Vanessa Ferlito Tagged Articles at Cinematical

So very often, we here at Cinematical field comments that are directed specifically to whoever a post was about -- as if Star X or Director Y were reporting about themselves, or as if we hoard e-mail information for any given celebrity and pass word on with great frequency. Having written just one review, though, of a Tyler Perry movie, none of my other posts have yet to have so many remarks addressed directly to the writer-director-producer-star-caterer than that one.

Still, so long as Tyler Perry and his filmed plays are around, we'll have posters and trailers that demonstrate just how ungainly his blend of broad slapstick and gospel-laced melodrama is over the course of a mere two minutes, let alone two hours. Case in point: next February's Madea Goes to Jail. On the one hand, we have the poster (click below to enlarge), with the risible imagery of a dove made out of smoke framing the face of Madea (Perry in drag), a character known primarily for being racuous, shrill, anything but saintly. On the other, we have this trailer by way of Yahoo! Movies, which runs the gamut from Madea bickering with Dr. Phil and sticking it to noxious honkies to straight-up preaching to prostitutes in prison.

For some people, it's everything that they hope for out of a Tyler Perry offering. For others, it's everything that they dread. Madea Goes to Jail on Feburary 20th, and I just wanted you to know, Mr. Perry, that I'll try to find my own "Get Out of Jail Free" card by then.

Here's some more casting news, courtesy of Variety:

First up is twenty-something comedian Dan Levy. He has worked under Bill & Ted's Alex Winter in television's Dirty Famous, and on the big screen side of things, we're about to see him play "Snooty Man" in The House Bunny. Now, on top of acting alongside a scary-looking (in the film) Anna Faris, Levy has nabbed a role in Mardi Gras. This is one of those Maxim flicks -- the one that already stars West from Heroes. So, this probably won't help his career, but at least he gets to party.

In an entirely different vein, Boris Kodjoe is signing on for another science fiction role. He's already completed a stint in Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (I wish I was kidding), and now he's picked up a role in Disney's sci-fi thriller called The Surrogates. This is NOT that flick where unsuspecting would-be parents pick an insane surrogate, but rather, the one that just got a creepy set photo. There is no word on who he'll play in the robotic flick.

Finally, there's a new gig for one of the sexy ladies from Grindhouse. Vanessa Ferlito has picked up a much less gruesome role in Tyler Perry's latest -- Madea Goes to Jail. She gets to play some woman named Donna. But that's not all that we can see her in. She's also got a gig in Humboldt Park and Julie & Julia on the way.

Back in December, I told you about a new holiday movie in the works called Humboldt Park. Starring John Leguizamo and Freddy Rodriguez, the film was so specifically described as a movie about a family reunion in Chicago's Humboldt Park over the holidays. Hooked yet? Now The Hollywood Reporter has shared more of the cast, and a bit more about the mysterious plot. First up -- the project's cast list now spots the likes of Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2), Melonie Diaz (Be Kind Rewind), Jay Hernandez (Crazy/Beautiful), Mercedes Ruehl (The Fisher King), Luis Guzman (Fast Food Nation), and Vanessa Ferlito (Death Proof).

As for the plot, it's not much, but Freddy and John are brothers in this familial, reuniting clan, Ruehl is the matriarch, Molina is the bodega-owning dad, Hernandez is a friend of the family who works there, Diaz is Freddy's former lover, and Ferlito is the sister, who is friends with Diaz. That's one heck of a family with Latin talent, and who wouldn't want Molina as their dad?! Production begins right before Valentines Day in Chicago, and I imagine it will be out for the holiday season. With the bodega inclusion, maybe we'll get some foodie flavor and Latin wine as well.