to the movies, with total ticket sales amounting to almost $10 billion. This year, the grand total may not be that much, but with a little help from the following movies, it's likely to come close.
Here are the blockbusters you should watch out for, starting this week:
Sex and the City Movie: Complete And Utter Fashion Overload
In Full Flower: Carrie's Back.
Full disclosure: I saw the Sex and the City movie this past Friday night at a press screening here in NYC. I can’t give away any plot points but I can say it’s pretty damn fun. There’s drama and major life changes for Carrie and the gals. (Expect more on all of this later...)
But I’ve got to say the biggest impact made by the movie may just be the crazazy over-the-top visuals fashion-wise. It’s like a big fruit-salad of color and couture exploding all over your face with every new scene.
As has been reported, Sarah Jessica Parker has about 81 costume changes throughout the flick. She first appears sporting an updated version of her trademark flower (see above), and this one is straight out of little costume-shop of horrors. It’s gonna eat her, I think. But then it doesn’t. (Maybe that'll be on the DVD?)
Here’s a video all about the insane clothes that costume designer (and fabulously out NYC icon Patricia Field) corralled for this uber-glam film.
Folks who braved the multiplexes this weekend (with Iron Man raking in over $200 million in just four days, it must have been like a mini Comic Con at every concession stand across America) had the chance to catch the brand new trailer for The Dark Knight in all its creepy, explosion-happy glory.
The trailer is now online, and it's both reassuring to see that the Warners haven't tried to bury the performance of late, great Heath Ledger and undeniably disturbing to see the apparently troubled actor playing it convincingly unhinged in his final (and biggest) role.
Last week, I blogged about Taking Woodstock,the upcoming biopic of Elliot Tiber, the gay man who was instrumental in bringing the music festival to fruition. Well, it seems that Academy Award-winning Brokeback Mountain director Ang Lee has chosen a leading man, and in a surprising decision, it's stand up comedian (and Beatles-tressed) Demetri Martin. (Martin is currently in negotiations, so nothing's signed yet.)
They say behind every great man is a great woman. While we AfterEllen.commers might take issue with that first gender, the saying definitely holds true in the to big-budget superhero movies coming soon to a theater near you. In fact, USA Today recently interviewed the trio of Gwyneth Paltrow, Liv Tyler and Maggie Gyllenhaal, or — as I like to call them — the supergirlfriends of summer.
A new film adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic novel Wuthering Heights is in the works. John Maybury — who helms upcoming lesbianish film The Edge of Loveand is openly gay — is attached to direct, and Natalie Portman is attached to star as Catherine Earnshaw. According to IMDb.com, the project is tentatively scheduled for release in 2010.
Out star Neil Patrick Harris is on a good old-fashioned press blitz this week leading up to Friday's opening of Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. He reprises the role of ... himself (or rather, a Bizarro World version of himself), and so far this week he's made appearances on E!, Regis & Kelly, MAD TV, and The Howard Stern Show. The Stern interview was particularly illuminating, with Neil opening up about his past, and about being an openly gay man in Hollywood.
What do Will Smith, Meryl Streep, Gillian Anderson, Steve Carrell,Cate Blanchett, and the young girl from Akele and the Bee have in common? They're all starring in movies we want to see this summer. (Archeology! Singing! Football! Not all in the same movie, fortunately.)
In this episode of SMMWT!, Lori and I discuss which movies coming out this summer we really want to see — and which ones we definitely don't. (One word: Baghead. Yes, that's right, it's a movie about a guy wearing a paper bag over his head. 'Nuff said.)
When I first saw this headline, "Emma Watson replaces 'old' Johansson," my first thought was that I was about to get my feminist on in a major way. I mean, is this what we've come to in Hollywood? Scarlett Johansson, at the age of 23, is considered too old to star in a romance?
As it turns out, though, the casting change is at least a bit better justified than I originally thought. The film in which Watson is now set to star is called Napoleon and Betsy, and the role she will play is based on a real-life figure.
Daily Buzz Bits: Madonna's Sweet Deal, Mya Works It for Chicago
Oh, Chrissy - no need to cover up! Yes, any picture of Chris Crocker is news-worthy. - Dlisted
I'm just enjoyin' Channing Tatum's big gun for his role in the upcoming G.I. Joe movie. Thinking of my childhood, where is Thundercats? - Towleroad
Mya's vlogging her road to Chicago's Velma Kelly on Broadway; her run begins May 12 in NYC. I love her – and she can really sing! – so I'm pretending that little reality show that got canceled after one day just - umm - didn't happen. – Broadway.com
Hard Candy is almost upon us, and Madonna will make $165,000 (?!) a minute if she plays a concert in Dubai in November. Sticky and sweet... - Dlisted
It's official: The new X-Files movie, which lands in theaters July 25, will be called I Want to Believe. As many people remember, the phrase was imprinted on a poster that Mulder (David Duchovny) had in his basement office.
Series creator Chris Cartertold the AP that
"It's a natural title. It's a story that involves the difficulties in mediating faith and science. 'I Want to Believe.' It really does suggest Mulder's struggle with his faith."
Boy, this project just keeps sounding better and better!
The other day we reported that out cutiepants Matthew Montgomery had joined the cast of the upcoming gay indie Shifting the Canvas as Scott Thompson's lover, and now the news has hit that local favorite Cheyenne Jackson will also appear in the film as a "straight Ivy League type". Sign us up!
One of my most anticipated movies of 2008 now has a U.K. release date. The Edge of Love — a biopic about the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, starring Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller and scripted by Knightley's mother, Sharman Macdonald — will be the opening night film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on June 18. It will open in London two days later, and then across the U.K. June 27.
Why all this anticipation, I hear you ask? Well, if for no other reason, I'd be excited by this movie as a chance to see two actresses I really like together on-screen. With apologies to those people — and I know there are quite a lot of them, especially people from Pittsburgh — who find Sienna Miller madly annoying, I actually think that she's quite a good actress. And, no, it doesn't hurt that she looks like she does. (It doesn't hurt that Keira Knightley looks like she does, either.)
Daily Buzz Bits: Perez Sues, Emile Hirsch And Raveonettes Flaunt It
Oddly-cute Emile Hirsch plays gay activist Cleve Jones in Milk – and went shirtless and frolic-y for Flaunt mag. - Towleroad
And the totally amazing Raveonettes have a spread of their own; Sharin Foo could totally be a model, anyway. – ONTD
Perez Hilton is turning the legal tables: He's suing sh*t-talker Jonathan Jaxson for "mental anguish" over that sex-tape rumor. – Radar
And Perez apologized for revealing Beyonce's and Jay-Z's wedding location. I love seeing Perez squirm ... even though he's not really. – Remote Control
This Gossip Girl promo is pretty amazing; too bad Michelle Trachtenberg is now gross-ing it up. I know there's no need to say this, but my high-school experience just wasn't like that. – Gawker
Does Lifetime plan to ditch judge Nina Garcia once they have Project Runway in its evil clutches? I'll never forgive them – never, ever, ever! - Queerty
Here's something I never knew I wanted: a recording of 15 songs that were almost in Juno.
Juno B-Sides: Almost Adopted Songs, will be available on iTunes starting April 8. Other digital music services will have it May 13. I'm not sure I've ever heard of a collection of songs that didn't make the cut for a film soundtrack. But I'm kind of looking forward to it. I think.
Daily Buzz Bits: Mariah & Madonna Top Elvis; Lindsay Lohan Does TMZ
Pint-sized Heroes star Hayden Panettiere will be in Nomi & Ely’s No Kiss List, in which Hayden's gay BF makes out with her boyfriend. – Just Jared
I actually find this clip of Lindsay Lohan parodying a TMZ staffer really funny ... Maybe I just love her too much. And it's good to know TMZ-ers don't respect what they do either. - TMZ
Mariah Carey and Madonna have both topped Elvis on the Billboard charts thanks to "Touch My Body" and "4 Minutes." - Billboard
And here's a look back at those 18 Number 1s from Mimi. - Idolator
Who wants more hot reality TV douches ... and Lauren Conrad exes? MTV's giving Brody Jenner a show of his own, and Vh1 will chronicle ex-con Jason Wahler's "real-life Entourage."
I'm one of those women who try her best to remain female positive. I really do. I root for talented women to seek their bigger and better slices of the corporate and entertainment pie. High-fiving female successes is one of my favorite past times. Come on, now…up high, come on, don't leave me hangin'!
You know that old saying: Behind every strong and successful woman…is a long line of other women being snide and catty about her hair and shoes! Well, nah, that's not me. So, it's with a heavy heart that I must confess to actually cringing when I read that Mariah Carey has a new movie set to debut. Tennessee will have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 26. Hmmm…
Daily Buzz Bits: Marc Jacobs Is Single Again; Joss Stone to Play Gay
Although Marc Jacobs ex-BF, Jason Preston, had to walk of shame, he did it in "$2000 f*cking boots, brah!" - Gawker
Up-for-anything singer Joss Stone will play a lesbian in a movie called ... Snappers. - Queerty
Timbaland and Justin Timberlake wined-and-dined the
Sugababes in London while recording Madonna's Hard Candy. Cheaters!
... Can't wait for the collabo, though. – ONTD
Now that his dancing show is over, JC Chasez is totally over the gay rumors! - Towleroad
Did you hear Beyonce’s leaked track, "Beautiful Nightmare"? Well, she says it's only a work-in-progress. - ONTD
There’s my Chrissy! What can I say about the perfection? - Buzzworthy
Ryan Phillippe appeared on Ellen yesterday, and the result was much less teeth grating than Jay Leno's smug interview last week.
Ryan seemed much more at ease in this interview, even though Ellen ambushed him with a dark secret with his past - he used the Crest Pump in high school. They also talk about his role as Billy in One Life To Live, but unlike the snickering, mocking tone of the "other interview", they discuss how groundbreaking it was.
You can see the clip below, and btw, the Web site that's sprung up because of the Leno interview has really taken off...like a bird.
It's been ten long years since the last X-Files film, based on the hit FOX television series of the same name, came out. In that time, star Gillian Anderson got married, got divorced, had a baby and went back to being a blonde--though not necessarily in that order. (And yes, she also received a slew of award nominations for her acting on stage and screen.) David Duchovny had a couple of kids with his real-life wife, Tea Leoni, donated his movie wife's heart to Minnie Driver in Return to Me (2000) and played a hand model in Zoolander.
Yeah, they really do need to go back to their government jobs.
Below are a few sterile and redundant stills from the film:
Not surprisingly, Ellen Page's power as a box office draw has skyrocketed since we all fell in love with her as Juno. (Don't tell me if you didn't love Juno because I won't believe you anyway.)
Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress
Helen Hunt has emerged from the where-the-hell-have-you-been cold
case files! Phew. It's dark and moldy in those little boxes in which
Hollywood tosses its female stars of yesteryear. Hunt will soon be seen
in Then She Found Me, a comedy with drama and a little romance,
also starring Matthew Broderick, Colin Firth and the Divine
Ms. M, Bette Midler.
But what's even nicer than seeing Hunt in front of the camera is that this new film features Hunt behind the camera, as well. Then She Found Me is Helen
Hunt's feature film directorial debut, and it is has received its fair share
of positive
press from earlier filmfestivals. The film is at last winding its
way to a general release in April.
Wow, there are a lot of movies I haven't heard of. And at least a few I'm really looking forward to. It's time for another poster-and-trailer extravaganza!
First, the Baby Mama poster hasn't really been released yet, but I came across this snapshot of the actual paper object. Cute. Is it April 25 yet?
Next, Smart People, featuring the smart and adorable person named Ellen Page (yeah, and Sarah Jessica Parker, too, but I find her less smart and less adorable, and occasionally less human).
It’s that time of year again.
Now celebrating its 22nd birthday, the London Lesbian and
Gay Film Festival
will screen at the British Film Institute on London’s South Bank from
March 27 to April 10, offering queer-themed
shorts, documentaries, and feature films from around the world.
You can view a complete list
of the films on offer here. Among the ones reviewed or mentioned
by AfterEllen.com are the romantic tragedy The Chinese Botanist’s
Daughter
(pictured above), the American
TV pilot Don’t Go featuring Guinevere Turner,
and the Oscar-winning short documentary Freeheld, about the fight of dying lesbian
policewoman Laurel Hester to see her pension go to her partner Stacie
Andree.
Remember that rumor going around last year that Daniel Craig wanted a gay love scene in the next Bond movie? We covered it HERE (and check out the scintillating comments). Well, a former co-star of his is now saying that Daniel would be willing to do the scene, in exchange for an Academy Award.
Tamer Hassan, Daniel's co-star in the action drama Layer Cake, was recently quoted in an interview, claiming, "That's Daniel dying for an Oscar. Ever since Brokeback Mountain everyone wants to have a gay scene to win an Oscar".
Last night during Dancing With the Stars, the new trailer for Mamma Mia! premiered. The teaser trailer was pretty good, but the full-length one? My dancing shoes are already on!
The stage musical is ridiculous, but also ridiculously enjoyable, and it looks like the movie will fit that same groove. As if the ABBA soundtrack (22 songs!) weren't enough — and, really, what's better than ABBA? — we get Meryl Streep doing pratfalls in her overalls. That alone is worth the ticket price.
Daily Buzz Bits: Michael Stipe's Still Gay, Madonna's The Dolla
Does Madonna’s wrestling belt for Hard Candy suggest her next reincarnation: "M-Dolla?" - Towleroad
Scarlett Johansson’s album is ... still happening, apparently; here are some promo shots for Anywhere I Lay My Head, due May 20. - ONTD
LCD Soundsystem has a new video for "Big Ideas," which will be on the 21 movie soundtrack. - Pitchfork
Tim Gunn called Project Runway winner Christian Siriano the Marc Jacobs of the new generation. He was always so obsessed with him, wasn't he? - Queerty
The trailer for Blueberry Nights, posted here,doesn't thrill me, but it’s Natalie Portman as a down-on-her-luck gambler, so I can't argue. - ONTD
R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe came out ... again? Accelerate is due April 1, and Michael told Spin magazine, 'Now I recognize that to have public figures be very open about their sexuality helps some kid somewhere out there.' - Dlisted
Out actor (and #31 on The AfterElton Hot 100 List) Chad Allen is set to star in the new wedding comedy For Better or For Worse. He plays the jilted ex of one of the grooms, and brings his new boyfriend to the wedding, played by Melrose Place stud Patrick Muldoon.
Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss and Shelter star Brad Rowe appears in the film, and is also the producer.
Interestingly enough, the actual grooms of the "screwball gay wedding comedy" have not been cast as of yet, but the wedding party is filling up fast. Along for the ride are such gay friendly stars as Rebecca Gayheart and Janeane Garofalo (who isn't in nearly enough movies). Best of all, the lesbian minister presiding over the ceremony is none other than Soleil Moon Frye!
Today marks the opening of
Funny Games, writer-director Michael Haneke’s English-language
remake of his own 1997 German-language film. I’d never seen
the original, and I was quite hesitant about checking out the updated
version — as much as I love horror movies, I’m really not into overly
explicit violence and watching people suffer. Given that, going
to watch a movie about a bourgeois family brutalized as a pair of psychopaths
keep them captive in their summer home is something on my "to do"
list that falls ... oh, somewhere between “scrub the floor” and “punch
yourself in the face.” Earlier this week, though, I caught a
screening. The “You really need to see it” urgings I received from
a few trusted sources got me thinking about it, but in the end what
got me to the theater was the fact that Funny Games stars
Naomi Watts.
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