-
Watch the Mayan epic before the Mayan prophecy (possibly) comes true.
Yesterday's MovieMovie saw Mel Gibson co-star alongside Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon and Lethal Weapon 2, while today's MovieMovie concentrates on Gibson's directing career. Following a re-airing of both Lethal Weapon and Lethal Weapon 2 is Apocalypto, Gibson's controversial 2006 follow-up to The Passion of the Christ.
Co-written with Farhad Safinia (Starz' Boss), Apocalypto was Gibson's attempt to "shake up the stale action-adventure genre" with a story set entirely in the Maya civilization. The bloody epic drew complaints from those that felt the Maya were depicted as too savage, but whether you agree with that assessment or not, Gibson admitted that he had other motives than simply commenting on Mayan culture. "What I'm doing is creating an action adventure of mythic proportions," Gibson told The LA Times in 2005. "I'm hoping that by focusing on this civilization we're able to be introspective about ourselves."
apocalyptoMovies nightly on Reelz, check listings
watch the trailer >> Posted 12.09.12 by Ryan -
"It's not the years...it's the mileage."
Though the novelty of The Expendables' all-star cast of '80s and '90s action heroes wore off somewhat by the time The Expendables 2 hit theaters, the resurgence of aging tough-guy actors continues with the success of Liam Neeson's Taken 2, which beat down the competition this past weekend. And there's more to come. Ah-nuld's getting back in the game with The Last Stand and Bruce Willis is dusting off John McClane for a fifth go-round in A Good Day to Die Hard. But, not all aging actors can continue to pull off the kind of tough-guy roles they played in their youth. Tell us which over-50 actors still have what it takes to beat up the bad guys and come back for more.
Rate the Top 10 Tough-Guy Actors Over 50 Still Making Movies >>
Posted 10.09.12 by BrentJS -
Director Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, Spy Kids) has a busy summer of sequels planned for this year, including the long-awaited sequel to 2005's Sin City, titled Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, and Machete Kills, the follow-up to Rodriguez's 2010 fake-trailer-turned-Grindhouse-homage Machete.
Still based on co-director Frank Miller's Sin City comic books (namely, A Dame to Kill For) the Sin City sequel was written by Miller and The Departed screenwriter William Monahan. At the Cannes Film Festival, Rodriguez told Empire that the sequel will continue the stylistic look of the original and could look even more like Miller's original comic book artwork.
I really held back the first time, because I didn’t know whether audiences would go for it. So it ended up looking like a real movie, but in black and white, with a few flourishes. This one is going to push way further towards the books. It’s going to shock and surprise people.
more about Sin City 2 casting and story >> Posted 05.21.12 by Ryan -
Director Robert Rodriguez has long had an affinity for casting aging action stars no longer as prominent in the public eye. For example, Rodriguez helped Mickey Rourke spark a comeback by casting him as Marv in his 2005 adaptation of Sin City. In Rodriguez's 2010 fake-trailer-turned-movie Machete, he brought in Don Johnson and Steven Seagal for key roles. For that movie's sequel, Machete Kills, Rodriguez has wanted actor-writer-director and tabloid favorite Mel Gibson for a role. Now he has him.
Deadline reports that Gibson is in serious discussions for a supporting role in the sequel, which will follow its title character (Danny Trejo) as he is recruited by the US government to stop a Mexican drug cartel leader and a billionaire arms dealer. While the report doesn't specify which character Gibson will play, it's likely that it could be the arms dealer. The casting has to be a welcome distraction for Gibson, who has spent most of this month being involved in a "he said, he said" public dispute with screenwriter Joe Eszterhaus.
more about Machete kills >> Posted 04.24.12 by Ryan -
ReelzChannel Celebrity Rundown
The passing of television legend Dick Clark caused an outpouring of emotions among celebrities. From President Barack Obama describing the American Bandstand host as "young, vibrant, and optimistic" and a "creative and innovative producer" to Aretha Franklin stating that "if you didn't go on American Bandstand, you hadn't made it yet" to Ryan Seacrest tweeting that Clark was one of his "greatest influences," it's clear that Clark will be greatly missed.
***
Last week, Mel Gibson and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas were involved in a public feud, with Eszterhas saying that Gibson was a scary, angry, Beatle-hating anti-semite, and Gibson claiming that the screenwriter was a liar. Eszterhas has raised the ante by releasing an audio recording of a screaming and ranting Gibson to The Wrap. While it doesn't contain any anti-Semitic language, the recording is decidedly loud, scary, and expletive-filled, suggesting that Eszterhas's side of the story was not simply "utter fabrications" as Gibson had claimed.
***
The surprising relationship between Italian beauty Elisabetta Canalis and American Jackass Steve-O has reportedly ended in an equally surprising breakup. It's rumored that Steve-O ended things when he feared his sobriety was in jeopardy by dating party girl Canalis. A few months ago, no one would have guessed that it would be Steve-O who would end things.
***
Clueless's Cher Horowitz would be excited to see that Marky Mark is back to his "busy pants-dropping schedule." Some new photos have been released of Mark Wahlberg wearing only a tank top and some tight boxer briefs on the set of his new movie Pain and Gain, and they can't help but bring to mind those 1990s Calvin Klein underwear ads.
***
In other Clueless-related news, Alicia Silverstone and Jeremy Sisto reunited on last night's episode of Suburgatory, and we are totally buggin.
Posted 04.19.12 by Mandy -
ReelzChannel Celebrity Rundown
Mel Gibson is now on the defense after screenwriter Joe Eszterhas accused Gibson of making more anti-Semitic slurs, making violent threats against his ex Oksana Gregorieva, and saying that John Lennon deserved to die. TMZ reports that Gibson is telling friends that he's a huge Beatles fan and plays their music all the time. Despite Eszterhas claiming Gibson said he hated Lennon's "Imagine," Gibson reportedly played the song at a recent function. Mel is said to claim he's not surprised by Eszterhas' false claims because the entire letter reads like a "bad script." And the fate of Gibson and Eszterhas's planned Maccabee movie? Deadline reports Jewish leaders are asking Warner Bros. to shelve the project. ***
Apparently Amanda Bynes didn't learn her lesson. Just days after getting arrested for DUI, the actress was involved in a minor car accident. This time, she backed her black BMW over a curb in a red zone while texting as she was arriving at a club Thursday night. This is her second club outing since her arrest last weekend. Bynes eventually got her car in a parking spot and spent the night partying.
***
Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift are collaborating on a new song call "Believe" for Bieber's upcoming album. "You know, the whole album is just so different, there's so many different people collaborating," said Bieber. "I mean I even wrote a song with Taylor Swift, so the whole album ranges differently." Kanye West, Drake, Timbaland, and Usher are expected to appear on the album, which is scheduled for a release later this year.
***
Scarlett Johansson is opening up about her divorce from Ryan Reynolds. Johansson called the breakup "devastating" and "lonely." She told Vogue: "Of course it's horrible. It was devastating. It really throws you. You think that your life is going to be one way, and then, for various reasons or whatever, it doesn't work out." Johansson is now dating New York-based advertising creative director Nate Naylor, who she says is adjusting well to her fame and always being chased by the paparazzi. "It must be very strange for him. It's totally bizarre. It's an adjustment — I mean, it's got to be an adjustment for him way more than it was for me at nineteen. But he's really remarkably good about it."
***
And in foot-in-your-mouth news, Lady Gaga is getting backlash for tweeting, "Just killed back to back spin classes. Eating a salad dreaming of a cheeseburger #PopSingersDontEat #IWasBornThisWay
Posted 04.13.12 by Chris -
ReelzChannel Celebrity Rundown
Mr. Big has finally taken the plunge. Sex and the City's Chris Noth married his longtime fiancée, Tara Wilson, earlier this month. Like Carrie and Big, the couple had known each other for 10 years before tying the knot. Noth and Wilson had been engaged since 2009 and they're already the parents of a 4-year-old son.
***
The PRC has some problems with Titanic in 3-D. Apparently, the scene in which Rose (Kate Winslet) takes off her top to pose for Jack's drawing has been censored in China, and only shows the actress from the neck up. The Chinese State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television has stated that the scene was censored "out of consideration of building a harmonious ethical social environment." Well if that was the reason, one would think they would have edited out that overplayed, over-the-top, overwrought song rather than Winslet's breasts.
***
It's official: Marc Anthony has filed for divorce from Jennifer Lopez. Unsurprisingly, "irreconcilable differences" were stated as the reason for the divorce on the papers filed April 9. He is asking for joint custody of the couple's 4-year-old twins.
***
Guns N' Roses front man Axl Rose declined an induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame via a long, rambling, self-aggrandizing, and occasionally coherent open letter released yesterday. The induction ceremony is planned for Saturday in Cleveland, but Rose won't be there due to the fact that the "Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony doesn't appear to be somewhere (he's) actually wanted or respected." In addition, Rose wants to "let sleeping dogs lie or lying dogs sleep or whatever" and wants to let fans know that "maybe if it were you it'd be different. Maybe you'd do it for this reason or that. Peace, whatever."
***
In other angry (though far more intelligible) letter news, Mel Gibson and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas are publicly feuding after The Wrap obtained a 9-page letter Eszterhas sent to Gibson. The two had planned to collaborate on The Maccabbees, a movie that they had envisioned as a sort of "Jewish Braveheart." The collaboration apparently did not go well. The letter accuses Gibson of regularly making anti-Semitic slurs, dismissing the holocaust, and hating Jews. It also recounts instances of Gibson making violent threats against his ex-girlfriend, Oksana Gregorieva, as well as a description of a dinner party that ended up with Gibson screaming at a priest. Mel Gibson responded by writing an open letter to Eszterhas. Gibson stated that Eszterhas's letter was full of fabrications and that the real reason the collaboration failed was because of the poor quality of the script the screenwriter delivered.
Posted 04.12.12 by Mandy -
No one is more suited to play the anti-hero than Mel Gibson. Gibson has played the role in 2010's Edge of Darkness and 1999's Payback. Gibson, still in career comeback mode after his off-camera antics, falls back in the role in the dark comedy actioner Get the Gringo.
Here's the movie's synopsis:
During a high-speed car chase with the US Border Patrol and a bleeding body in his back seat, Driver (Mel Gibson) violently crashes his car into the border wall as he tries to outrun them. Driver survives the crash only to land inside a hard-core Mexican prison where he enters the strange and dangerous world of "El Pueblito." He finds unlikely guidance from a 10-year-old kid who shows him the ropes.
Get the Gringo, formally titled How I Spent My Summer Vacation, will premiere on DirecTV exclusively before a wider home video release.
watch the trailer >> Posted 03.31.12 by Chris -
In the early part of 2010, the Mel Gibson-starring action movie Get the Gringo (then called How I Spent My Summer Vacation) got off to a rocky start as it drew protests from Mexican citizens who were upset by the prisoner relocation that would allow the movie to shoot in a Veracruz, Mexico, prison. Two years later, the movie, which Gibson also produced and co-wrote with director Adrian Grunberg, is avoiding protests, but taking a less traditional route as it finally scores distribution.
Get the Gringo stars Gibson as Driver, a American criminal who is jailed in Mexico and survives thanks to the unlikely advice of a 10-year-old kid. The first trailer for the movie seems like a mix of Gibson's previous works, with the action and humor of 1999's Payback, the desert locations of The Road Warrior and the character traits of Gibson's Martin Riggs from Lethal Weapon.
watch the trailer >> Posted 02.01.12 by Ryan -
ReelzChannel Celebrity Rundown
Cher is striking back at transphobic critics of Chaz Bono — many of whom are upset about her transgender offspring being part of DWTS — tweeting "Chaz is Being Viciously Attacked on Blogs & Message boards about being on DWTS! This is Still America right?" Chaz replied with "Thanks for all your support mom. The haters are just motivating me to work harder and stay on DWTS as long as I possibly can."
***
After nearly two weeks of deliberation since Russell Armstrong's suicide, Bravo execs have decided not to postpone next week's premiere of Season 2 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and that "re-editing of the episodes is still underway." Meanwhile, RadarOnline reports Taylor Armstrong is struggling with her finances since her husband's death and that "Taylor's salary from the Bravo reality show was not as lucrative as they wanted people to think." This may mean no more $60,000 birthday parties for her 5-year-old daughter Kennedy.
***
Mel Gibson had a smile on his face in the Los Angeles County Courthouse yesterday after he finalized a settlement with ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva that will pay her just $750,000 over a four-year period. The deal comes a year after Grigorieva said she wanted to "see where the chips might fall" and turned down a $15 million offer from Gibson.
***
Since the news of Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's split hit in July we've only heard her side of the story. But now in an interview with ABC News' John Quinones, Anthony brushes off claims of infidelity and takes the high road saying, "These things happen. It was a decision we made jointly."
***
In baby news, Iron Man Robert Downey Jr.'s wife Susan is pregnant with the couple's first child, and Alyssa Milano gave birth to a baby boy yesterday already wants more, telling E! she'll be more pregnant than not in the next few years.
Posted 09.01.11 by reelz