Tag: Viola Davis

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Say Whaaat? Michelle Rodriguez Suggests Liam Neeson Can’t Be Racist Because He Stuck His Tongue Down Viola Davis’ Throat

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Liam Neeson has already damaged his career by saying a little too much during an interview, and now Michelle Rodriguez might be next.

Neeson and Rodriguez co-starred in the thriller ‘Widows‘ together along with Viola Davis. And in the movie, Neeson and Davis kiss each other passionately.

During an interview with Vanity Fair on Wednesday, Rodriguez defended Neeson by saying he couldn’t possibly be racist because of how passionately he kissed Davis during the movie.

“It’s all f—in’ bulls—. Liam Neeson is not a racist. Dude, have you watched ‘Widows’? His tongue was so far down Viola Davis’s throat. You can’t call him a racist ever. Racists don’t make out with the race that they hate, especially in the way he does with his tongue — so deep down her throat. I don’t care how good of an actor you are. It’s all bulls—. Ignore it. He’s not a racist. He’s a loving man. It’s all lies.”

I’m no expert in history, but didn’t ~white masters~ rape their slaves? I’m just saying. I don’t think kissing a person outside your race makes you not racist. That’s a pretty sad defense.

For what it’s worth, it looks like most people don’t agree with Rodriguez. Lionsgate canceled Tuesday night’s red carpet premiere for Neeson’s upcoming film ‘Cold Pursuit‘. The film, which features Neeson playing yet another character looking for revenge, is set to open today (Feb. 8).

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Viola Davis Says She Regrets Her Role In ‘The Help,’ Find Out Why Inside!

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You might know Viola Davis from her brilliant work in How To Get Away With Murder, but before that show came along, she starred in the Academy Award-winning film, The Help.

Davis actually earned a Best Actress nomination for her role in the movie, but still, she regrets being involved.

During a recent Q&A with The New York Times, Davis was originally asked if she had passed on any great roles in the past. She said there were maybe one or two roles she wishes she would have accepted, and then flipped the question on its head.

“Almost a better question is, have I ever done roles that I’ve regretted? I have, and The Help is on that list. I just felt that at the end of the day that it wasn’t the voices of the maids that were heard. I know Aibileen. I know Minny. They’re my grandma. They’re my mom. And I know that if you do a movie where the whole premise is, I want to know what it feels like to work for white people and to bring up children in 1963, I want to hear how you really feel about it. I never heard that in the course of the movie.”

She’s talked about this before. Last year, she talked about how she knew the movie would change her career, but she didn’t feel right about it…even from the beginning.

“I thought it was an important story, but I had a lot of issues with The Help. The anger, the vitriol, and the hatred that they would have towards these white women would have been vocalized. You didn’t see none of that! You saw Minny putting the s–t in the pie, but that was comedic in nature, so it’s an easier pill to swallow. These black women would hate these women.”

And she has a point. The movie made everyone feel too comfortable. You can’t really make a feel good movie about a subject that is fueled by hate, racism and pure evil.

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Watch The Talented Viola Davis Star In Full Trailer For Crime Movie ‘Widows’

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Are you not getting enough Viola Davis from her leading role in How To Get Away With Murder? Well, we got some good news for you, she’ll be coming to a big screen near you in just a few short months.

The 53-year-old actress stars in this crime drama with Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell and Daniel Kaluuya.

Widows follows the story of a group of women who are left dealing with the massive debt left behind by their now-deceased husbands after a heist gone wrong.

There are a lot of talented people working on this film. Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) is the director behind the project. He co-wrote the script with Gillian Flynn, who is known for her novels Gone Girl and Sharp Objects.

Widows will hit theaters November 16, 2018. Check out the trailer below…

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Someone Is About To Win An Oscar: Watch Denzel Washington And Viola Davis In First ‘Fences’ Trailer!

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Sometimes you can just watch a trailer and know someone in the movie is going to win an Oscar. That’s the feeling everyone is getting after watching the first trailer for Fences.

The movie, based on August Wilson’s 1983 play, features Denzel Washington in the lead role as Troy Maxson. A former professional baseball player, now working as a garbage collector in Pittsburgh, who struggles “with race relations in the United States while trying to raise his family in the 1950s.”

Wilson won a Pulitzer Prize for the play in 1987. The 2010 revival of the production won best revival of a play and got Washington his first Tony Award.

Viola Davis stars in the film as the wife of Troy Maxson. Many people believe she will take home an Oscar for her role, and it makes sense. Since this story was told over 30 years ago, every version of it has won awards. This feature film adaptation will be no different.

You can check out the official synopsis and trailer below. By the way, Washington also directed this film, which is something he hasn’t done since 2007.

“Troy Maxson, is a strong man, a hard man. He has had to be to survive. Troy Maxson has gone through life in an America where to be proud and black is to face pressures that could crush a man, body and soul. But the 1950s are yielding to the new spirit of liberation in the 1960s, a spirit that is changing the world Troy Maxson has learned to deal with the only way he can, a spirit that is making him a stranger, angry and afraid, in a world he never knew and to a wife and son he understands less and less.”

 

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Movie Review: Black Hat (2015) – somebody give Hemsworth back his hammer

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The best way to describe Blackhat is to call it a movie about hackers, written by people who’ve never met any real hackers. I mean really, a buff Chris Hemsworth playing a dude who allegedly spends 15+ hours a day on a computer? I doubt Chris Hemsworth even knows how to turn his computer on in real life. Hackers get so good at computers because they spend so much time on computers and no time in the gym. You want to know what a real hacker looks like? Find the doughiest IT guy at your company, and add 50 pounds.

Sorry, rant over. Back to the movie.

Nicholas Hathaway (Chris Hemsworth) is behind bars because he’s a master computer criminal. Of course, he isn’t so good that he managed to avoid getting caught. Anyway, some cyber villain who is just as good as him (probably better, actually because he didn’t get caught) has hacked into the computer of a Chinese nuclear reactor. In order to stop a disaster, they toss in Chen Dawai (Leehom Wang), a computer expert who proposes reaching out to the Americans. Of course, he decides to go with Hathaway and the two set up the nerdiest buddy cop team ever.

The unfortunate part of this movie is the fact that the writers clearly didn’t know how to make computer crimes interesting, so they had to turn Hemsworth into some buff action figure who’s throwing punches and breaking jaws every few minutes. That’s a shame, because the hacking in and of itself could have been interesting. To prove that, I bring up the much better 90s cult hit “Hackers”.

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That was a hacker movie that actually features hacking and people who looked like they could be hackers. In this one, I kept on waiting for Hemsworth to yank out his magic hammer and give them all the Thor smackdown.

The dialog and acting was wooden, which is a shame because Hemsworth already proved he could act in Rush. I think he might have started phoning it once he realized this movie was being released in January. i.e. the new release graveyard.

The plotline is murky and filled with holes. I mean, these people are looking for a hacker so good they can’t catch him. So they go with a hacker they already caught to help? Also, I highly doubt China needs our help with anything. They’ve been kicking our butts in technology for the last 2 decades. I highly doubt the first people they turn to are the American’s when they have problems.

The lady characters were there to be nothing more than T&A. Honestly, Dawai’s sister shows up on the scene, allegedly because she’s a master hacker too, but spends most of her time batting her eyelashes at Thor…I mean Nicholas.

If you’re going to make a movie about computers, actually consult with some people who know things about computers. Maybe hire someone who actually has a background in hacking. Otherwise, expect an audience full of snickering IT guys.

Blackhat had potential, but instead of making it an intellectual action, they just went straight action and ruined the effect. For god’s sake, somebody give Hemsworth back his hammer before he ruins any more movies.

WE GAVE IT: 2 Stars – Watch the Official Trailer and Official Movie Poster below!

2 Stars

 

 

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Movie Review: Get on Up (2014)) – An Excellent Portrayal of a man who Really can’t be Replicated.

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I’m a fan of director Tate Taylor, as well as of the Godfather of Soul, James Brown. So when I learned that Taylor was directing an epic based on the musician’s life, I was excited. Luckily, I can say that I wasn’t disappointed.

Chadwick Boseman plays James Brown in Get on Up and gives us a complete, unflinching look inside the career and the amazing life story of James Brown. It takes us from his impoverished childhood, all the way to his rise to fame as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Boseman is supported by some amazing actors in this epic, including Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Nelsan Ellis, Lennie James, Tika Sumpter, Jill Scott and Dan Aykroyd.

What usually bothers me about movies based on musicians’ lives is that rarely can a director strike the right balance. Either they portray the musician as a monster, or they sugarcoat them until they are as squeaky clean as Justin Bieber’s image used to be.

This movie strikes the right balance between the two. It starts off with James Brown exploding into one of his well known fits of ego and anger, but slowly the real character of Brown starts to unravel. The story is told by frequent flashbacks, mixed with a bit of linear story-telling.

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I think the timeline is really what makes this movie brilliant. Moments of huge success in Brown’s life are immediately compared to scenes of baseness and horror. You don’t just see the things Brown did wrong. You start to understand what made him the way he was.

Get on Up is a movie based on contrast, and is aptly named. You might see Brown fail on occasional, but he always returns to triumph.

I don’t know how realistic any of this was or if they stuck to the true story of James Brown’s life, but they seem to have captured him as a character. If there was one thing James Brown was, it was intense, and this is an intense movie. Taylor was the ideal person to direct this movie, as he seems to enjoy playing with contrasts and this movie is all contrast.

Of course, the movie doesn’t skimp on the music and there is plenty of opportunity to enjoy many of Brown’s most iconic songs.

I was extremely impressed with Boseman, who seemed to have the majority of the icon’s moves and mannerisms down. Though he didn’t have Brown’s frantic energy, I doubt anyone could replicate that. All in all, he created an excellent portrayal of a man who really can’t be replicated.

Sometimes the back and forth can get a bit confusing, but I think the back and forth was a necessary part of the movie. Watching this story in a linear format might make it difficult to stay with, as Brown really had a harsh upbringing and viewed all at once, that might be a bit of a downer.

This was yet another excellent film by Tate Taylor and the best I’ve seen Boseman since his stint as Jackie Robinson in 42. If you’re interested in the life of the legend James Brown, then this movie is absolutely worth the watch.

WE GAVE IT: 4.5  Stars: Official Movie Trailer and Movie Poster Below

four and a half stars

 

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New James Brown Biopic “Get on Up”, Releases new Trailer and Movie Poster

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This movie is packing a lot of star power. The lead of James Brown is played by Chadwick Boseman who we’ve seen as Jackie Robinson in “42” and recently in “Draft Day”. Boseman is talented and there is no doubt that he can pull of the role as the Godfather of soul.

What will make or break this movie is the story lines. There are several in James Brown’s life so how many they focus on and which ones to highlight will be the question. The screenplay was written by Jez Butterworth and Steven Baigelman who have no recent mainstream blockbusters to their credit so if this does well it will be a huge win for the duo.   However the film will be directed by “The Help’s” Tate Taylor who we know can direct black actors.

If Tate Taylor is not enough Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Nelsan Ellis, Lennie James, Tika Sumpter, Jill Scott, and Dan Aykroyd will be bringing up the rear in an all star supporting cast. Combining that cast with a soundtrack full of James Brown classics will at least get some asses in the theaters this summer. The film is due to be released on August 1st.

Watch the Official Trailer and get see the movie poster below.

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