cult film freak: cameron diaz

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Written by James M. Tate / 12/19/2014 / No comments / 2014 , aileen quinn , bobby cannavale , cameron diaz , eighties , jamie foxx , musical , remake , rose byrne

REVIEWS OF REBOOT ANNIE AND THE ORIGINAL THEATRICAL

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2014 rating: *</td></tr>
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<b>ANNIE 2014:</b> To make people forget what you’re taking the place of, the most effective device is to mention that particular thing to get it… or in this case… to get <i>her</i> out of the way, quick.<br />
<br />
So begins the new ANNIE inside a classroom where a redheaded <i>white</i> girl wraps up an annoying presentation... and then it's time for the next student, also named ANNIE, played by last year’s Oscar nominated Quvenzhané Wallis, who not only trumps this movie’s pseudo Annie but the original, Aileen Quinn’s iconic orphan, is outdone in one aspect – compared to a <i>haves and have nots</i> opening number inspired by The New Deal, FDR never had such posthumous promotion.   <br />
<br />
ANNIE, a MR. DEEDS style mainstream comedy with pop culture references galore, introduces each character as if they were cameos in a parody instead of a genuine remake, or in this case... altering from the 1930's into modern day... a reboot.<br />
<br />
Wallis sleepwalks through the pains and joys of the title character, and replacing Carol Burnett as the mean orphanage… or rather… Foster Home den mother is Cameron Diaz. Almost letting her guard down right off the bat, Miss Hannigan seems more like a cranky Aunt than a villain with a hatred for little girls… Providing the orphans nothing to really fear. In fact they seem completely at home, and in control: The place ain't too shabby.  <br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warbucks Unnamed</td></tr>
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The real heavy is Bobby Cannavale, stepping into the Tim Curry role as a nefarious climber seeking a big raise from his boss, the new Daddy Warbucks in the form of Jamie Foxx as Stacks, a cell phone magnate running for New York City Mayor and, losing in the polls, he takes in an orphan for a needed boost.  <br />
<br />
During their pivotal field trip bonding experience, Foxx and Wallis have the awkward non-chemistry of two actors who just started rehearsing lines. Stacks isn’t very uptight to begin with for his eventual heart-melting transition to matter, while Annie doesn't seem to really <i>need</i> anything, much less a new parent. Songs between the duo border banal and creepy. And as Rose Byrne attempts tying loose ends together, there’s just not anything between anyone – even the dog seems bored. <br />
<br />
The original hard knocking classics aside, the new tunes lend nothing to an actual story, which isn’t an entertaining rags to riches coming-of-age musical but a pointless attempt to bring a famous Comic Strip/Broadway/Cinema character back to life by throwing everything into the pot, hoping something will land. <br />
<br />
Not to jump on the breaking news bandwagon, but SONY PICTURES scrapped the wrong film!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1982 rating: ***</td></tr>
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<b>ANNIE 1982:</b> “Why a kid would want to be an orphan,” barks the villainous Miss 
Hannigan, “is beyond me!” Well who can blame the bitter lush: No matter 
how bad these poor little tykes are treated in that rundown dilapidated 
orphanage, they're having loads of fun singing and dancing like there’s 
no… tomorrow!<br />
<br />
Although this big budget extravaganza’s loaded with great 
actors like Albert Finney as bald millionaire Daddy Warbucks, Tim Curry 
as a con artist and Carol Burnett as the bearer of the quote above, 
Aileen Quinn’s ANNIE steals the show.<br />
<br />
Displaying an 
everygirl persona mixed with a dynamic musical talent, Quinn provides 
the essential energy for the iconic redhead without lacking pathos and 
vulnerability.<br />
<br />
Even when given a dream-week to stay with Daddy Warbucks 
for his publicity, her true aim is having a real family. Determined to 
find her original parents, Warbucks makes a radio campaign with a hefty 
reward – perking ears of the wrong people.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aileen Quinn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While Annie 
slowly warms the heart of the steely industrialist, songs break out in 
just about every other scene. The tunes are catchy, showcased with 
incredible dance numbers.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Albert Finney with Quinn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The time-period sets look and feel authentic; 
from poverty stricken streets and alleyways to the plush Warbucks 
mansion, veteran auteur John Huston takes us to a polarizing time of 
haves and have-nots in the Depression-era '30s with vibrant reality.<br />
<br />
Although
 one particular overlong scene, as Warbucks (constantly regarded as a greedy 
Capitalist) is talked into the New Deal by President Roosevelt, distracts from Annie’s personal adventure, we sporadically return to the orphanage where Miss Hannigan and her 
nefarious brother's plot to recover the reward: providing the 
audience – especially the younger ones – a constantly suspenseful edge, 
making ANNIE a kid's movie with just about everything: including a 
heroine with <i>everything</i> to gain or lose.

2014, aileen quinn, bobby cannavale, cameron diaz, eighties, jamie foxx, musical, remake, rose byrne

REVIEWS OF REBOOT ANNIE AND THE ORIGINAL THEATRICAL

year: 2014 rating: * ANNIE 2014: To make people forget what you’re taking the place of, the most effective device is to mention that ...

Written by James M. Tate / 7/24/2014 / No comments / 2014 , cameron diaz , jason segel , raunchy , rob corrdry , sex comedy

CAMERON DIAZ AND JASON SEGEL IN SEX TAPE

2014, cameron diaz, jason segel, raunchy, rob corrdry, sex comedy

CAMERON DIAZ AND JASON SEGEL IN SEX TAPE

year: 2014 rating: * At one time, sex comedies had a group of lusty yet inexperienced teens on a quest to lose their virginity… But thos...

Written by James M. Tate / 4/30/2014 / No comments / 2014 , cameron diaz , chick flick , comedy , don johnson , leslie mann , revenge

CAMERON DIAZ & LESLIE MANN IN THE OTHER WOMAN

2014, cameron diaz, chick flick, comedy, don johnson, leslie mann, revenge

CAMERON DIAZ & LESLIE MANN IN THE OTHER WOMAN

year: 2014 rating: *** At one point in THE OTHER WOMAN, Cindi Lauper's anthem “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” plays while the three ma...

Written by James M. Tate / 10/26/2013 / 1 Comment / 2013 , brad pitt , cameron diaz , javier bardem , michael fassbender , neo noir , ridley scott

RIDLEY SCOTT DIRECTS THE COUNSELOR

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2013 cast: Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz, Brad Pitt, Penélope Cruz rating: *1/2</td></tr>
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In the prologue of Ridley Scott’s THE COUNSELOR, a bedroom scene leading to the opening credits is for mature audiences only – and extremely patient ones. It’s overlong and means close to nothing except what Michael Fassbender’s title character wants to do with Laura (Penélope Cruz), the all-engrossing love of his life… And that’s about as <i>deep</i> as the movie gets…<br />
<br />
With two hours of treadmill conversations between The Counselor, a lawyer trying his hand at drug trafficking, and several people including sympathetic drug lord Reiner who, played by Javier Bardem, resembles a Spanish John Cassavetes with electro-shocked hair and Brad Pitt’s Westray, a roguish connection describing the dark future Counselor faces if things go wrong… And they do, pretty fast… at which point the music gets tenser but the pace, with a few ultra-violent deaths aside, continues in the same dull fashion…<br />
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Cameron Diaz, as Malkina, tries the hardest as an evil rich femme fatale with a penchant for bloodthirsty cheetahs, icy diatribes, surreptitious manipulation and double-crossing, but she lacks worthy prey. Even Fassbender’s Counselor, who risks everything... including the woman he loves... remains in sleep mode throughout, as the morally ambiguous<i> </i>main character (<i>"way in over his head"</i>) is an essential part of the Film Noir/Neo Noir/Steamy Thriller template, but they <i>must</i> have something to lose – that the audience actually cares about... Ain't nothing here, folks.<br />
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2013, brad pitt, cameron diaz, javier bardem, michael fassbender, neo noir, ridley scott

RIDLEY SCOTT DIRECTS THE COUNSELOR

year: 2013 cast: Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz, Brad Pitt, Penélope Cruz rating: *1/2 In the prologue of Ridley Scott’...

Written by James M. Tate / 7/02/2011 / No comments / action , cameron diaz , seth rogen , superhero , tens

THE GREEN HORNET

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvsK2YNl13sQ0jfztaCt3233MFwCe8wsIFZ-5yNlrPYNL9LbG4i3UGG35ExhaV_9Qi1sUuHRLMdjTKWKOk_MrK8XOfsVHCRgVOjz7aPMjYdugezBx6NiMdw-Rt8QFumjagW065nFCXqmG/s1600/56183.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624844919467464034" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvsK2YNl13sQ0jfztaCt3233MFwCe8wsIFZ-5yNlrPYNL9LbG4i3UGG35ExhaV_9Qi1sUuHRLMdjTKWKOk_MrK8XOfsVHCRgVOjz7aPMjYdugezBx6NiMdw-Rt8QFumjagW065nFCXqmG/s200/56183.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 174px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">title:</span> THE GREEN HORNET<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">year:</span> 2011<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">cast: </span>Seth <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Rogan</span>, Jay Chou, Cameron <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Diaz</span>, Christoph Waltz, James Franco<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">rating:</span> *1/2<br />
<br />
Actor Seth Rogen produced and co-wrote this Superhero story of THE GREEN HORNET who, along with his Asian sidekick <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Kato</span>, assumes the role as a renown villain to fight crime.<br />
<br />
Many problems here, the first being <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Rogen's</span> performance, no different than his usual deep-voiced slacker sarcasm displayed in many light comedies, acquiring him the fame to leap into something "serious," which this is anything but.<br />
<br />
The means of how <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Rogen's</span> Britt Reid, playboy son of a millionaire newspaper tycoon, goes from party animal to the titular crime fighter is rushed and forced. After his father's death, Reid discovers dad's Asian mechanic (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Kato)</span> can not only make coffee better than Juan Valdez, but creates extraordinary cars and weapons (and just about everything) like <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Zeus</span> wields lightning.<br />
<br />
And with a few conversations, the template is set: the boys drive off to thwart any wrongdoings, all the while causing havoc to assume their villain roles. But the real baddie, Christoph Waltz, makes for a dull antagonist, providing no real threat to the boys, who really don't seem like legitimate criminals on their own.<br />
<br />
The fight scenes, as <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Kato's</span> brain becomes a virtual grid-computer to zero in on his targets (taking away from what the original <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Kato</span>, Bruce Lee, acquired with good old fashion karate skills), turns all the action into a video game consul.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHjxS_FZKiNYOzYQz3QBBMJrsircblC6bUojbUTizHW0FFrRRJal5dHfhuK7hSgp-fzrbrgHnGG4iwiuLZcFLXGBcVHCt0KkntRcFNq42kAx5LszSEJXOSRz0aJhDofA-B8nZp9KWUOgA/s1600/the-green-hornet.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624844784974748850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHjxS_FZKiNYOzYQz3QBBMJrsircblC6bUojbUTizHW0FFrRRJal5dHfhuK7hSgp-fzrbrgHnGG4iwiuLZcFLXGBcVHCt0KkntRcFNq42kAx5LszSEJXOSRz0aJhDofA-B8nZp9KWUOgA/s200/the-green-hornet.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 156px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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And <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Kato</span> himself (played decently by Jay Chou) fills too many holes, making it possible for everything to happen, while Reid, a weak character to begin with, is rendered practically useless. Cameron <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Diaz</span>, as Brit's new personal assistant, providing helpful clues that, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">unbeknownst</span> to her, the duo apply in the field, is the only interesting player... with an assertive, no-nonsense personality, she's slightly more dimensional than the two leads, both seeming part of a banal buddy flick that's not sure what it is.<br />
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Being too goofy for a superhero movie, and not funny enough for a comedy, we're left with an overlong, dysfunctional mess.

action, cameron diaz, seth rogen, superhero, tens

THE GREEN HORNET

title: THE GREEN HORNET year: 2011 cast: Seth Rogan , Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz , Christoph Waltz, James Franco rating: *1/2 Actor Seth...

Written by James M. Tate / 6/26/2011 / No comments / cameron diaz , comedy , tens

BAD TEACHER

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWDxfDBKy23w0lwCrf0iCkyFMMBZaQePGBAxV1bUe8DufT1QV3-fwQH0RgngRzcrndsQInzczEwJc85amqRmqU7gNyMuaGwplckOUI5aNmJYL-o8m1pqysc9HNbUEaZLcXcVMDyZch20bn/s1600/Bad%252BTeacher%252BMovie%252BPicture.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622577857270522690" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWDxfDBKy23w0lwCrf0iCkyFMMBZaQePGBAxV1bUe8DufT1QV3-fwQH0RgngRzcrndsQInzczEwJc85amqRmqU7gNyMuaGwplckOUI5aNmJYL-o8m1pqysc9HNbUEaZLcXcVMDyZch20bn/w237-h320/Bad%252BTeacher%252BMovie%252BPicture.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 148px;" width="237" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">title: </span>BAD TEACHER<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">year: </span>2011<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">cast: </span>Cameron Diaz, Jason Segal, Lucy Punch, Justin Timberlake<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">rating:</span> *<br /><br />While most “dark comedies” center on goofy characters within a gritty, unpredictable setting, this is the opposite. Cameron Diaz is a crude, brutally honest teacher in a squeaky clean school full of banal kids, geeky teachers, and a geeky principle right out of a bizarro world Norman Rockwell painting. This is the first of many problems as the campus and characters, with the exception of the usually dependable Jason Segal as a sarcastic P.E. teacher, are too “good” to be realistic: making Diaz’s badness seem forced, bitter and unlikable (who <span style="font-style: italic;">wouldn't </span>hate this school?). Lucy Punch, as the arch enemy teacher, so perfect she’s on the verge of a mental breakdown, and Justin Timberlake, an ueber sensitive sub, are too cartoonish to be worthy targets of antihero Diaz, too pissed off at everything, and everyone, to be funny: we never feel her frustration, an essential element in any comedy film. The plot has Diaz wanting to marry rich, and trust-fund Timberlake fits the bill. But he's so overboard as a dweeb, the means to an end seems like a waste of time… which is most of the film: Diaz figuring out how to illegally earn enough money for a boob job (while we know who she'll fall for in the end). And the jokes, mostly aimed at everyone not as open and crude as Diaz, just aren’t funny. But she tries her best – it’s the writing and direction, with pockets of embarrassingly awkward moments for the characters and the audience, that earns this one a deserving F minus.

cameron diaz, comedy, tens

BAD TEACHER

title: BAD TEACHER year: 2011 cast: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segal, Lucy Punch, Justin Timberlake rating: * While most “dark comedies” center on...

Written by James M. Tate / 3/07/2011 / No comments / cameron diaz , charlie sheen , dark comedy , independent , john cusack , john malkovich , mindtrip , nineties

BEING JOHN MALKOVICH

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcgu2-TMzKhIsFfHrJUZC2jSeiOOHLl5Ut_VDJiwDP8nIhDdamBVdfA9hlmZW70RzLfX9OU3qEuyS-WqMbhhefNUADnK17jrQXqK-tySjXbjuY7Dlg-b-RuQz7TKTiK98FYHjWpYqreI/s1600/259507_f520.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581524914740797794" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcgu2-TMzKhIsFfHrJUZC2jSeiOOHLl5Ut_VDJiwDP8nIhDdamBVdfA9hlmZW70RzLfX9OU3qEuyS-WqMbhhefNUADnK17jrQXqK-tySjXbjuY7Dlg-b-RuQz7TKTiK98FYHjWpYqreI/s200/259507_f520.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 173px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">title: </span>BEING JOHN MALKOVICH<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">year: </span>1999<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">cast:</span> John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, John Malkovich<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">rating:</span> ***<br />
<br />
While this film remains creatively weird the whole way through, it's only the first half that works effectively. John Cusack, as an unsuccessful puppeteer hired to work on floor 7 1/2 of a mysterious building where the ceilings are very low, discovers a portal leading to the brain of John Malkovich, allowing anyone who enters a fifteen minute tour through the actor's eyes. It's when Cusack, in lust with his fellow employee and married to a sweet-natured scientist, becoming pawn of a love triangle in which Malkovich's body is a sexual vessel, that the intriguing mind-trip becomes a bit too convoluted. Yet it is <i>all</i> very unique... And the casting of Charlie Sheen as Malkovich's buddy/voice of reason is very timely, and more ironic now than ever. But in a nutshell, the half-floor has a lot more uncovered weird potential than being inside the actor's body.

cameron diaz, charlie sheen, dark comedy, independent, john cusack, john malkovich, mindtrip, nineties