All this week, MTV.com will be running category previews for this Sunday's 2009 MTV Movie Awards. Today's previews take a look at the Best Villain and Best WTF categories. Voting has been open for some time now; if you haven't done so yet, I urge you to head over to the website and make sure your voice is heard before it's too late.
Since we try to dish out something a little more personalized and special for you Movies Blog readers, I'm going to share my own thoughts on the previewed categories each day. No, that's not the treat. This is: you all get to vehemently disagree with me. I encourage everyone to hop in and -- respectfully please -- drag my opinions through the mud in the comments section below. More than that, give us your most heartfelt appeal for why one nominee or another should win. Try to keep it in these categories though; don't worry... we'll get to the others in the coming days. Read more...
When the Golden Globe nominations were revealed last week, nothing provoked a bigger reaction than the announcement that Tom Cruise had garnered a nod for his role as Les Grossman in "Tropic Thunder." I had the chance to sit down with Cruise over the weekend (check out our full interview where discussed everything from "Valkyrie" to "The Hills") and of course I had to ask him what the future holds for the character.
He confirmed that "Ben [Stiller] and I are always talking about what we can do with Les." He then wondered aloud, "Do we do some viral video with Les?" Check it out below.
Where do you want to see Les end up? In a viral video or a movie all his own?
The nominations are in. Now let’s nit-pick, shall we? Actually no, I’m going to begin this season of awards prognostication and analysis (the Globes nominations are after all the unofficial kick-off party) with a wholly positive look at what the Globes did right.
Five things they got right this morning:
-- Here’s to some love for the funniest movie of the year, “Tropic Thunder.” Cruise is a pleasant surprise (though I actually thought he was one of the weaker parts of the film, a little too broad even for a film like this) and Downey is a stroke of genius. It’s a performance that killed the first time and holds up on repeated viewings. And while we’re on the topic of comic turns that needed to be acknowledged, I’m thrilled to see that James Franco make the cut for “Pineapple Express” too. Read more...
We know all about Robert Downey Jr. and Ben Stiller, about Jack Black and Tom Cruise, but you wanna know who REALLY made “Tropic Thunder” great? Eddie Murphy, Sumner Redstone, and Russell Crowe.
Or that’s what I think, anyway, even though, for his part, screenwriter Justin Theroux isn’t letting loose on who actually gets lampooned in the Hollywood satire, which pits a very method actor against an egomaniacal studio head against a comedian known for fart humor, for starters. Read more...
- Biting the hand that feeds him: Robert Downey Jr. and Tina Fey to voice characters in “Mastermind,” an animated send-up of the superhero genre. (EW)
- Bid for a walk-on role in “Spider-Man 4.” “Spider-Man 4” still not officially cast. (Ebay via Slashfilm)
- From the WTF files: Aaron Sorkin crafting movie about Facebook. My Friendster account, meanwhile, goes sadly unnoticed. (Vulture)
- “Tropic Thunder” fake film “Rain of Madness” now available for free on itunes. (ComingSoon)
This weekend, unless you are one of those few poor souls who are just finally getting around to seeing the "The Dark Knight," chances are the popcorn in your wallet is going to fund a trip to see "Tropic Thunder." Well before you end up in that nicely worn in movie theater seat, here’s a few flicks worth picking up on DVD that without which, "Tropic Thunder" would have been a very quiet storm.
Apocalypse Now (1979) -- The Complete Dossier - Two Disc Special Collector’s Edition
Beyond just the color palate, cinematography, and setting, "Tropic Thunder" first and foremost spoofs every frame of "Apocalypse Now." If you are unfamiliar with this adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness,” somehow you have been missing out on jokes from "Back to The Future II" through "Iron Man." Go watch immediately. Read more...
