Laz Alonso Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Spike Lee and Disney might sound like a pretty odd combination, but I don't really see it that way. (Lest we forget that the excellent 25th Hour was a Disney production.) Love the guy or not, Spike Lee has turned into quite the eclectic filmmaker over the last few decades -- and so when I heard that the guy was helming a $50 million WWII drama for Disney, I was intrigued but not surprised. Based on the book by James McBride -- and adapted for the screen by same -- Miracle at St. Anna tells the tale of four black soldiers who find themselves stuck behind enemy lines in Italy.

Opening September 26, St. Anna stars Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, and Omar Benson Miller. Also on board are John Turturro, D.B. Sweeney, Kerry Washington, John Leguizamo, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Riding high after his last feature film (the solid and profitable Inside Man), Mr. Lee looks to be moving into "Oscar-friendly" territory again with St. Anna -- and I know I'm not the only movie fan who's curious to Lee's first big war movie.

After the whole Spike Lee vs. Clint Eastwood kerfuffle, it's great to finally see a glimpse of Lee's new World War II movie, Miracle at St. Anna. The trailer for the film has just shown up on Yahoo! and it looks just as great as I'd hoped it would. Of course, it's difficult to tell the quality of a war movie based on its trailer -- war movies from Hollywood typically all look the same at the marketing stage -- but I have a strong feeling this will at the very least be one of the more interesting war movies we've seen in some time. Coming from the unique perspective of Lee, we're hopefully bound for some things we haven't even seen before.

I like that the trailer begins in a bank that kinda resembles the one from Lee's previous feature, Inside Man. And that it takes a moment to reveal that it's a war movie. I guess now that we see Joseph Gordon-Levitt's role more clearly (he's not even listed on the film's IMDb page), it seems as though St. Anna may involve more of a present story than I had expected. Perhaps his interview with the main character, Hector (Laz Alonso), will be interwoven with the story, like the interrogation sequences of Inside Man? Nah, Lee would never repeat himself so blatantly, would he?

The Miracle of St. Anna marches into theaters September 26.

Cinematical has received this exclusive poster for Miracle at St. Anna (click to enlarge), the highly-anticipated new film from director Spike Lee. Based on the novel by James McBride (who also penned the adaptation), Miracle at St. Anna follows four black American soldiers (and members of the US Army's all-black 92nd "Buffalo Soldier" Division) who, while stationed in Tuscany, Italy during World War II, find themselves trapped behind enemy lines and separated from their unit when one of them risks his life to save an Italian boy.

Starring Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, Omar Benson Miller, Matteo Sciabordi, John Leguizamo and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Miracle at St. Anna marks Lee's first foray into war flicks, and it will certainly be interesting to see his trademark style applied to this type of movie. I thoroughly enjoyed both Inside Man and When the Levees Broke, and feel Lee is entering a new, exciting time in his career -- one I'm definitely down for being a part of. What about you?

Miracle at St. Anna arrives in theaters on September 26.

Is it really Monday already? Here are some casting bites that have popped up over at Variety:

• Laz Alonso, who played Zeke in Stomp the Yard, has picked up yet another big-buzz role. He's already got gigs in projects like Miracle at St. Anna and Avatar. Now he's also nabbed a lead gig in the upcoming, fourth installment of The Fast and the Furious. In this sequel, Brian (Paul Walker) gets a place on a druglord's racing team to catch the guy in the act. Alonso is going to play "an intimidating street racer" named Fenix who works for the druglord. I'm more interested in the other roles, but this should give Laz some solid mainstream recognition.
• Meanwhile, Bree Turner, who has been picking up background roles for ten years now (starting off with little bits in films like My Best Friend's Wedding and The Spy Who Shagged Me), has picked up another romcom role. She's going to appear in the upcoming Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler film The Ugly Truth -- this is that comedy where Heigl listens to her chauvinistic co-worker Butler, and takes on his tests to try and find love. I keep wishing this project would fade away, but no such luck.

Maybe it's because I just sat through the lazy, depressing Fred Claus. Maybe it's because I was expecting Tyler Perry in drag. Maybe it's because my holiday spirit is at an all-time low. Whatever the reason, This Christmas came as a complete surprise. I kinda loved the thing.

Loretta Devine plays Ma Dear, the matriarch of a sprawling Los Angeles-based family with a whole lot of secrets. A whole lot. There's Quentin (Idris Elba, Stringer Bell on The Wire -- the best show on television), a musician who owes big money to some bookies. There's Lisa (Regina King), trapped in an emotionally abusive marriage with the hissable Malcome (Laz Alonso). There's Kelli (Sharon Leal), a sexually frustrated businesswoman. There's Claude (Columbus Short), in love with a woman (Jessica Stroup) he's scared to introduce to his family. Ma Dear has a secret of her own regarding Joe (Delroy Lindo), something of a surrogate father to the Whitfield clan. Oh, and Baby (R&B sensation Chris Brown)? He wants to sing, damn it!

That's a lot of stories to keep afloat, and writer/director Preston A. Whitmore II handles that list and many more mini-dramas with ease. It's quite the balancing act. Whitmore has written and/or directed several smaller projects since 1995's Vietnam drama The Walking Dead, but Christmas will put him on the map in a big way.