by Nat Almirall, Aug 3 2014 // 4:00 PM

Get On Up does two things magnificently well, and they’re related: It conveys the batshit craziness of both James Brown and Little Richard, which is quite a feat and aided in no small part from Chadwick Boseman as Brown and Brandon Mychal Smith as Richard. The two give performances so captivating that it’s worth seeing the film simply to indulge in their fascinating performances.
That Get On Up would be well acted is probably no surprise, but it is a surprise that they can almost carry the entire 138-minute film. Almost. And that the music is phenomenal shouldn’t be a surprise either. I’m not sure if Boseman performed all the songs, but I’m fairly certain he did his own dancing, and both are wisely indulgent, wisely for this film, which at least does know how to put on a show.
Director Tate Taylor (The Help) and writers Jez and John-Henry Butterworth nail many of the character moments, but never quite get around to understanding their subject. The first thirty minutes or so jumps back and forth through so many different periods that if there’s a linear story buried in there, I missed it. Even more, if there’s something that “made” Brown the man he became, the film doesn’t seem very interested in it, which would be fine, but it does need some kind of connecting thread to tie the movie together.
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Posted in: Biopic · Movies · Musicals · Reviews · Universal Pictures
Tagged: Aakomon Jones, Aloe Blacc, Aunjanue Ellis, Bobby Bennett, Bobby Byrd, Brandon Mychal smith, Chadwick Boseman, Craig Robinson, Dan Aykroyd, Dee-Dee Jenkins, Fred Melamed, Get On Up, Imagine Entertainment, James Brown, James DuMont, Jez Butterworth, Jill Scott, John-Henry Butterworth, Josh Hopkins, Keith Robinson, Kirk Bovill, Lennie James, Little Richard, Mick Jagger, Nelsan Ellis, Nick Eversman, Octavia Spencer, Pee Wee Ellis, Ralph Bass, Ralph Tresvant, Sam Coke, Tariq Trotter, Tate Taylor, Tika Sumpter, Universal Pictures, Vicki Anderson, Viola Davis
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by Chris Ullrich, Oct 3 2011 // 12:30 PM
Arrested Development is one of those series not really appreciated in its time. When it was on the air originally, it had rather low ratings and was cancelled by Fox after three seasons. It was a great show but sadly, a lot of people just didn’t “get it.”
Since its original run, the show has enjoyed newfound success in reruns as well as on DVD and Netflix and has attained cult status among those who appreciate great TV. There’s also been talk of a movie version of the series for years as well and now it seems those plans are finally coming to fruition.
But wait, there’s more. According to reports the show’s creator, Mitch Hurtwitz, plans to bring the Emmy-winning series back to television for 9 or 10 episodes before making movie. That’s right, a new series and a movie. Awesome.
Hurwitz didn’t say where the potential series would air but reportedly the two front runners are Netflix, which is looking for original programming, and Showtime, whose new entertainment president David Nevins used to work at Imagine TV and served as an executive producer on the original series.
Original series star Jason Bateman also confirmed the news on Twitter. “It’s true,” he posted. “We will do 10 episodes and the movie. Probably shoot them all together next summer for a release in early ’13. VERY excited!”
Pretty sure he’s not the only one.
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Posted in: 20th Century Fox · Comedy · News · TV
Tagged: Alia Shawkat, Arrested Development, Dave Cross, Fox, Imagine Entertainment, Jason Bateman, Michael Sera, Mitch Hurwitz, Netflix, Portia de Rossi, Ron Howard, Showtime, Will Arnett
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by Nat Almirall, Jul 29 2011 // 11:15 AM

It has cowboys. It has aliens. It has cowboys and aliens. It’s not a bad film. It’s not a good film. It is a movie. That’s a pretty lackluster opener, but, walking out of the screening, I felt almost completely neutral about Cowboys and Aliens–it was like the things I liked and the things I disliked were in perfect balance.
The film doesn’t fail to deliver on anything the title promises, and you can lose count of the standard tropes from either genre that it hits, but it’s tough to maintain the toothy grin I expected all throughout. Though I’m getting ahead of myself.
Daniel Craig plays Jake Lonergan (one of many last names I suspect are puns but am not entirely sure), a notorious outlaw who awakes one morning with a heavy case of amnesia and one hell of a bracelet on his left arm. He makes his way to the nearest town, controlled by the gruff cattle rancher Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) and his uppity son Percy (Paul Dano), whose favorite pastime is terrifying the community at large and in particular the local bartender (Sam Rockwell) and his wife (Ana de la Reguera).
It’s not long before Jake endears himself to the locals, among them the soused preacher (Clancy Brown), the woman with a secret (Olivia Wilde), and, naturally, the sheriff (Keith Carradine) by punching out Percy, and not long after that that his identity is revealed, and he’s locked up. Still less longer, the aliens arrive, capture a handful of significant townsfolk, and everyone’s differences are set aside as they form a posse to recover the abductees. ‘round about this time, Jake discovers that his bracelet is able to sense the aliens and, better yet, can blow ‘em up real good.
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Posted in: Action · Comics · Dreamworks · Movies · Paramount · Reviews · Universal Pictures
Tagged: Abigail Spencer, Adam Beach, Ana de la Reguera, Clancy Brown, Comic Book Movies, Cowboys & Aliens, Cowboys and Aliens, Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Imagine Entertainment, Jon Favreau, Keith Carradine, Noah Ringer, Olivia Wilde, Paul Dano, Relativity Media, Sam Rockwell, Walton Goggins
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